Common Problems With Ryobi Snow Blowers (According To Users)

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

If you live in a location that is prone to excessive snow, you likely view the coming of winter with no shortage of trepidation. That's because you no doubt know you will eventually find yourself out in the cold undertaking the backbreaking, and potentially dangerous work of removing snow from your sidewalks and driveway.

Of course, that work doesn't have to be quite as backbreaking as it has been in years and decades past, as the trusty old snow shovel is not the only method available on the consumer market. If you've got a few extra Benjamins at your disposal, you should know that most of the major lawn care and power tool factions now have a snowblower of some sort available for consumer purchase. Yes, Ryobi has indeed become a player in the snowblower market, and at present has 10 different models of snowblower available for purchase through its online storefront.

Most of those options are priced in the $500 to $800 dollar range, too, ranking them among the more economically viable makes you can buy in a retail environment these days. As enticing as those prices are to those looking to invest in a new snow blower, it's always wise to read up on a product before buying. And when it comes to the TTI-owned brand's snowblowers, you may find that particularly helpful, as some users have questioned their toughness.     

Before we get too far into the complaint department regarding Ryobi snowblowers, we should point out that the reviews are not all bad. In fact, the comments and ratings posted by real world users to the company's website and The Home Depot site are, for the most part, decent enough, with the blowers generally posting ratings between four and five stars. But even despite the general positivity surrounding the Ryobi devices, there are plenty of questions regarding their toughness and overall performance.

Now, given that the bulk of Ryobi's most notable powered tools and devices are powered by rechargeable Lithium-Ion batteries, you'd be correct in assuming that its snowblowers are too. And at present, Ryobi does not offer even a single gas-powered snowblower. Several users have noted that as a potential issues, claiming the battery packs for Ryobi's snowblowers like the 40V HP Brushless Whisper Series 24-inch Two-Stage build don't last long enough to finish even smaller clearing jobs on a full charge. That means you may need to invest in extra battery packs to tackle bigger jobs, and that can get pricey considering it's $1,799 price.

Apart from power, several Ryobi customers also claimed that their snowblower — including the 40V HP Brushless 21-inch Whisper Series and 40V HP Brushless 21-inch – struggled to clear snow accumulated more than a few inches or so, and even more on heavy or wet snow. Given that most users are purchasing a snowblower specifically to remove heavy accumulations, this is something worth considering before you pony up and add one to your snow-clearing arsenal.

The purpose of this article is to highlight a few of the more common points of complaint lodged against some Ryobi snowblowers for consumers interested in purchasing one. In attempting to provide a comprehensive view of those complaints, we scoured dozens of reviews of Ryobi snowblowers posted to the company's website and exclusive retailers like The Home Depot by real-world customers who have purchased and used their own. When appropriate, some reviews were cited directly to ensure an accurate depiction of the noted issue.