Ryobi battery string trimmer: experience?

So, my right arm is kinda berkeleyed. Between carpal tunnel, tennis elbow, and arthritis i have to be cautious and intentional about the tools i use and hand position (Giggity)

Anyway, im ramping up my investment in a new tool architecture. I went ryobi with 4.0 amp hour batteries. 

I see they offer two string trimmers in the one plus line. 

My current husqvarna gas trimmer is a tank. Been a fantastic tool for the last decade. But everything from my elbow down is on fire and useless for a few days after running it for a few minutes. And yes, i tried a shoulder strap and anti vibration gloves. 

I clear around the house, fence, driveway, sidewalk, ditch and bamboo hell with a trimmer. Thanks about 20-30 minutes with the gas and .80 string.

Looking through reviews of the ryobi, it seems like its a mixed bag according to consumers leaving reviews. 

I trust y'all WAY more than the average American. What say yall? Is it worth the $100 with two extra batteries and charger? My hope is that the different trigge, grip, weight and vibration will make trimming no longer an excercise in self inflicted pain. 

I have had the Ryobi 40v  trimmer for about 3 years now and it's worked great. My one complaint is that the bump feed head is terrible. I have yet to figure out how to get it to work correctly. 

I ended up buying the expand-it edger attachment too and that works great. 

Seven years since I posted this:

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/i-gave-up-on-2-stroke-power-equipment-hello-40v-co/102423/page1/

I'm still using the same trimmer and battery plus a bunch of accessories. I'm still never going back to gas.

I picked up the Ryobi 40V brushless string trimmer last year and it's been great for me, I don't struggle with the bump head but there's a good chance it was updated over the years. I have the pole saw attachment for it now as well but it will take any universal attachment as well even from other manufacturer's. These one's are built like a traditional trimmer in that the motor is located on the opposite end from the trimmer head rather than in the head like the lower voltage models.

You are looking at the 18V model though and a quick glance at the reviews I can see they are mixed as well. If it holds together for you it sounds pretty decent with a reasonable run time. If I already had the batteries I'd probably roll the dice on it, you might find that you're replacing it every few years though. 

I had the 18V one when I was living in Wisconsin. It held together perfectly fine for five years of homeownership and no problems with the bump feed, though the whole thing did feel a little cheap.

If you are already invested in the battery ecosystem (I was) you will probably be happy enough with one.

Another 40V Ryobi String trimmer fanboy here. I have 3 years on it. The only bump head issues I have had come from me restringing it improperly (IE, Taking the head apart and winding it manually). BTW the tool they supply for restringing it is awesome. Super easy and fast.

Every person I loan it to loves it. Even my buddy who is a former cemetary groundskeeper and very particular about his Strimmers came back with it and said "Wow, That is actually good!"

pointofdeparture said:

I had the 18V one when I was living in Wisconsin. It held together perfectly fine for five years of homeownership and no problems with the bump feed, though the whole thing did feel a little cheap.

If you are already invested in the battery ecosystem (I was) you will probably be happy enough with one.

This is how I ended up with the smaller/cheaper of the 18v ryobi trimmers. It's worked ok on our relatively smaller urban property. It has a sort of clutched string feed that releases more line when the head is stopped (not bumped), and it can be finicky/take some practice to get used to. The cheap amazon refills don't help or work as well of course. I'd look real hard at the nicer of the two 18v ones. Once I run out of these refills, I may pick that one up to also get some more batteries.

I don't want to be the person spreading fear or talking down on brands but I would suggest some caution with Ryobi batteries. A family friend just had a barn burn down and power tool batteries were suspected as the cause. He mentioned to the investigators that power tool batteries were charging where the fire is suspected to have started. Without him mentioning a brand they asked, "It wasn't a Ryobi was it?"

It is worth noting that they were Ryobi batteries but the investigation found that none of the battery cells were damaged which seems to indicate that they weren't the cause. Just interesting/concerning that someone that investigates fires would bring up a specific brand unprompted.

I have the 18v One+ system and have a string trimmer - I really dig it! It's worked great for me, though I dont have a lot to do, to be honest. But I like it. Great price point, easy to use.

I've had the 18V one for 5+ years. I think it was the first Ryobi cordless tool I bought, actually; it's the one with the onboard 120VAC plug as a backup so you can run it either corded or cordless. I have never once run it corded. I love it, good amount of power, good run time, string feed works well.

I have had one of the 18+ volt string trimmers for 6 years, maybe more. The regular battery was fine, but I bought the lithium ones too, 'cause that should be better, right? No. They maybe lasted thru 5 cycles, now won't charge. I've tried "jumping" them to trick the charger, but no luck. Lots of wasted money.

I now use a gas Echo, just as light feeling, and has never missed a beat in 4 years.

+1 for the Ryobi 18V.

I bought the smallest cheapest one you can buy (already had the system).

Very pleased with it. I got the small one so the Indy-kids can use it.  Now I never use, because they can. 

Highly recommend.

I have one and love it. It runs all of my attachments too.