12 Useful Ryobi Tools That Can Help Solve Everyday Problems

In 1943, the manager of Mitsubishi Electric's Fukuyama Works asked Ryobi's founder, Yutaka Urakami, what he thought about die casting. Shortly thereafter, Urakami modified a soy sauce warehouse and got to work producing die cast products, largely for the military. A few years later, after the end of World War II, the company switched focus to making civilian products like car parts. Ryobi has produced a wide range of products in the years since, things like printing presses, fishing tackle, golf clubs, mechanical pencil sharpeners, and more. Today, Ryobi Tools (now an independent entity) offers all kinds of electric power tools and related products.

On home improvement store shelves, both physical and digital, there are niche specialty tools and then there are those that get used regularly for common, frequent, or inconvenient tasks. There's a reason lots of people own a hammer or a screwdriver while some other tools are less common. If you're not sure what to put in your shopping cart, these are 12 Ryobi products you might not know about but which you're actually likely to use for everyday tasks.

It should be noted, however, that this is not a buying guide; instead, it's an educational resource to help keep you up to date on what Ryobi has to offer. SlashGear is not making any specific purchasing recommendations and you should only buy tools that work for your needs, skills, and budget.

Ryobi's high pressure digital inflator is designed with the intention of taking the effort out of inflating mid-sized objects. It has a built-in air pump with a bicycle tire adapter, a pinch valve adapter, and a needle for filling up athletic equipment like basketballs and soccer balls. Your valves and needles all tuck away in a built-in storage compartment when they're not in use.

The inflator works with Ryobi's 18V ONE+ battery platform. It's capable of inflating things up to 160 psi and the current pressure gets displayed in real time on a backlit digital LCD screen. The built-in chuck fits ordinary ¼-inch Schrader valves like the ones you usually find on vehicle tires and secures in place with a locking lever.

The two-foot long high-pressure hose means you need to get pretty close to your target object, but as the unit is cordless, you've got plenty of flexibility because you're not tied to an outlet. Additionally, while it's good for filling common household objects with air, this digital inflator isn't ideal for cleaning surfaces or for filling up larger objects like air mattresses, beach balls, or pool toys. If you need something stronger, Ryobi offers other inflators with broader capabilities. 

A power drill is a foundational tool that's likely to be useful to pretty much anyone. Manual drivers like handheld screwdrivers can be useful for tightening fasteners or sinking a few screws by hand, but if you have to drive a lot of screws or drill a lot of holes, a power drill can save a lot of time and effort.

Ryobi's ⅜-inch drill kit delivers up speeds of up to 600 RPM and weighs just 2.8 pounds, allowing users to hold it overhead longer without fatigue. Ryobi calls it the perfect tool to have handy for projects like building, assembling, hanging, and more.

The ⅜-inch keyless chuck fits a wide range of driving and drilling bits to drill holes with different diameters and drive a variety of fasteners, ranging from your slotted and Phillips-headed standards to more rare ones like security pins and hex heads. The kit includes almost everything you need to get started, with a 1.5Ah battery and charger. You will need to bring your own bits, however, though any will do as long as they fit the drill's chuck.

Tools can be used to build, repair, or dismantle things, but they can also be used to keep you more comfortable while you work. An electric fan might not be an obvious addition to your list of powered construction tools, but improved air circulation can be a game changer on especially hot days or if you're trying to dry materials like fresh paint or soggy carpets.

Ryobi's four-inch clamp fan has five 4-inch blades and a rotating head capable of both turning horizontally and tilting vertically for orienting airflow in whatever direction necessary. You can choose between high and low speed settings, and the fan is capable of moving up to 180 cubic feet of air per minute on high. A clamp on the bottom can grab hold of any object 1.5 inches wide or smaller.

It's compatible with Ryobi's 18V ONE+ batteries and can last through most or even all of an ordinary work day, depending on the settings you choose and the battery you use. For example, Ryobi says the fan can operate for more that 47 hours with a 6Ah battery when set to low speed; it will run for 22.5 hours set to high with the same battery. Even a 2Ah battery can power this fan for approximately 8 hours on high with a single charge, according to the manufacturer.

Try as we might, sometimes you hang a door just a little bit crooked. If you have one or two in your home like these that stick as they rub against the doorjamb, Ryobi's wood trimmer could help to address that problem. It has an adjustable door thickness dial and connects to almost any power drill. Running it along the length of the door shaves off a tiny bit of wood to give it a little more clearance.

To use the door trimmer, first open and close the door to identify where it sticks. Remove the battery from your power drill as a safety precaution and attach the drill to the trimmer. Place the trimmer over the door's edge and adjust the door thickness dial until the trimmer is snug but not stuck — you should still be able to move it smoothly back and forth. Insert the drill battery again, then hold the drill with one hand and the pommel handle of the trimmer with the other.

Fire up your power drill and move the trimmer along the door's edge with steady, even pressure. The device removes up to 1/32 of an inch at a time. Check the door after each pass to see if it still sticks and repeat as necessary until it opens and closes without complaining.

Perhaps one of the most beloved features of modern houses is indoor plumbing. The ability to use the bathroom or get fresh water without hassle is a luxury many of us take for granted. That said, every once in a while pipes can fail, leaving you with a flooded basement. You don't need a plumbing emergency to have need of bailing something out, though; above ground or in-ground pools, artificial ponds, or even rain barrels in the backyard are just a few instances where you might need to move a bunch of water quickly. Ryobi's telescoping pole pump offers an alternative to a bucket, siphon, or hand pump.

This unit has a sealed, water resistant battery enclosure on one end and a removable filter on the other. It moves up to 15 gallons of water per minute and runs for up to 26 minutes on one of Ryobi's ONE+ 2Ah batteries, for a total capacity of 390 gallons per charge. Of course, a battery with a greater capacity will offer you a longer runtime.

The telescoping pole extends up to 3.5 feet, and the pump has four different automatic shutdown modes. It either turns off if it doesn't detect any water, or you can set shutdown timers for 5, 10, or 15 minutes. Other features include an LED work light and a water barrel hook so you can hang the pole pump on the side wall of whatever you're draining to pump water hands-free.

If you really want your car's paint job to shine, an electric buffer might be worth investing in. Buffing is typically a two-stage process which smooths the clear coat over your car's paint, giving it a uniform and shiny finish. The first stage uses an abrasive compound to remove peaks and high points, while the second uses a buffing pad to smooth out imperfections. 

Of course, buffers can be used on plenty of other things aside from your car's exterior. Ryobi's 10-inch variable speed buffer is designed for larger surfaces, capable of running for up to 2.5 hours and buffing an entire vehicle on a single charge of the included 4Ah battery. As the name suggests, it's 10 inches in diameter; its variable speed dial is capable of delivering between 2,000 and 3,600 orbits per minute (OPM).

When activated, random orbit motions help to reduce swirls and streaks, leaving you with an even cleaner finish. The multi-grip design features two separate handles in two different orientations, so you can find the right grip whether you're waxing a surface from above or buffing your car from the sides. In addition to the battery, this unit comes with an applicator bonnet, a buffing bonnet, and an 18V ONE+ battery charger.

Sometime in the distant past, some of our ancient ancestors figured out how to manipulate fire. The ability to intentionally generate light and heat meant that suddenly people could stay warmer, see better at night, and cook food. Tens of thousands of years later, and our species is still playing with fire. We've also created alternative, artificial sources.

Ryobi's 18V ONE+ heat pen can be used for a wide range of jobs that need high heat. It's good for curing materials, getting bubbles out of things, loosening stuck adhesives, using on heat-shrink plastics, stripping paint, applying heat transfer materials, and more. Ryobi's heat pen can be especially helpful for out of the way jobs thanks to its compact shape and its portable design.

This Ryobi unit comes packaged with a 2Ah battery and charger alongside interchangeable deflector and spreader nozzles to help you control the flow of air. It also has a stand with built-in nozzle storage and a control dial for setting temperatures between 450 and 750 degrees Fahrenheit.

Multi-tools use small oscillations to do work. When the blade of an oscillating multi-tool encounters a hard material, the resistance causes it to cut, chip, or sand. By contrast, oscillating tools aren't so good at cutting soft materials, which is why they're used to safely remove plaster casts from medical patients without cutting the skin beneath.

With the right attachment, Ryobi's brushless multi-tool can be used on a variety of materials, including wood, drywall, plastic, and metal. The company says switching from one blade to another is pretty simple simple thanks to the unit's tool-free accessory release system; you flip down a lever, swap out your attachment, and flip the lever back into its locked position. It's got a built-in work light and a variable speed dial, and you can set the tool between 10,000 and 20,000 oscillations per minute (OPM), according to your needs.

The multi-tool also features a lock-on button so you can set the speed and keep the tool running without needing to hold down a button or trigger. Ryobi offers this tool in a kit with an 18V ONE+ battery and charger. It also comes with a plunge cut blade, a flush cut blade, a sanding pad, and three sheets of sandpaper. If you've never used a multi-tool before, they're relatively easy to learn; SlashGear has its own beginner tips and tricks guide that can help you out.

You've probably seen and used hot glue guns with their plastic triggers in the past, as they're commonly used in craft projects or for hastily holding electronic components in place. That hot glue, also known as hot-melt adhesive, isn't right for every job, but it does give you a malleable, multipurpose, and very sticky way to bond things together, cooked hot and fresh right when you need it. 

Hot glue guns typically have a heating element that warms up those sticks of solid adhesive, melting it into a liquid which gets pushed out of the nozzle when you pull the trigger. Ryobi's USB Lithium Glue Pen works in more or less the same way, but it features a more ergonomic shape like a writing utensil, offering improved control. As it works with Ryobi's compact USB lithium battery platform, the glue pen is lightweight and easily held in one hand.

Instead of relying on a trigger, the device pushes glue through the pen nozzle when you apply your thumb to a sliding lever on the side. It uses 5/16-inch diameter glue sticks, which Ryobi says the glue gun can heat up in about 30 seconds. The unit comes with a few accessories, including three miniature glue sticks, a 2Ah lithium battery with a USB charging cable, and a drip tray stand to protect your surfaces from any leftover glue.

A vacuum is probably one of the most common cleaning tools of the modern age. They come in different shapes and sizes, ranging from standard push vacuums used to clean home carpeting to the massive, powerful backpack vacuums used to clean industrial buildings and other large spaces. A typical vacuum cleaner might be great for keeping floors tidy, but if you want to vacuum out-of-the-way places like the cobweb-covered corners of your attic or the nooks and crannies of your car's backseat, a handheld vacuum is usually a better choice.

Ryobi's 18V ONE+ Performance Hand Vacuum Kit has a easy twist-off dust catcher capable of holding up to 2.8 cups of dust and debris, and the manufacturer says that the unit is capable of moving up to 40 cubic feet of air per minute despite its small size. You can get the vacuum by itself or in a kit with a 2Ah battery, 18V ONE+ battery charger, one filter, a dust brush, crevice tool, and a 1-7/16-inch accessory adapter.

Not so long ago, if you wanted to carve wood, you had to do it the old fashioned way with a chisel and hammer, a carving knife, or another manual woodworking tool. Today you can do the same work with less effort and in less time thanks to the power of electricity and engineering.

Ryobi's USB Lithium Power Carver is billed as the industry's first ever cordless power carver according to the company. A built-in LED battery indicator lets you know when it's time to swap out or recharge, and Ryobi says its power carver can be used for carving wood, furniture restoration, engraving, or even cosplay outfit crafting.

The unit carves using a 1-mm stroke length at a speed as high as 14,000 strokes per minute (SPM). It comes with a straight chisel made to remove relatively large pieces of wood (or other materials) for things like woodcarving or furniture restoration. It also comes with a 2Ah USB lithium battery, a charging cable, and U-gouge and V-gouge tips for detail work.

There are different sorts of saws, each with their own benefits and limitations. For example, circular saws use continuous rotation, while reciprocating saws use a linear blade that moves back and forth in one direction. Band saws, meanwhile, are similar to circular saws; they have a blade moving in a circuit, but it's thin one that moves on a continuous loop instead of a solid flat disk with teeth along the perimeter. This blade travels around an upper and lower wheel in a never ending circle, like a train made of sharpened teeth moving around a track.

Most band saws are large and usually relegated to workshop use similar to the way table saws and drill presses are. However, Ryobi's 18V ONE+ 2.5-Inch Compact Band Saw is lightweight and handheld. It can be used to cut things like metal tubing, rebar, and other materials up to 2-½ inches in diameter. Most of the blade is covered by the saw housing; a small, exposed portion allows you to cut materials by making contact with the exposed part of the blade. Ryobi says this portable band saw can make up to 225 cuts of ¾-inch conduit on a single charge.