Ryobi R18SV612

UTTER GARBAGE and false advertising on Ryobi and Bunnings part ( not knowing I guess ). Don't waste your money !!! After many years of cheap crappy BIG W / Kmart vacuum cleaners, my lovely wife wanted to finally splurge on a decent quality not ridiculously expensive vacuum cleaner for home. She wanted a good strong reliable cordless vacuum cleaner and whilst "the Shark" is class leading as was Dyson, they were too expensive. So when we spotted this Ryobi at Bunnings for $299, seemed like a good deal from a reputable manufacturer so we grabbed one ...... and how wrong we were ! It is false advertising big time !!!!

As taken from the Ryobi website and I quote : "The 18V ONE+ 2.0Ah Battery provides up to 22 minutes of runtime for the Stick Vacuum and powers more than 200 tools from the 18V ONE+ garden, automotive, craft and cleaning ranges."

As taken from the bunnings website and I quote : "The 18V ONE+ 2.0Ah Battery generates up to 22 minutes of runtime for the Stick Vacuum and can power more than 200 tools from the 18V ONE+ range."

The Ryobi box ( and the bunnings website ) both say up to 22 minutes runtime. We read that on the box and took it that, like every battery operated item, there's many variables however it "should" last UP TO 22 minutes when used as a normal vacuum cleaner should be used. Our house is not huge so thought 20 minutes should do it just fine.

It's only once you get it home and use it, to MUCH disappointment that you realise the 22 minutes is the maximum time it'll last if you basically DON'T USE IT TO VACUUM your floor and instead, just switch it on, lay it on the floor and leave it running purely for white noise only !

They say up to 22 minutes but this is WITHOUT the actual vacuum / brush head on it - WHAT THA ?!!! You don't try to scoop up ice-cream with a chop stick so who would you vacuum the floor without the brush head on and only use the tube / crevice tool bit ?!!! FAIR DINKUM !

If you use it WITHOUT the brush head on, then it lasts around 20 - 22 mins however once you connect the actual vacuum head to use it for what it's designed and that is VACUUMING THE FLOOR - then you're lucky if it lasts 9 - 10 minutes at best brand new out of the box. Ryobi confirmed via email that 10 minutes is the best you'll get out of the factory supplied 2.0a/hr battery that comes with it. Image in 12 months once the battery starts to lose capacity - think like an old iPhone battery 3 years on.

So contacted Ryobi for advice / confirmation, waited 3 days for a reply ( their customer service is as poor as this product they're flogging ) and they confirmed, only 9 - 10 minutes with the head on ( which by the way picks up bugger all, especially cat hair which it just spreads elsewhere all over the floor ).

Of course there's no mention of this pathetic run time on the outer box anywhere, only hidden in the instructions book buried deep in the box AFTER you've blown 300 bucks on the piece of crap ! Their suggestion was we spend another $150+ on a larger capacity battery. You shouldn't have to !!!.

This product is being sold clearly with FALSE and MISLEADING ADVERTISING and it does not do what it's promoted as / nor designed to do. The ACCC should be pulling Ryobi up on it. This product is utter garbage !

Also it says on the box it's lightweight when in fact it's not. The battery and top section is quite heavy when compared to other cordless stick cleaners on the market. In fact it's rather heavy, especially for those whom are somewhat "vertically challenged" and are trying to push it whilst holding the weight up in the operating position. Suggesting we spend almost the same amount of $$$ again on a separate larger and even heavier battery to run it for more than 9 - 10 minutes is just ridiculous - ABSOLUTE JOKE !!!

So we took it back to Bunnings and got a refund. We walked straight over to Harvey Norman to buy The Shark vacuum cleaner irrespective of price as we'd had enough already. When we got there, they had The Shark on a promo price, for the same money. It's lighter, works like it's supposed to and you get a solid 40+ minutes out of it from the battery that came with it. No need to spend more or bust an elbow or shoulder trying to hold it up. So well done to The Shark and thanks but no thanks to Ryobi.

And the funny part is that Ryobi promote that you can use the same factory supplied battery to power your lawn mower or power tools. That'd be great if your moving a 1m2 patch of weeds or drilling one hole through a piece of wet cardboard. Don't waste your money on this Ryobi piece of crap, it's not with the headache or fuel to drive back to the place of purchase. You'll thank me later.

( purchased 9.6.2025 )

Best battery cleaner ever – We have had most of the main brands over the last 10 years and they all pack up with the battery life or power. For the money as well as best battery life Ryobi wins hands down as it also fits under and into spots where none of the others did and it attaches to stand very easily. Finally very satisfied we have found the best performance cleaner and the bonus is the value especially compared to Dyson.