Why Some Countries Still Get The Blue Ryobi Tools The Rest Of The World Lost
Here in the U.S., it doesn't take an expert to pick Ryobi out from a lineup of all the major power tool brands. Its distinct green color is one-of-a-kind, making it instantly recognizable alongside Milwaukee's red or DeWalt's yellow. But outside of the U.S. market, Ryobi looks completely different. In countries such as Japan and South Africa, you'll find Ryobi tools in darker blue, teal, and gray finishes.
Ryobi used these colors in American markets years ago, but the brand later switched to its now-signature green color. The color change happened because of a corporate split in the late 2010s that divided Ryobi's power tool operations into two separate companies.
Since 2018, Hong Kong-based manufacturer Techtronic Industries (TTI) has handled Ryobi power tools sold in the United States, Europe, and Australia as well as several other Western markets. Meanwhile, Kyocera Industrial Tools Corporation oversees the power tool business in other regions, including Japan and certain Asian and African markets.
Is there a difference between blue and green Ryobi tools?
Kyocera holds 80% of parent company Ryobi Limited's shares, while TTI manufactures and distributes Ryobi-branded equipment under a separate trademark arrangement. With that understood, it's easy to see the blue tools are part of a totally separate regional product lineup that just so happens to carry the Ryobi name.
That's really the biggest distinction between blue and green Ryobi tools in the modern day: who manufactures them and where they're sold. TTI produces the green Ryobi equipment, while Kyocera is responsible for the blue versions. The two manufacturers operate independently, and their respective equipment lines are free to use different designs, components, and battery platforms if they please.
Speaking of batteries: Some older blue Ryobi equipment from the US used nickel-cadmium (NiCad) batteries. That technology has since been discontinued in favor of lithium-ion power, which means those Kyocera-owned products use them as well. So, while modern green and blue Ryobi tools both use the same battery chemistry, batteries are not interchangeable between old (blue) and new (green) Ryobi tools in America.