Ryobi, Milwaukee or knockoff blower?

[PCustoms]

Been thinking about getting a small blower to clean off the deck (have a backpack blower for the yard).

Saw an almost new 40v Ryobi pop up on marketplace for $100 this morning.

But, all my batteries are red, and 18v.

Spending hundreds on an 18v blower seems foolish. What about the knockoffs that use the Milwaukee batteries?

Again, intended use is blowing dust/dirt off a deck.

 

[desertdog256]

If the 40v Ryobi doesn’t come with battery and charger, then I don’t think it’s that great a deal. HD has a kit with all three pieces for $159. If you already had green batteries and chargers, then maybe.

HD also has an 18v Milwaukee blower on sale for $129, bare tool, I think. I didn’t read the specs on any of these, so it may not be an apples to apples comparison.

Personally, I have two battery platforms because I like some of the tools from each. So, to me, adding an additional battery platform is no big deal and adds some versatility.

 

[PCustoms]

If the 40v Ryobi doesn’t come with battery and charger, then I don’t think it’s that great a deal. HD has a kit with all three pieces for $159. If you already had green batteries and chargers, then maybe.

It has 1 lithium pack, looks like this model goes for $199 right now.

It's the 500cfm model

HD also has an 18v Milwaukee blower on sale for $129, bare tool, I think. I didn’t read the specs on any of these, so it may not be an apples to apples comparison.

Personally, I have two battery platforms because I like some of the tools from each. So, to me, adding an additional battery platform is no big deal and adds some versatility.

I'll have to go back and look, I think the $129 was a lot less powerful.

Edit: comparable specs, but the Ryobi handle looks way more ergonomic. See my comments below.

I like the looks of some of the Ryobi "homeowner" tools, so starting into a 2nd platform might not be terrible. Sweeping this deck just drives **** into the joints and firing up the gas blower Everytime it's needs cleaning isn't practical so it doesn't happen often

 

[bobg03]

I had a stihl small blower with an internal battery, did a great job for 7 years blowing off my patios and driveway.
The beauty was it charged via a plug in jack and it blew full force til it needed to be charged and was very light. I purchased a bigger stihl to replace it after 7 years but for $129 dollars and no batteries to buy, it served me well. My friend was happy to receive it and still uses it on his small patio 2 years after I gave it to him. That's a pretty good run for the price, I had too many leaves all over now so my new stihl has a battery platform.

 

[tez929rr]

I have a couple of Ryobi 18 V blowers and they work great. I almost never get out the gas Echo blower anymore.

 

[oldmachinenut]

I have a 40volt Ryobi blower that came with my trimmer. I bought them from HD several years ago and I am very pleased with them.

 

[seber]

Depends on how much you need to blow off. My 40 volt Kobalt is barely enough for for 100' of sidewalk and 100' of driveway. If you have a lot less, 18 volts might work. I got lucky and found the Kobalt with two batteries and charger at an estate sale for $50.

 

[PCustoms]

Depends on how much you need to blow off. My 40 volt Kobalt is barely enough for for 100' of sidewalk and 100' of driveway. If you have a lot less, 18 volts might work. I got lucky and found the Kobalt with two batteries and charger at an estate sale for $50.

56'x8' of porch.

Right now it's sawdust and maple buds, later errant leaves. Could also see giving the mower a quick blow weekly.

 

[tez929rr]

This one is a bit more powerful than the ones I bought but tool only. I have a ridiculous number of Ryobi chargers.
18 volt blower tool only

 

[Steve_P]

I have an Ego blower and it's fantastic. It's one of those things that I should've bought a few years prior to getting it last year. My point is that once you have a cordless blower, you'll find that it's so convenient and you will use it WAY more often than you think- blow out the garage, blow off the front porch, blow off the driveway in between mows... I have a Ryobi cordless hedge trimmer, vacuum, and tire inflator. It all works fine, and for the $, it's excellent. I really didn't want to add another battery platform in addition to DeWalt and Ego, but the pricing on the Ryobi stuff makes it impossible to ignore, especially when there's a sale.

 

[tak1313]

If the 40v blower doesn't include battery and charger, it's definitely NOT worth it since right now you have neither. Like all things cordless, it's the battery cost that kills you. Granted though, it's pretty easy to pick up a used charger because a lot of times people end up buying kits and have multiple chargers. On top of that, you can also get generic batteries too (or risk buying used batteries).

That being said, I have the 40v brushless blower, and it does better than my gas. I also have the small 18v Milwaukee, but I don't think it could clear a deck unless it was a small amount of DRY leaves - I use it to clear stuff like sawdust or leaves around the door.

 

[JSGAuto]

***sorry about repeating what was said above....got distracted for a bit before submitting.****


What about one of these?

$129 bare tool

Milwaukee M18 FUEL 120 MPH 450 CFM 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Handheld Blower (Tool-Only) 2724-20 - The Home Depot

Clear leaves, grass clippings and other debris from your yard by choosing this Milwaukee M18 FUEL 450 CFM Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Handheld Blower.

www.homedepot.com

I have the M12 version. I bought it to do the decks & walkways. It works fine. I also use it to dry the car.

Milwaukee M12 12V Lithium-Ion Cordless Compact Spot Blower (Tool-Only) 0852-20 - The Home Depot

The MILWAUKEE M12 Compact Spot Blower delivers more control and faster cleanup. It features high and low-speed settings, a lock-on button, and a variable speed trigger for increased control during jobsite

www.homedepot.com

 

[BTL-A4]

I have the Ryobi 18V OPE and find it plenty powerful enough. OP, I would suggest getting a Milwaukee, since you already have the batteries.

 

[PCustoms]

I offered the guy $80, he's just down the road so I'll go see tonight

 

[bobg03]

56'x8' of porch.

Right now it's sawdust and maple buds, later errant leaves. Could also see giving the mower a quick blow weekly.

Get the smaller internal battery Stihl, avoids another battery platform and a charger and is reasonably priced for a light quality tool. BGA 45 is the model, my driveway was way larger than your area, cleaned it off on one charge. Still priced at $139.

My leaves and droppings have increased 10 fold over the last 7 years, I upgraded to the BG57 on their battery platform. $199.00 W/1 battery and charger. I purchased a trimmer too for an additional $199 and got a second battery and charger. It was a cheaper way to get a battery and a trimmer for only $50 more than a battery. I use the trimmer once a year lol. The blower runs 3X weekly spring and fall.

 

[finn]

We have. Milwaukee at home and a Dewalt in Az.

Don’t use the Milwaukee except for blowing leaves off the deck in the fall.

The Dewalt is a 20 v that was on clearance at HD for around a hundred bucks, including battery several years ago. I’m pretty sure the newer models are more powerful, but for the price I’m happy.

It blows leaves, sticks deposited by the birds, and Arizona lawn, AKA known as gravel to those living where real grass grows, from the concrete patio and drive, and the garage.

I haven’t fired up the backpack blower in a couple of years since we started mulching leaves in the fall with the rider, rather than raking and blowing them and then having to haul them away.

 

[carmantl]

My vote is for the $129 Milwaukee. I've had mine over 2 years and it works fine for blowing leaves. With a 12.0 it will push your arm back pretty solidly.

 

[PCustoms]

My vote is for the $129 Milwaukee. I've had mine over 2 years and it works fine for blowing leaves. With a 12.0 it will push your arm back pretty solidly.

My biggest battery is the 4.0 right now.

 

[PCustoms]

$80, worked perfectly to blow the sawdust, dirt and tree tassel BS off the new deck.

 

[PCustoms]

$80, worked perfectly to blow the sawdust, dirt and tree tassel BS off the new deck.

This might be my new favorite tool.

I've used it to blow 30+ years of crud away from the ledger so I could drop the last pieces of decking in, cleaned the deck at least once a day (sawdust and tree fuzz) and blew the mower down once.

About to hit the deck again as I drilled posts for cable railings this afternoon.

Might finally plug it in.

 

[toyotadriver]

Big fan of my M18 single battery blower.



Nothing in this post should be misunderstood, interpreted, misinterpreted, or construed to be of a political nature.

 

[turnthewrench 2.0]

Bought this yesterday at the HD. Comes with charger and battery. Time will tell how long it lasts, but it works fine for what I need it for. Only dropped one bar after doing a large carport, driveway, and the sidewalk. Happy with it.

 

[bwringer]

After years of stinky, unreliable, insanely loud gas blowers, a battery blower really is life-changing. I use the thing to blow out my garage all the time, and overall I end up grabbing it far more often and keeping things far more tidy.

 

[regguy1]

After years of stinky, unreliable, insanely loud gas blowers, a battery blower really is life-changing. I use the thing to blow out my garage all the time, and overall I end up grabbing it far more often and keeping things far more tidy.

I agree and same goes for string trimmer, I have both in EGO 56 volt I'll never go back to gas.

 

[bobg03]

For a small area using a Stihl BGA 45 @ $139 is the best way, the battery is internal the charger plugs in with a jack. I used mine for 9 years and my friends girlfriend got 1.5 years more outta it before it died. I paid $129 when I purchased it before I had the trees I have now and needed something bigger. For a driveway, deck or garage it works well, it blew full force til the internal battery needed charging.

Kept me from buying another battery platform and getting a light weight quality tool that worked.
Available at ACE, Northern Tool, Stihl Dealers and some hardware stores.