Ryobi currently lists four different 40V devices on its website, among them three handheld blowers and one backpack blower. In addition, some older models are still offered for sale on different platforms. This article provides an overview of all available Ryobi jet fan blowers of the 40V category. We start with a detailed review of the Ryobi 40V blower 500 CFM (model: RY40460) in the first chapter. Thereby, we examine the tool considering the following four criteria: (1) performance, (2) ergonomics, (3) technology, (4) delivery scope and price. Afterwards we present three more handheld blowers (Ryobi cordless blower RY40480, RY40470 and the older RY40402) as well as the Ryobi Backpack Blower 40V RY40440. The article continues with an overview of the most important tool features and characteristics in chapter 3. The fourt chapter contains a short summary of the history of Ryobi.
I. Ryobi 40V Blower 500 CFM (RY40460) – Review
With a highly developed design powered by a 40 volt lithium-ion battery, the Ryobi jet fan blower RY40460 performs any clearing job with ease. Its outstanding feature is for sure the provision of gasoline-like power, while still having all the advantages of a battery-operated solution.
The Ryobi 40V leaf blower comes with an air volume of 500 cubic feet per meter (cfm) and an air speed of approximately 110 miles per hour (mph). Therefore, it is ideally suited for wet and tramped leaves as well as other surfaces which are difficult to process.
All in all, Ryobis’ device is one of the strongest 40V cordless blowers we have found so far. However, it’s not only about power. The blower has other positive characteristics in many ways. For example, a pretty attractive price and a 5 year limited warranty (more information on manufacturers homepage).
Overall rating
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1. Performance - 9/109/10
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2. Ergonomics - 8/108/10
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3. Battery & charging technology - 9/109/10
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4. Scope of delivery & price - 9/109/10
1. Performance: 9/10
The Ryobi cordless blower is a truly powerful tool which brings it to a maximum air velocity of around 110 mph and air volume of 500 cfm. The blower features a variable speed trigger. If you need a little air, just pull the trigger a bit. If you need the full blast, pull the trigger all the way. By adapting this functionality intelligently, that means always using just as much power as necessary, you can significantly increase the total battery runtime. Logically, the lithium-ion battery takes less energy at lower speed levels.
In addition to the variable speed trigger, the Ryobi cordless leaf blower also features a turbo button, which is helpful when processing tramped debris, which can’t be blown away regularly.
2. Ergonomics: 8/10
Including a battery pack, the Ryobi 40V blower 500 CFM weighs more than 10 pounds. Thus, the solution locates around the midfield compared to other battery leaf blowers. Not easy and not heavy. However the blower has a pretty good weight distribution and is therefore easy and comfortably to handle.
The Ryobi jet fan blower has an ergonomic design. The battery is located at the end of the device, which gives you an excellent balance. A newly designed soft-grip handle, that lies comfortably in the hand, makes leaf blowing even more convenient. As you can see from the product image, the soft-grip of the device is completely pulled.
The sound pressure level of the Ryobi cordless blower is 68 decibels (db) when operating the device at full power. However, the level decreases when reducing air speed via the variable trigger. Nevertheless, the Ryobi jet fan blower is louder than other 40V leaf blowers, for example the Oregon BL300 or the WORX WG 584.
3. Battery- & charging technology: 9/10
Battery technology:
The Ryobi 40V blower 500 CFM can be run with five different 40V lithium-ion batteries with capacities between 2.0- and 7.5 ampere hours (Ah). The two largest Ryobi 40V battery packs have an energy storage capacity of 240 respectively 300 watt hours (Wh). Generally speaking, the more Wh a battery has the higher is its maximum runtime. Nevertheless, total runtime does not only depend on the size of the battery pack, but also on how users work with the blower.
All batteries feature a LED charge level indicator, that allows to comfortably read the charging status while working with the Ryobi 40V leaf blower. And that’s not the only positive aspect about the battery’s exterior design, as the lithium pack also has a rubber lining in order to prevent the battery from any damage.
Charging technology:
Ryobi has a 40V lithium-ion charger to refill the battery with energy. The charging time for the compact pack (2.0 Ah) is about 30 minutes. A full charge of the higher capacity packs (3.0 Ah – 7.5 Ah) takes up to max. 75 minutes.
You can also either use the Ryobi 40V Lithium-Ion 2-In-1 USB/Battery Charger or the 18V ONE+/40V Dual Platform Charger to re-charge the Ryobi 40V battery packs introduced above. The platform charger allows parallel charging of a Ryobi 40V and 18V battery by using only a single device.
Compatibility with other 40V devices from Ryobi:
The Japanese tool manufacturer has a huge versatility of 40V battery-powered devices besides the Ryobi cordless blower. All of them work with the Ryobi 40V battery platform presented above. In contrast to many other manufacturers, Ryobi does not only offer „standard“ tools such as regular cordless hedge or lawn trimmers, but also rather rare devices, e.g. a battery-powered snow blower.
4. Scope of delivery & price: 9/10
The Ryobi 40V blower 500 CFM as well as its accessories can be found in the middle segment in terms of price. On Amazon, you can either buy the complete kit, consisting of the tool, a battery pack and a charger, or you can select the components individually. Prices in the internet usually vary from day to day. Hence it’s definitely worth a look at what is most beneficial at the date of purchase.
II. Other Ryobi 40V Leaf Blowers
Ryobi Cordless Blower 40V (RY40402)
The Ryobi jet fan blower RY40402 is an older model which is not even listed on Ryobi’s website anymore, but still offered on various e-commerce platforms, such as Amazon. As you can see from the product image, the grip of the blower is only pulled to around 60%. This design feature allows the user a greater flexibility.
The blower has an air velocity of 155 mph and an air volume of 300 cfm. If you need an even stronger performance, you can take the tube off the device. The disassembly of the nozzle supports the bundling of air jet, which increases the generated air pressure.
If you run the Ryobi cordless leaf blower constantly at full speed, you will achieve runtimes of approx. 20 minutes with the 2.0 Ah battery and around 40 minutes with the 5.0 Ah pack. Run times of the larger batteries are correspondingly longer.
The device weighs 8.9 lbs without the battery. The noise level of the blower is at 73 db(a); the Ryobi cordless blower RY40402 is significantly louder than all other and newer Ryobi devices which we introduced in this report.
Ryobi Cordless Blower 40V (RY40480 and RY40470)
As with the Ryobi cordless blower RY40402, the grip of the two newer models RY40480 and RY40470 is not pulled completely, but only to around 60%. However, huge differences between the tools exist in context of power, weight as well as noise level.
The Ryobi RY40470 and RY40480 have an air speed of 125- respectively 110 mph, which is less than the maximum air speed of the previously presented Ryobi jet fan blower RY40402. However, the air volume of the newer models is much higher. The two tools bring it to an maximum air volume of 550- respectively 525 cfm. Additionally, the Ryobi RY40470 as well RY40480 have a lower noise level than the RY40402. For example, the maximum noise level of the Ryobi 40V leaf blower RY40470 is only at 59 db(a).
On the other hand, the Ryobi RY40470 and RY40480 are also a bit heavier than the previously presented models. The Ryobi cordless blower RY40470 weighs 9.7 lbs and the RY40480 weighs 9.4 lbs.
Ryobi Backpack Blower 40V (RY40440)
In contrast to the handheld blowers introduced in the previous chapters, the Ryobi RY40440 is a backpack blower. Both the tool engine as well as the lithium-ion battery are located in the backpack, as the product image shows. Backpack leaf blowers are traditionally used by semi-professional users as well as in the commercial- or public sector (landscaping, industrial cleaning, street cleaning, etc.).
The Ryobi backpack blower 40V is by far the most powerful among all 40V blowers from Ryobi. The maximum air speed is an impressive 145 mph and the maximum air volume is at 625 cfm. Like the other 40V blowers presented above, the Ryobi backpack blower also has a variable speed trigger and a turbo button. With the 7.5 Ah battery, it can be used for about half an hour at a time.
An outstanding feature of the Ryobi 40V leaf blower is its very low noise level of only 59 db(a) max. However, we have to rate the heavy weight of the Ryobi backpack blower as a disadvantage. The total weight (incl. battery pack) is up to 21.2 lbs. This makes the solution more than twice as heavy as the handheld blowers presented above, e.g. the Ryobi 40V Blower 500 CFM.
III. Technical Data
| Solution Components | |
|---|---|
| Ryobi Cordless Blower RY 40460 | |
| Ryobi Cordless Blower RY 40470 | |
| Ryobi Cordless Blower RY 40402 | |
| Ryobi Cordless Blower RY 40440 | |
| Ryobi 40V Lithium-Ion Battery 2 Ah | |
| Ryobi 40V Lithium-Ion Battery 4 Ah | |
| Ryobi 40V Lithium-Ion Battery 6 Ah | |
| Ryobi 40V Charger OP401 | |
| Ryobi 40V Charger OP404 |
| Technical Data | Ryobi RY40460 | Ryobi RY40470 | Ryobi RY40480 | Ryobi RY40402 | Ryobi RY40440 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performance | |||||
| Max. air speed | 110 mph | 125 mph | 110 mph | 155 mph | 145 mph |
| Max. air volume | 500 cfm | 550 cfm | 525 cfm | 300 cfm | 625 cfm |
| Variable speed trigger | + | + | + | + | + |
| Performance boost | + | + | + | + | + |
| Ergonomics | |||||
| Weight (tool only) | 8.7 lbs | 9.7 lbs | 9.4 lbs | 8.9 lbs | 21.2 lbs |
| Max. noise level | 68 db(a) | 59 db(a) | n/a | 73 db(a) | 59 db(a) |
| Soft-grip | + | + | + | + | |
| Max. battery run-times¹ | |||||
| n/a | n/a | n/a | 2.0 ah: up to 20 min 5.0 ah: up to 40 min | 7.5 ah: up to 30 min |
¹ Battery run times times partially calculated.
| Battery- and & Charging Technology | |
|---|---|
| Battery Technology | |
| Voltage | 40 Volt |
| Battery range | Li-Ion 2.0 Li-Ion 4.0 Li-Ion 5.0 Li-Ion 6.0 Li-Ion 7.5 |
| Electricity use | 2.0 ah: 80 wh 4.0 ah: 160 wh 5.0 ah: 200 wh 6.0 ah: 240 wh 7.5 ah: 300 wh |
| Charging Technology² | |
| Charging times (OP401) | 2.0 ah: 30 min 4.0 ah: 40 min 5.0 ah: 50 min 6.0 ah: 60 min 7.5 ah: 75 min |
² Charging times times partially calculated.
IV. Ryobi – Company history
In 1943, Ryobi was founded in Japan (Japanese name: Ryobi Seisakusho Co., Ltd.). Today, Ryobi Limited is a worldwide manufacturer of die castings, builders’ hardware, printing equipment, as well as power tools. It owns companies in Asia, the United States and Europe.
With regards to power tools, Ryobi is one of the world’s largest producers specializing in the development of pro-featured tools at affordable prices. Thus, millions of homeowners, hobbyists, outdoor fans, woodworkers and craftsmen all over the world today use Ryobi tools.