Look at the title of this post, isn't it insane? Who would pit the two against each other?

I have the $499 DeWalt set, bought it at Home Depot a couple of years ago, wasted both batteries, bought a used one, it's on the way downhill now. Dropped the hammer drill off of a few 12' ladders onto concrete, and it's well used.

THE DILEMMA

I wouldn't show up on the job site with Ryobi products, I'm happy with DeWalt, but now I'm in a situation where I'm considering Ryobi.

If I buy a new DW hammer drill, it's $289 at Home Depot, with one battery.

If I buy one DW battery (I need two), it's $80 at Home Depot. Two would be $160.

NOW....if I buy the 18 volt Ryobi set that includes the hammer drill, reciprocating saw, handheld vacuum cleaner, chain saw, jig saw, laser measuring tool, 41 piece bit set, flashlight, circular saw and rolling case, it's $249. That whole set is $40 cheaper than one DeWalt hammer drill.

I heard the batteries are pretty cheap too. The detents on the Ryobi hammer drill are nicer than the detents on the DeWalt, which feels mushy. The Ryobi reciprocating saw seems small and light, maybe it won't cut like a DW.

People on the job who use Ryobi think it's smarter to buy Ryobi and save a bunch of money. They seem happy with their tools.

I'm generally uncompromising when it comes to tools, but here I am thinking about buying a big set of Ryobi stuff. Should I keep buying batteries for my DW set at $80 a pop and beat the hammer drill into the ground and eventually replace it soon for $290, or go with the huge Ryobi set for $245? Any opinions?

I feel like I'll be waist deep in various brands of useless cordless tools in 10 years. I'd hate to spend $245 on a bunch of junk, but the guys on the job say that if they drop a Ryobi off a ladder, who cares? Buy another one. I can't say the same for my DW - it costs too much.