If you are looking for a good brand of tools to upgrade your arsenal with, you have come to the right place. Today, we want to compare two fairly popular brands, Worx and Ryobi.
If you had to choose one, which one should it be?
A Brief History of Worx and Ryobi
First off, we have Worx. This is a Chinese brand of power tools and lawn and garden equipment, one that is owned by the Positec Tool Corporation. The company is based out of Suzhou, China, with North American headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.
The founder of the Positec Tool Corporation is Don Gao, and the company has only been around since 1994, making it a fairly young company. This company actually sold its power tools to other brands, with one being Black & Decker. However, Don Gao was not happy with selling his tools under other brands, and in 2004 began distributing lawn and garden equipment, as well as power tools, under the Worx name.
In North America, Worx tools can be found online and in several retail giants including Lowe’s, Walmart, Home Depot, Canadian Tire, and Costco. These products can also be found in some European countries. While Positec is a huge company, Worx as a brand is not that large, and as far as we can tell, only has a few employees with a few million dollars in annual revenues.
Worx
Ryobi on the other hand is a Japanese company, one that was started in 1943 by a man named Yutaka Urakami.
In the beginning, the company was small and produced only die-cast products, but it quickly grew, and by 1961 had begun making full-scale printing presses. That same year, the company had grown large enough to be listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. In 1968, Ryobi Seisakusho Co., Ltd. began making its own power tools, and by 1973 it officially changed its name to what we know it as today.
Ryobi produces a variety of goods including automobile components, electronics, printing equipment, builder’s hardware, and power tools. What can be confusing is who owns Ryobi and their products.
When it comes to Ryobi power tools and outdoor equipment, although both lines are technically owned by Ryobi, the brand has licensed these lines to the Hong Kong-based giant Techtronic Industries which holds the license to the tools and also manufactures them. This is the same company that owns Milwaukee, AEG, Homelite, Dirt Devil, and other brands.
Ryobi is a fairly large brand, with an estimated 2.25 billion dollars in annual revenues, with roughly 10,000 employees across the world.
Ryobi
Worx vs. Ryobi: Which Offers Better Quality?
Worx, although not a huge brand, is fairly popular. It is known for producing some pretty decent lawn care and outdoor tools, as well as some pretty nice power tools too. For the most part, Worx is seen as a consumer brand, or in other words, it is seen as ideal for light use, repair jobs, and some DIY tasks too.
Now, Worx products are all made in China. Surprisingly enough, though, people seem to be quite happy with the level of quality and durability that their products come with. It’s not a brand we would recommend using for heavy-duty and professional work, but they could do in a pinch.
What can be said about Ryobi tools is that they are pretty average, maybe a little better than average. For the most part, Ryobi products are seen as being ideal for home use, general repairs, and smaller DIY tasks. They are quite functional and comfortable to use, although maybe not durable enough for constant and heavy-duty use.
That said, some people still choose to use Ryobi tools for professional purposes, but this appears to be in a limited capacity. It’s not like the tools are bad by any means, but they also aren’t the highest quality in the world.
What is interesting to note is that the company that makes Ryobi tools, Techtronic Industries, does most of its manufacturing in China. Yes, Ryobi does have one facility in the USA, in Indiana to be precise, but this facility produces only accessories. Now, some people may be worried about overall tool quality due to the fact that Ryobi products (the vast majority) are made in China, but that said, they seem to be some of the best products to come out of Chinese facilities.
All in all, we would say that both Ryobi and Worx are about on par with each other in terms of overall quality, with neither being bad, but also not fantastic.
Which Offers a Better Warranty?
From what we can tell, all Worx tools are covered by a three-year limited warranty.
When it comes to Ryobi warranties, all power tools are covered by a three-year warranty and a two-year manufacturer’s warranty. Most outdoor tools feature five-year warranties, and most hand tools feature three-year warranties.
As it seems, Ryobi does offer better warranties on its products.
Worx vs. Ryobi: Which Has a Better Product Portfolio?
Through plenty of research and looking around at websites of both manufacturers, there is only one conclusion that we can come to, and that is that Ryobi has a much better selection across the board.
Worx definitely does have a decent selection, but no matter what category you look at, you are sure to find about twice as many options provided by Ryobi, if not more.
Which of the Two Brands Should You Choose?
The fact of the matter is that both of these tool brands are perfectly fine choices to go with.
When all is said and done, Ryobi does have a wider selection of products and better warranties, but Worx might just have a leg up in terms of overall tool quality, even if just ever so slightly.
Summary
When all has been said and done, both Worx and Ryobi have mostly all of their tools made in China, yet for Chinese made tools, they actually appear to be fairly high in quality.
When it comes to home use and light repair work, as well as general yard work, we would not have a problem with purchasing products from either of these brands.
How Do Worx and Ryobi Compare with Other Brands?
See how Worx compares with: Black & Decker | Bosch | DeWalt | Makita
See how Ryobi compares with: Black & Decker | Bosch | Cobalt | Craftsman | DeWalt | Makita | Milwaukee | Porter-Cable | Ridgid | Skil | WEN