Ryobi RLT1038

Bump feed doesnt work – I bought this brand new from Bunnings, i also got as new bump feed head. The bump feed just doesnt work, it will not feed the wire out and i have wasted my money on this. Show details

Useless – The bump knob somehow manages to get threaded so easily that every time I have to refers the line, I have to use vice grips to remove it! Have used it 3 times, now I’m in the position the bump knob has been threaded to the point of no return Show details

Don't buy it – Thought it worked well, used it for about 10 metres and the line wouldn't bump feed. Also couldn't get the screw undone to pull more out and my partner had to use vice grips to unscrew it. After many more repeats of this, wasted the money on a new replacement head - same drama. Bump feed doesn't work and it tightens the screw to the point that… Read more

it's almost impossible to get undone. So I did all of about 20 metres with it and it ended up at the tip cos Bunnings wouldn't refund. I'm never ever buying Ryobi again, I had multiple people try to help me but no one ever got it to work.

Powerful trimmer but the bump head design is too fragile – I had high hopes for this trimmer after my Ryobi Scorpion lasted for many years. I soon found that the spool had become very difficult to remove. The cause was a sort of friction weld which occured between the securing knob/bump head, and the flange beneath it on the spool proper. I had to separate them with a wedge driven in between. I sorted… Read more

that by greasing the contact surface, but alas, now the whole spool housing turned with the knob, instead of remaining fixed on the flexible drive shaft. It turned out that the flexible drive shaft has a hex nut on the end, which fits into a hex recess in the plastic of the spool housing. This recess had been worn away and rounded completely, so that there was no drive to the bump head, and the securing knob/bump head again could not be removed, as it merely turned the whole drive shaft with it.

I think it is poor design, in that plastic is required to resist a force applied by a metal part. I purchased a replacement spool housing, and am now taking great care not to apply force to that region.

Head and line are a battle – Does a good job until anything associated with the line is needed. Spooling on new line is a bit fiddly and diagrammatic instructions are absolutely hopeless. My biggest issue is that I can't get the head bump mechanism to feed line upon bumping or manually pulling with pressing on knob. Maybe I'm not spooling line correctly but have played with… Read more

it a bit and made sure the parts are assembled per the instructions without success. I'll know what to look for next time and get something better but not going back to petrol that was even more problematic.

Lasted less than 2 years – I got one of these from Bunnings around 2 years ago. It worked well for 2 years then the motor stopped. I inspected it and it just needed new brushes. Bunnings does not stock any parts but said they will check with Ryobi. 4 days later, I got a phone call saying that I need to buy the whole motor assembly because they don't supply the brushes!!… Read more

The price quoted was a ridiculous $120 !!! Who wants to buy the whole car engine when it just needs plugs?! I couldn't find on ebay anything identical. The closest I got still didn't fit perfectly and the armature was damaged after operating the machine for 5 minutes. Now it's at the tip where it belongs.

moral of the story....Don't buy cheap chips.

Don't waste your money – Had a previous whipper sniper for over 15 years worked well. Replaced with Ryobi what a disaster - worked but bump mechanism was really hit or miss. Real fun came when replacing line. Manual was basically useless photos showed holes which didn't exist, just a huge pain! Will go back to Bunnings and ask a few questions over wise it's scrap heap material!

Ridiculous instruction manual for replacing trim!!! – This is great until you have to replace the trim. The instruction manual is a waste of time, (no 5 in maintenance) the drawing is incorrect and the way you feed it is not possible. So am trying to source from somewhere how to replace the cord, without troubling my son-in-laws. haha!

WARNING MAX EXT LEAD NO MORE THAN 25 METRES – Purchased today to replace my old Ryobi 550 watt one that lasted 20 years, hope this one is as good. Guys at Bunning's say never use a cord longer than 25 metres because lengths greater than that will reduce the voltage/wattage and the cooling fan won't operate effectively. They also say DON't join two extension leads either! I would say that's… Read more ·  1

how I burned out the last one as I was clearing a vacant block of land and was running a long lead off a 2KVA pure sine wave generator. All in all the 550 was a beauty and I don't see why this one won't be just as good. Definitely can feel the extra power of the 1000 watt machine, but I won't be mowing vacant blocks with it ha ha.

I have not REPLACED THE CUTTING CORD on this one yet!. Just a tip you will see in other reviews they talk of a pro cut head for about 32 bucks at Bunning's. I had a look at one yesterday and it looked like a really good idea. No winding on of cord just fit pre cut lengths. I am going to try with the standard head for a little while and see how it goes otherwise I may spend the 32 bucks because, in my experience, replacing the cord on any brand of whipper snipper is a pain. I think the upgraded head will make these really great machines.

Don't waste your money – I purchased this product from Bunnings and have used it three times. The small metal guides for the line to pass through fell out. Replacing the line itself is a nightmare. I threw it away today I just don't need the stress. Spend more on professional equipment this is hobby house junk.

Powerful and lightweight, Happy with purchase (so far) – Bought this 1000W electric Ryobi to replace an ageing petrol trimmer. Very pleased with the electric trimmer's power. Feels as powerful as the old petrol trimmer. It's fairly light and the strap puts the weight on your shoulders anyway. Bump head works perfectly - same design as Ryobi has been using for decades, so if you don't know the trick to… Read more

loading new lines it can be a bit fiddly.

I thought the cord would be obtrusive but it turned out to not be a problem. You just work your way forward instead of backward and the cord stays out of the way. I had to buy a 30m extension cord though, so factor that into your purchasing decision.

Best thing is there's no blasted rip cord. Just hit the go button and it works. No petrol. No oil. No fumes. It's also a lot quieter. I'm pleased so far. If it lasts as long as the petrol trimmer did (15 years) I'll be very happy. But only time will tell on that one.

Head fell off first use – Brand new 1hr in and the head fell off completly ;( otherwise a great unit nice n light and powerful but head fell off ;( not impressed Now i will be fighting for a refund not another one As im not intrested , and the instruction booklet not that clear either

Easy & Powerful – I have had one for years, never missed a beat. The head seems a little light but the electric motor has plenty of power for even the toughest of yards. As a volunteer helping people battle their over-grown back yards, I find my unit robust & easy to use. I would buy the same again.

simply the best – bought this about a year ago... have just come in after beating the garden back into order. Was so chuffed with my trimmers performance that i felt compelled to sing its praises. Firstly however a tip ,NEVER buy a petrol trimmer , you will spend more time trying to get it to work than working. As to this Electric trimmer , what a tool !!! more… Read more

than enough power , whips through the job , safety trigger so don't hurt yourself , i even like the colour .

If you are thinking about buying one of these don't ...Don't delay , you will love it

Good unit. Adequate power. Average included line feeder – I have been using this unit for a couple months. I was about to give up on using it dies the bump feed head being completely useless. I had replaced it and even spoke to 2 different garden tools staff at Bunnings about my concerns and whether I could change the head to which they both replied that I could not. However I read in a review here that… Read more

you could use the Pro Cut II head, the LTA-039. Works like a charm. And the more robust line that it uses works great. No more pulling the head apart every 5 mins to feed the line.

line replacement – turn the knob clockwise and keep turning and you will feel the spool coming out of the case. Keep turning until the knob detaches and the spool will pop out Load line and replace . It really is very easy

Replacing the cutting line – I would say it's a waste of money, you spend more money to buy a good brand, result is Impossible to change the cutting line, and when you go to Bunnings to buy a replacement, they always out of stock and they sell you the whole cutting line with casing, I follow the salesman advise and bought the Pro head replacement and it's rubbish, lines keep falling off.

Quality and design – Powerful and good quality. Only change it's head to ryobi pro cut head. Cost extra 30$. Head can be bought from bunnings. In total 130$, I have best powerful and strong electric trimming machine. Quality is not less than any other big brand on the market but price is half.i definitely recommend this trimmer. Power and easy to use after changing its head to pro cut head. Trimming head need to change. Cost extra $30.

Don't run out of line! – This unit is rubbish! It's heavy, but I knew that when I bought it. What I didn't know was that when the time came to replace the cutting line, it would be near impossible to remove the casing to do so. Sadly, the instructions are no help as they are basic drawings that do not explain how to keep your blood pressure under control and stop yourself… Read more

from throwing the now useless trimmer over the fence! Hey, great cord retention system - if this your best selling feature, say no more. You can not remove the casing to replace the cord without ending up with bleeding hands and high blood pressure.