Ryobi 18V One+ Hybrid Blower OBL1830H

Could this be why it was discontinued? – I bought the Ryobi hybrid 15 months ago after my battery powered model stopped working. I'd invested in quite a collection of batteries because as they aged they didn't hold their charge. So I thought this was the 'best of both worlds' as described by the first reviewer. To my great disappointment, the blower stopped working on batteries within the first 12 months. I opted not to seek a warranty repair because it is actually much more powerful when running on 240V.

However, when I last used it I heard what sounded like electrical arcing or sparks. It didn't stop running but I turned it off immediately and there was a strong smell of burning.

I couldn't recommend this product no matter how cheaply you can buy it.

Does the job – Update at bottom. It states this is a discontinued item but I just bought one online. It's not overly powerful like some that advertise 250km/hr blowers but I don't want to blow the grass clippings into the next suburb. It has 2 speeds which means I can control and direct leaves and grass into a corner of the garden without them being blown all over the yard once they hit the fence. It's also handy for cleaning the back of the ute at the dump instead of having to use a handy broom. At least it starts, unlike the last blower I had: a Homelite petrol blower. Overall, I'm happy with it.

Update. The unit got wet so would not turn off. I then had to remove the battery every time I wanted to pause it. Then the battery would only last about 2 minutes on a full charge. It went in the bin! Bought an Ozito from Bunnings with a 4 amp battery which lasts a decent time plus got a twin pack spare batteries. Happy now.

Best of both worlds – This blower was a Christmas present from my family. I had asked for one of these blowers, fortunately my son spotted the "Hybrid" version and got me one. This blower is in the Ryobi "One Plus" range & looks very similar to previous models except for one big difference. It can be powered by mains electricity as well as Ryobi's Lithium batteries. This means if you find yourself with an expired (discharged) battery one can attach a mains extension cord & carry on blowing. This is an extremely useful feature & one I wish Ryobi would incorporate in all their one plus tools. It also means if you don't have any compatible batteries you can still buy one of these blowers & at a later date buy a suitable battery.

This has been my approach to building my ownership of the One plus range of tools, many different tools using a few compatible batteries.

In use the blower is well made, quite sturdy but not heavy, well balanced & blows very strongly. A fully charged battery powers it for 15 to 20 minutes. The blower comes with a plastic nozzle & a separate nozzle end piece, once assembled it's ready to go. It does make a noise but I haven't felt the need for ear protection. It has a loop style handle which makes hanging it for storage very easy.

I wrote this review early on in my ownership of this blower as I understand one can buy the previous model that doesn't have the mains power alternative & I wanted everyone to know the difference. When I have owned my blower for a few more months I will add to this review & focus on reliability, etc.