Is Ryobi's Storm Kit Any Good Or Worth Buying? Here's What Users Say

It seems like nearly every week there's another story in the news about a massive storm causing wind damage, severe flooding, or worse. Whether because of summer thunderstorms, winter blizzards, or anything in between, you'll want to keep your home and family prepared by stocking up on emergency gear and essential gadgets for storm season. Ryobi's Storm Kit is one way to purchase multiple devices in a single bundle to save time and money.

The Ryobi 18V One+ Storm Kit (model PCL1307K1) has a list price of $129 and includes three cordless products, a 2Ah battery to power them, a charger, and a bag to store them all together. The three 18V tools are Ryobi's LED Area Light (PCL662B), 150 Watt Battery Inverter (RYI150BG), and Compact Bluetooth Radio/Speaker (PCL600). Buying these three products individually would cost you $150, so you're already saving money with the bundle even before factoring in the battery, charger, and tool bag.

It's easy to see why each of the three items would be useful in a storm, particularly if the power goes out. The inverter would allow you to keep things like phones and tablets charged, while the radio would be vital for hearing the latest weather updates. The LED light is a safer option than using candles to see in the dark. But are Ryobi's inverter, radio, and light worth buying over other similar products? Lifehacker believes so, calling Ryobi's Storm Kit "a must-have for weather emergencies," though this is seemingly based on the bundle's specs rather than hands-on experience. To know for sure whether it's worth its price, here is a closer look at what actual users are saying about Ryobi's Storm Kit.

Individually, both the 18V One+ Ryobi's LED Area Light and the 150 Watt Battery Inverter have strong overall user reviews on Ryobi's website and Home Depot's website. On average, Ryobi's radio has good (but not as good) reviews on the manufacturer's website, but doesn't fare nearly as well when rated by Home Depot customers. However, Pro Tool Reviews had a positive opinion of the radio, and SlashGear also considers the Compact Bluetooth Radio/Speaker an unnecessary Ryobi product you might want to buy anyway.

Even with less-enthusiastic praise for the radio, the Ryobi 18V One+ Storm Kit is one of the top-rated Ryobi products on Home Depot's website. Based on over 3,650 user reviews, the bundle has a 4.5 out of 5 average customer rating, with over 80% of customers recommending it. Some of the advantages afforded by the kit, frequently mentioned in positive reviews, include its convenient compatibility with other Ryobi batteries that users may already own, as well as the bright output of the LED light. 

Reviewers will specifically cite the kit as useful for power outages, storm-related or otherwise. On r/Ryobi, one redditor notes that the diffuse light of the PCL662B is better than harsher work lights for illuminating an entire room when the lights go out. Users also point out the versatility of Ryobi's Storm Kit — it doesn't need to be used solely for emergencies. In their positive reviews of the bundle, Home Depot customers mention using the three cordless Ryobi devices for camping trips and even Trunk-or-Treat events.

As mentioned, Ryobi's Bluetooth Radio/Speaker has slightly fewer positive reviews than the other devices included in the Ryobi Storm Kit. In both mixed reviews and more negative 1-star reviews on Home Depot's website, users mention issues with the reception and volume of the Ryobi radio. At least one review also says the radio's handle makes it awkward to carry and that it continues playing for a few seconds after it's powered off.

One of the most common complaints you can find about the products included in the Ryobi Storm Kit revolves around battery life. After all, if the power is out during a storm, you'll be completely reliant on Ryobi's batteries to use the light, radio, and inverter. For what it's worth, the LED lamp is one of the Ryobi 18V tools that work great with a 12 Ah battery for extended runtime, but you'll need to buy that separately.

In a similar vein, you'll also find Home Depot customers questioning the logic of only including one battery with the bundle. If you don't already own Ryobi batteries for other tools and just have the one that comes with the kit, you won't even be able to use more than one of the included items at the same time. As one 3-star review on Home Depot's put it, having one battery to power three items means you'll have to listen to the radio in the dark if you don't have another light source.

To determine whether Ryobi's Storm Kit is worth buying, we looked at the firsthand experiences of users who've purchased and used the Ryobi 18V One+ Storm Kit and the tools included in the bundle. These user reviews were sourced from both Ryobi's website and Home Depot's, as the latter has a large number of customers weighing in on the various products.

The larger the pool of user ratings, the more reliable the score, as any fake or outlier reviews made in bad faith (positive or negative) won't greatly affect the overall average. Hundreds, if not thousands, of reviews were averaged into the customer scores cited in this article, including for each tool as well as the Storm Kit as a whole. Four out of five stars and higher were considered to be positive reviews. Additionally, we sourced user feedback and opinions from Reddit, specifically r/Ryobi. Finally, we looked at findings from reputable publications to supplement and corroborate overall user feedback.