Ryobi RLT36B / RLT36 / RLT36X33

The autofeed spool has never worked – The autofeed spool has never worked regardless of whatever I do including silicone or Teflon lubrication. It's a complete dud just because of thie spool problem. The remainder of the machine may be OK but it has never worked long enough to find out. Show details

Very happy – Contrary to other reviews this handles most buffalo runners on low power and all on high power. Battery has not run out on me when using for 25min (5ah) Can’t comment on longevity as only had 2 months. I have not had an issue with pulling more cord out but I have not had to replace any cord yet. The cord that comes with it is pretty good. Very happy and had no issues. Show details

just a toy,, – under-powered toy, changing lines is a fiddly pain in the butt as manual makes very little sense. no wonder it was discontinued. avoid this waste of money & stick to petrol snippers etc Show details

Bump Head Useless – I found the bump head useless. It would not feed line. If I manually pull apart the head and manually feed some line it invariably breaks within 20 seconds. Easier to do the trimming with my bare hands. The actual model I have is the RTL3600E which is not listed here as an option. It is still marked available on the Ryobi web site. Bunnings are the sole distributor for Ryobi which make the cheapest price guarantee useless.  Show details

Complete Rubbish Ryobi RLT36B / RLT36 / RLT36X33 – This is the most useless piece of crap I have ever bought. The instructions are all pictures, they think we are idiots and cant write anything in plain English. Not all of us are dumb fools, we can read. Buyer beware. Do not buy this product. Cord winds back in and cannot get it out. Cannot lengthen cord.  Show details

Problem with new line installation – I've had the same problem putting in a new line! How on earth do you do it. Instructions are no help at all. Where can I find out how to actually do this? Even You Tube instructions make no sense for replacing a line, only how to install on a new one.  Show details

Worked great until it came time to change the line – The unit worked well and had plenty of power and didn't constantly break the line like my previous Ryobi line trimmers did but oh my god when it came time to change the line/spool for the first time I almost had a stroke. This would be the worst designed spool/line system I've ever seen and it has made the product unusable. I'm returning it… Read more

tomorrow. Also, the motor is terribly loud and hurts my ears when using it. Sounds like it won't last long with all that harsh noise.

Was ok but crap battery that dies every 18 month, which contravenes consumer protection laws – I've gone through 2 batteries in 3 years and I use it about once every 2 weeks. The replacement batteries cost more than the trimmer itself. I'm seriously considering taking them to small claims court to prove a point. No one expects to buy a whipper snipper every 18 months because it breaks, especially if it costs over $200. This is in breach of… Read more

ACCC acts as it's clearly NOT fit for purpose. We'll see if Ryobi get back to me on a warranty claim, which by the way, under the law you can ignore. If the warranty says x years you can ignore. Depending on what you pay and what it is, there is an expectation that it should last a reasonable time. If you by a fridge costing $3,000 with a 12 month warranty, that bullcrap. The consumer expectation is at least 5 -7 years, as is the ACCC. If it failed after 12 months, then you can and should get a full refund or a replacement. If you don't then call the ACCC or take them to court.

Cant recommend brand RLT3600C – While working did reasonable job, the bump head was next to useless (changed design not long after purchased) as would chew through line very quickly ... but didn't expect motor to burn out just 5 months out of warranty but read happens quite often ...as with others Ryobi doesn't want to know, basically saying stupid you buying something with only two year warranty (even with new 6 year warranty wouldn't touch the brand again)  Show details

Piece of junk – It cuts OK but trying to change the line is a nightmare of fiddly pieces of cheap plastic. You would think it would all be easier - it should be obvious what goes where and and it should snap into place - not a bit of it. Primitive engineering and what is it with that spike you have to use to take the head off? It must have cost $25 to… Read more

manufacture. Also bought yesterday at Bunnings and says here discontinued. Royally ripped off. Also, the manual has tiny unclear diagrams.

OK if you already have the battery – I bought this line trimmer because I already have the battery with a Ryobi mower (which is great). I use the line trimmer to trim and edge (no way I am buying two separate tools). I find it does the job ok but is a bit lacking in power and precision. It is awkward to hold for edging for long periods of time. I find the bump head doesn't work… Read more

properly so I typically push down the bump head with one hand and pull one end of the line through with the other hand, then pull the other end of the line through (obviously while it is not running!).

Smoke – I used this item for about 2.5 years about every 3 weeks, then needed to knock down half a dozen tuffs of grass. The motor just slowed down and when I tried to use it again smoke came out of the motor and that was the end. We should have been warned if this item was only able to cope with light grass and not the occasional tuff of paspalum. This… Read more

sort of product from this well known brand should have lasted much longer and now I question weather to buy the same brand as its replacement. This is a difficult choice as I have the Ryobi 36vlt Lawnmower and the Ryobi 36vlt Hedgetrimer as my main garden tools. what assurance do we have this new trimmer is a more robust product?

Great - Really convenient. Only trouble is a poor bump head – First day I used this I got really frustrated with the single cutting line bump head. Kept on snapping off too short for bump to work. I replaced it with a Little Juey head, and now I love it. As good as a petrol line trimmer and so much easier.  Show details

Better than Expected – Have had a petrol Trimmer for years. Moved to this as the generation of kids coming through like plug and play. It is far better than expected, powerful, quiet, did my house block twice on one charge. Would recommend. This product also comes with various attachments and I hear the Chainsaw version is good also. People use them for camping and recharge during the day. Speaking of recharge it only takes an hour. Will see how it lasts.

Excellent cordless trimmer – Chose this line trimmer over the Ryobi 18V because I wanted to be sure it had enough grunt and decent battery life. Have been able to add accessories just as easily using the Ryobi X-pandit range. Bought it as the kit including the battery and charger and this was the most economical way to go. I have a 1200 sq m block and ghastly kikuyu grass and… Read more

this thing handles it all no problem. Recharge time for battery is very quick anyway. Is a bit noisy/whiny at high speed so I always wear ear muffs. Have added the X-pandit hedge trimmer for a privet hedge - copes pretty well except on branches bigger than 1cm diameter.

2years and dying – Using it today and it just stopped .if you give the head unit a knock it goes then just stops again .going to pull the motor apart tomorrow and see if i can repair i think the brushes are stuffed .will tell u the fault soon.i havent had a bad run put of this but a new one is just stupid pricing now for something that is so cheaply built

Serious design fault ! – I bought two of these. ( Mainly because I needed two batteries and a second battery cost almost as much as a complete kit ) First battery charger failed after a few uses. Both strimmers failed after a month or so due to the connector to the motor melting and breaking off. Very difficult to repair, - and the same would happen again if a new motor was fitted. maybe this fault has been put right in RLT36B, but don't know.

worked 5 times – Worked fantastically for 5 times then had smoke pouring out and engine parts melted. Was only used to do front yard .The time it "melted" it had only been on for 2 or less minutes. Have now read many review overseas complaining about the same problem. Bunnings happily replaced it.

Total rubbish!! – The motor burnt out and now it won't work at all. It's just 3 months out of warranty period and Ryobi just basically told me - too bad, you have to pay to get it fixed. $300 for something to last just over 2 years is absolutely pathetic. I have a standard 600m2 block and the guy at the repair centre said they're not designed to be used on such a… Read more

'big' yard. I could always do my yard twice on a single battery charge so if they're not designed to be used on such a 'big' yard, why have such a big battery? They make the batteries to last for ages but what's the point if the trimmer motor craps itself in such a short amount of time? Also, that information was news to me as it's contrary to what the guy at Bunnings said when I bought it. This time I'll buy an Ozito with a 3 YEAR REPLACEMENT WARRANTY for $110 LESS than a new Ryobi!! I will never buy anything Ryobi ever again.

good unit but can't buy bulk line – I bought this unit with hedge trimmer and extendable tree branch trimmer/cutter. All work well. I have a spare battery and charger but have not yet needed them. Battery life is excellent so far. Plenty of power for doing my edges and very quiet. The only problem I have is buying trimmer line. Only available in cartridges if in stock. … Read more

Bunnings must make a fortune selling these. Should be able to buy bulk and wind your own and save a lot of money. Must be a way. Cost me about $10 each use for line cartridge that you can't re use. light, quiet, battery life good, can use battery on variety of other tools Line very expensive. cannot buy bulk line. Alittle arkward in tight areas

Not as good as the mower but still OK – Bought this to go with the mower. Works well on our buffalo and consumes very little of the batteries capacity. Only has a small diameter whipper so wouldn't use it on an overgrown garden or on thick weeds but works well for my uses. Also very light and easy to manouvere. Quiet, light  Show reply

Not for serious gardening – Motor burnt out on third use. Worked reasonably on the thinner grass but couldn't handle the thicker stuff. I thought I was being careful but a single long strand of grass got wrapped around the shaft, this caused a steady build up of friction that, by the time I noticed the smoke, burnt out the motor. The battery life was better than expected and very quiet too Not enough power and too easy to burn out engine