Consumer Report

[uncle jimbo]

Well I went out and bought a new snowblower yesterday
I bought a Ryobi electric battery powered one. 40 volt 5ah twin battery setup. 21 inch. Was suppose to be able to go through 12" deep and throw it up to 35'.
Well, I can move more snow with my foot. I have never bought anything that didn't live up to what it said it could do, and never came close. This thing is a total waste of money.
I called the store and told them about it and they said to bring it back and get my money back. No questions asked. I get the feeling that I am not the only one to complain about this.
So, it goes back Friday morning. Buy a gas powered 2 stage self propelled one, electric start. And get a small amount of money back.

 

[JonB]

That's too bad about the battery powered unit...glad they are giving you the option to return it.
I, also, have been looking at upgrading my snowblower. I can't buy a new one, but I've been looking at used Honda two-stage blowers in the classified ads. They came out with hydro-static drive, about 10 or 20 years ago...that looks awesome. Also, I'd prefer one with tracks. New ones (6hp or 8hp) with those features are $2500 to $3k. I'm seeing used ones for just over $1k. I see lots of older ones without hydro-static for much cheaper.

 

[Brad]

I have had a Toro 2 stage for approaching 20 years. Starts on first pull almost every time. Had it in shop twice now in that time. Was 800 bucks in 2001 when I bought it. Best money I spent that year.

 

[Ian]

Brad, I figured you of all people would have a Roomba snowblower or something run by GPS.

 

[freebullet]

I have a feeling it was wet heavy snow. That would be a deal breaker for smaller units.

Even the gas 2stage have issues with semi freezing slush. Whole different ballgame vs. wet or dry powder.

Our 3 have electric start. Ones a 10hp24", call that one the big block. 8hp26" does great most times. The third is a 48" hooked on an antique ariens gt18 I cobbled electric power steering form a saturn ion onto so my father could keep using it.

Ian
Brad is milling the parts now I'll bet.

 

[Brad]

Ian, the key for me is that we frequently get snow when I am at work. My wife has the drive clear for me when I get home.
Why have a Roomba snowblower when I have a good wife?

 

[Bret4207]

My experience with Ryobi products has been terrible. Bottom of the line stuff as far as I've seen. As far as snowblowers, yes on the 2 stage gas models. Electric start is nice. I'd try to avoid ethanol fuels were it me. I've not used a tracked model yet, but they make sense to me. Be advised they may be a bit harder to turn if they don't come with steering brakes.

This latest craze to try to make everything battery powered is just a fad IMO. Screw drivers, yes. Snowblowers and chainsaws- no thanks!

 

[Rick]

Yep, my experience also. Ryobi and DR, both are garbage from about everything I've seen with any of their stuff.

 

[uncle jimbo]

The snow I as trying to move was only 3" deep and it was not heavy wet snow. Was not fluffy powder, but was not the wet stuff either. It just didn't work as advertised.

 

[uncle jimbo]

My experience with Ryobi products has been terrible. Bottom of the line stuff as far as I've seen. As far as snowblowers, yes on the 2 stage gas models. Electric start is nice. I'd try to avoid ethanol fuels were it me. I've not used a tracked model yet, but they make sense to me. Be advised they may be a bit harder to turn if they don't come with steering brakes.

This latest craze to try to make everything battery powered is just a fad IMO. Screw drivers, yes. Snowblowers and chainsaws- no thanks!

I can buy E0 fuel around here, so that won't be a problem.

 

[creosote]

Not sure if the "can" was supposed to be a can't.
Bret was saying you're better off not using ethanol in small engines. Especially ones that sit.

 

[uncle jimbo]

Not sure if the "can" was supposed to be a can't.
Bret was saying you're better off not using ethanol in small engines. Especially ones that sit.

I typed in the wrong number. E0 gas is available around here.

 

[Ian]

I built an entire house with 99.5% screws using cordless Ryobi tools (starting with the old blue/yellow NiCd batteries and mjch more recently Lithium green tools). Never hurt a tool. One cordless impact has driven an honest 200 pounds of 3# phillips deck screws. The circular saw has actually built two houses and a shed and still works perfectly and is the lightest, handiest I've ever used. The laser is nice, too. Got a portable table saw about eight years ago, flimsy but works for what I bought it for, ripping trim. The tabletop drill press is about 15 years old and has been nothing but abused by me through many projects including milling aluminum and polymer receivers and making Form 1 silencers, but is none the wirse for wear and never gave me a second of trouble. I bought a cordless 40V chainsaw this summer and cut about 60 utility poles into thirds with it three big cedar stumps below the ground and only near the end did I need to sharpen the chain. The 40V weed whacker has about two minutes on it but so far I'm impressed.

Not the best tools, but the best price, battery life is the same as expensive brands, and so far I have never managed to kill one of the tools.

That said, a cordless snowblower is about the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. The only way I could see that working is if it had about four golf car batteries on board.

 

[Bret4207]

Your experience is one of the few positive stories I've heard Ian. Glad they worked out for you!

 

[Gary]

I'd have to agree with Ian; the Ryobi Router and Ryobi Jig Saw I own have been flawless for over 10 years now. I don't use them commercially, but for the Homeowner, very good equipment.

 

[uncle jimbo]

I all fairness, my youngest son bought a Ryobi 24" cut 40 volt lawn mower last spring and it works just fine. That is one of the reasons I went that way with the Ryobi snowblower. Load difference is the only thing that I can think that makes a difference. But I don't really know.

 

[Ian]

My MIL has a cordless lawnmower, I didn't pay attention to what brand. It has two 40V Li batteries and three blades, has worked for a couple of years just fine according to her.

The 40V cordless tools are amazing, but in high-drain, extended use applications, all you're gonna do is fry batteries from excessive discharge heat. The chainsaw is great but give it a rest between cuts, or even in the middle of a big cut, and the batteries last a lot more charging cycles. I had my doubts that it would be any good, and at 200 clams I only bought the saw on the assurance that the store had a 30-day money-back satisfaction guarantee, but has been a really good tool within its understood limitations.

Our Dyson V8 cordless vac will do anything the regular plug-in one will except run all day. Used in short bursts of 5-20 second I can do the whole living room with it on one charge. I'm still SMH at the concept of a cordless snowblower, though.

Bret, I have pretty good luck with Lee bullet moulds and progressive press primer feeds too. I built model sailing ships and frigates from scratch when I was a kid and despite 30 years of beating my hands up with manual labor can still tie at least one knot in an eyelash with my fingers and play piano and Spanish guitar, so I was gifted a little better dexterity than most at the cost of not having much brute strength.

 

[fiver]

some things take more juice to run.
I can run my 20V drill for like a week on the same battery I might get 20 minutes out of using the sawzall.

 

[Bret4207]

Well, for whats it's worth, I'm not overly impressed with Dewalt and Milwaukee cordless tools either, so maybe that's why my Ryobi opinion isn't real high. Makita, that's another thing entirely. Makita rules in just about every field they participate in IMO. Maybe my expectations are too high.

Very true Fiver. I've tried my Porter Cable trim saw and sawzall several times, nearly worthless! The drill and impact are decent, but the trim saw (5 1/2" skilsaw IIRC) is useless. But then, todays Porter Cable is not the same as the Porter Cable of 40 years ago!

 

[Gary]

Absolutely love my Dewalt 20v Drill and Impact driver. Like fiver said, 20v drill seems to run for a week between charge; like the "energizer bunny".