The Ryobi Expand-It Attachment That Turns Your String Trimmer Into A Leaf Blower

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An attachment that turns your string trimmer into a leaf blower capable of moving 475 cubic feet of air per minute at speeds up to 140 mph is easily one of the most useful attachments from Ryobi's Expand-It system. According to Ryobi's website, the 475 CFM Blower Attachment, which weighs just under five pounds, comes with a handy hanger cap to simplify storage solutions when not in use.

While the Ryobi Expand-It blower attachment, model RYAXA22, is designed to work with Ryobi's line of 40V Attachment Capable Power Heads and String Trimmers and ONE+ Attachment Capable String Trimmers, it also works with gas and cordless attachment capable trimmers from several brands, including Hart, Kobalt, Weed Eater, Cub Cadet, Craftsman, Poulan, Toro, and McCulloch to name a few. However, Ryobi Expand-It attachments and Milwaukee's Quik-Lok system are not compatible.

The Home Depot, an exclusive retailer for Ryobi-brand products, sells the Expand-It blower attachment for $99.00. While prices can fluctuate between Home Depot and Ryobi's website, in this case, the price is the same. Home Depot offers free in-store pickup, or you can buy online and get free delivery right to your location. However, quantities are limited to one unit per order.

Ryobi lists about a dozen different Expand-It attachments on its website. They include power sweepers, pole saws, hedge trimmers, cultivators, edgers, brush cutters, gutter blowers, string trimmers, and snow blowers in addition to the leaf blower attachment.

If the Expand-It leaf blower doesn't provide enough power to remove the dirt and debris that accumulates on your driveway or patio, there are a couple of Ryobi Expand-It attachment options to consider. First, the Expand-It Sweeper attachment is capable of removing a 15-inch-wide swath of dirt, damp leaves, and other light debris from hard surfaces. It's listed on Home Depot's, as well as Ryobi's, website for $179.00.

If your cleanup chores involve removing heavier debris from hard surfaces and grass, consider the Ryobi Expand-It Rubber Broom attachment, Home Depot priced at $199.00. The rubber broom attachment features rubber paddles with a 15.5-inch cleaning width.

Cleaning gutters is often a dreaded fall chore. If you'd like to clean your gutters with both feet planted firmly on the ground this fall, check out the $79.00 Expand-It Gutter Blower attachment, also available at Home Depot. Ryobi describes the attachment as capable of clearing leaves and debris from high gutters with the tool extending to 9.5 feet. However, users say Ryobi's Gutter Blower works best with dry leaves and can struggle to remove wet debris from gutters.

Among the things you should know about Ryobi's Expand-It attachment system is that it provides a way to own several outdoor power tools at budget prices and store them in a smaller space. While you could buy any of the tools that the Ryobi Expand-It attachment system offers as full-size gas or battery-powered options, they would cost more and often take up more space.

The key is that the Expand-It system can use a single powerhead, acquired as a stand-alone unit or as part of an Attachment Capable String Trimmer; it doesn't even have to be Ryobi brand. Using the $99.00 Expand-It 475 CFM Blower Attachment as an example, Home Depot's least expensive comparable blower is the DeWalt 20V MAX 125 mph 450 CFM Brushless Cordless Handheld Leaf Blower that comes as a "Tool Only" version for $125.00.

The Ryobi Expand-it Attachment System is easy to use. Using the tool-free system, users can quickly swap from one attachment to another. It's easy to change to the Expand-It edger after using the string trimmer attachment. Then use the sweeper attachment followed by the blower for professional-looking results.