3 Ryobi 40V Tools That Are Worth Buying (And 2 To Avoid)

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If you've entered a Home Depot over the last decade or two, you've likely noticed Ryobi tools being virtually everywhere. Home Depot has exclusive rights to sell Ryobi products, and the brand has dedicated a ton of shelf space to Ryobi. So, you've probably considered picking up a Ryobi tool or two in your time. Why wouldn't you? They're reasonably priced, are designed for homeowners, and you'll have no problems seeing that yellow color in the lowest possible light. Many of the brand's tools are multipurpose as well, making them an even better value.

Ryobi offers three sets of tools, each compatible with a specific type of battery. The more basic stuff has 18V batteries, most of their yard tools take 40V, and a few of the more hardcore things like riding lawnmowers take 80V batteries. A good place to start with Ryobi is its 40V tools. You usually find them in lawn equipment, and since the batteries are compatible with each piece of equipment, you're encouraged to use the brand's ecosystem by buying more than one tool to obtain multiple batteries for multiple tools.

Should you decide to go that route, it's probably a good idea to know what tools you want to go with. There are a variety of tools available with the 40V battery, and several of them do multiple things. However, in my experience, there are three you should consider before any other, and a couple you should probably avoid if you want to save yourself a headache.

A Ryobi lawnmower is a great place to start if you want to get into 40V Ryobi tools. There are several that you can go with, but the Ryobi Brushless 20-inch Electric Lawnmower would be my first choice. This is similar to the mower I own, just with a larger deck size. The self-propelled function works well, and you can change its speed so it's not dragging you across the lawn. It's also recommended to get one with the battery and charger, since you'll need it anyway to mow your lawn. 

It has essentially everything you'd need in a mower. There is the option to swap between a bag, mulching, and side discharge, which is helpful if you intend to mulch your grass. Personally, I've used my Ryobi mower for five years to bag leaves out of my yard in the fall, which has been supremely effective. The included 8Ah battery is rated for around 50 minutes of runtime, which should be enough to mow a typical suburban yard. You can also purchase a second battery to extend that time if you're struggling to get through a cut with a single battery. 

Should you decide to shop for a Ryobi mower, make sure you get a self-propelled one, since Ryobi sells this mower with and without propulsion. Then you're basically just walking around the yard, which is easier, especially if you have a hilly or bumpy lawn. 

Leaf blowers are useful tools, and Ryobi's 40V 550 CFM Cordless Leaf Blower is about as good as it gets for a cordless leaf blower. I own an older model of this with less power, and I was literally on my roof, a few days ago, using it to blow leaves off of my roof and gutter guards so I could install Christmas lights. They are just handy to have around for cleaning your curb, yard trimmings, leaves, and whatever else you need a blast of air to deal with. I have, on two occasions, used it to get dog hair out of the backseat of my car.

Anyway, Ryobi's current models are pretty good. They boast 550 cfm of air, which move at about 120 mph. That is competitive with some gas-powered leaf blowers. The included 4AH battery gives you 75 minutes of runtime, which is longer than you think. Since the 40V batteries are compatible in multiple tools, I usually use my leaf blower battery to power my mower if its battery isn't enough, and I still have enough power to leaf blow my driveway, sidewalk, and patio before I run out of juice.

In any case, at around $159, this is an easy purchase. Ryobi sells 4Ah batteries for $149, so you're essentially getting the leaf blower for $10 if you buy one bundled with the tool. The user reviews are almost entirely positive as well, which is a good sign.

To complete the trifecta of yard tools, the Ryobi 40V 15-inch Cordless String Trimmer is about the only other tool you'd need for basic yard maintenance. It's one of the best string trimmers you can buy, thanks to its ergonomics and ease of use. My Ryobi string trimmer is an older model, and the newer ones have some extra tricks. That includes access to the Expand-It attachment system that lets you buy attachments to put on the stick of the string trimmer to make it do more things. 

As a string trimmer at least, Ryobi does it right. There aren't any real frills here. The trigger is variable speed, which is nice to have, but otherwise, it's point and click, so to speak. This tool is especially good for beginners because Ryobi sells replacement spools, and all you have to do to change them out is twist one off and twist a new one on. It's cheaper to buy string and do it yourself, but it's not exactly easy if you've never done it before. 

Ryobi adds a 4Ah battery with the string trimmer for $159. So, you're basically paying $149 for the 4Ah battery and then $10 for the string trimmer. Add to that the batteries you get with the mower and leaf blower, and you'll have way more than enough power to mow, trim, and blow off your lawn with approximately a whole battery's worth of power remaining. 

Ryobi makes a lot of tools, so it shouldn't be surprising that there is a clunker or two in the bunch. One such example is the 40V Vac Attack Cordless Leaf Vacuum. This little gadget promises to suck up leaves out of your lawn, mulch them internally, and then deposit them in a bag for disposal later. It's a neat idea on paper. As a homeowner, cleaning leaves out of my lawn is a chore, and having an easy way to do it makes sense. However, that is not necessarily the case here. 

There are two reasons why you should skip this. The first is ergonomics. User reviews point to the bag getting increasingly heavy as they go, which is predictable. It makes the thing a little hard to carry after a while, which can tire you out faster. In addition, the internal mulcher seems to be a little sensitive, with some reviewers noting that an accidental twig or stick getting sucked into it can cause pretty big problems. In short, people who own this thing are undecided on whether it's good or not. 

The other reason is that you can simply use a lawnmower with a bagger. I have personally done this every year since I got my Ryobi mower, and it is not only easier, but more efficient, too, and a mower has more uses than a leaf vacuum. Save yourself the garage space and get a mower with a bag instead. 

The Ryobi 10-inch Battery-Powered Chainsaw exists in a weird spot in Ryobi's lineup. It's a compact chainsaw that is meant to be used comfortably for random household tasks like cutting a branch or maybe some smaller pieces of firewood. It's not necessarily bad at its task, either, with pretty decent user reviews all around. You can do all the same stuff as a regular chainsaw, like adjust the tension, and it comes with an automatic oiler to keep the chain lubricated. What's not to like?

Well, two things. The first is that it is the weakest chainsaw that Ryobi sells that takes 40V batteries. Ryobi also has a 16-inch model and a 20-inch model. Both of those boast similar power to gas-powered chainsaws (40cc and 52cc, respectively), whereas the 10-inch chainsaw doesn't. The price for the larger, stronger, and more capable 16-inch model is only about $50 higher as well. So, if you're going to spend money on a tool you intend to keep long-term, it's absolutely worth the extra six inches and more horsepower.

On the other end of the spectrum, Ryobi also sells a smaller, 6-inch chainsaw that takes 18V batteries, the same as the brand's drills and other, smaller tools. This is much better suited for small chores like chopping up small logs, pruning tree limbs, and things like that, since it's lighter and easier to handle. So, it's not that the 10-inch chainsaw is bad; It's just that Ryobi's other options are simply better.

I chose the recommended products based on my experience with them or their older models. I have mowed, trimmed, and blown off my lawn dozens of times in the years since, and not only do all three tools still work with their original batteries, but I haven't needed anything else to keep my lawn looking nice. I also use the mower and leaf blower in the autumn to clean up leaves, and I use my leaf blower to clean my roof and gutters as well.

For the tools you should avoid, we based our selection on user reviews and average review scores. Ryobi doesn't have a lot of clunkers in the 40V lineup, just some temperamental ones, so really, if you wind up with one of those two tools, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.