Ryobi 40v Cordless Power Head

The Ryobi 40v Cordless Power Head is simply a beast. I’ve used it with the string trimmer, cultivator in rocky soil (more like rocks with soil than soil with rocks), straight shaft edger, and pole saw on red maple.

But that may be getting ahead a bit. Why a power head? Well, odds this would be bought with an attachment included (those bundles are normally cheaper than the power head alone) but it’s a way to simplify your tool maintenance and storage requirements.

Unless you’re running a yard crew, there probably won’t be more than one tool running at a time, which means you only need one power source. One power head means you only have to store and maintain one - and with a cordless one like the Ryobi 40v Power Head, maintenance means charging the batteries.

I have zero scientific comparison for this claim, it’s purely anecdotal. But I’ve spent a fair bit of time with 110v corded string trimmers, and light duty gas engine cultivators. And I’m pretty sure this cordless Power Head delivers more power.

The ergonomics on it are quite comfortable. The rubber oversold for the grip feels good and isn’t the kind of material that gets nasty and sticky with sweat. Which was a good call for an outdoor tool. The trigger is large and easy to hold down, so I never had to hunt for it and my hand didn’t get fatigued holding it down.

The Power Head doesn’t have an integrated handle. Rather, the attachments come with different handles so you can swap out whatever works best for the task at hand.

The new 2019 40v Power Head comes with a 4.0ah battery. I haven’t had the time to do any endurance tests with the battery yet, but I don’t think I’ll be disappointed. My small 1/3 acre lot has lot of trimming to do due to all my garden beds and patio. But with the 2018 model and a 3.0ah battery I was able to trim it all three times with a single charge. I might’ve been able to squeak a fourth, but I was down to one dot and decide to re-charge instead of risking running out of power in the middle of the job. This new model has more power and with a 33% larger battery, I anticipate getting even more work done between charges.

Speaking of charges, one of my favorite changes Ryobi introduced this year is their new 40v battery charger. The old was a typical base style charger you’d slide the battery onto. The new one is a much more compact unit (easier to tuck out of the way) that has a USB port built in!

Last week I had an impromptu road trip day to pick up a vintage camper to rehab (woohoo!) and used the 4.0ah battery to fully charge my kid’s iPad mini and my iPhone X twice (another charge the next day). After that, the battery still showed at least 50% remaining on it’s indicator lights. So you can bet you’ll find at least one Ryobi 40v battery with me on every road trip and camping trip from now on.