13 Highly-Rated Ryobi Finds Worth Buying For Summer

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Ryobi is the brand of choice for thousands of homeowners in need of budget-friendly, but reliable, power tools. There's a reason that Consumer Reports ranks Ryobi as the best budget lawn tool brand. But its products go way beyond garden maintenance. As you'll see below, Ryobi's wide and ever-growing list of products is positively saturated with summer-ready solutions.

In this guide, we'll cover the Ryobi products currently listed at Home Depot which we feel are most likely to help you keep your yard in summer shape. You'll find equipment to stay on top of a lawn that refuses to stop growing, plus a couple of nifty ways to keep your weeds suitably whacked. You'll see some of the brand's most-loved tools, and if you want to upgrade your tool collection with Ryobi's latest releases, you'll find a few of those, too. Finally, as we'll explain in more detail at the end, all products are rated at least 4 stars, and all have been reviewed by at least 120 real Ryobi users.

Ryobi's range features hundreds of battery-powered tools. And while you could, technically, get by with a single battery, you might find life somewhat frustrating if you have to constantly down-tools and wait for the thing to charge. For this reason, we chose Ryobi's 18V One+ High-Performance Battery and Charger Kit. It keeps summer gardening and DIY sessions running smoothly, and since it comes with a complimentary 7-½-inch Ryobi fan, it also helps cooler heads to prevail in the heat of the summer sun.

The kit is currently rated 4.9 out of 5. More than 7,550 users have reviewed it, and of those, 89% rated it 5 stars. Some buyers love the fan, explaining that it helps to keep them cool — be that in the garage, in the garden, or out on the boat. Others appreciate how easily the batteries can be used with the rest of their Ryobi equipment. As one user said, "Great item, works well, comes with batteries and charger that can be used with many Ryobi tools."

If you need to dig holes in the summer, then we urge you to consider a powered auger. You may be transplanting trees, or digging new holes for a fence. Either way, trying to bust through sun-baked soil with a shovel is a recipe for broken equipment. And your back is unlikely to thank you, too. Ryobi's 40V HP Brushless Cordless Auger is built to handle all of these tasks. It's priced at $449, and comes with a 40V battery and charger. Per Ryobi, it delivers more power than a 52cc gas auger, and as for runtimes, it handles up to 30 holes per charge.

Of course, whether Ryobi's auger is really the right tool for your garden is a decision only you can make. But according to the 1,351 users who've reviewed it, it seems like it's up to the task. 82% of those gave the auger 5 stars, lending to an overall 4.7 rating. Users seem impressed by the tool's overall quality and the ease with which it handles tough soil. As one user who used it to plant trees put it, "Works great and easy to assemble. I did 18 holes and used half the battery life."

In the summer, trimming your hedges is key to getting the most out of the growing season. It keeps them in good shape while promoting denser growth, and with a cordless hedge trimmer, it needn't take you hours to do. Ryobi's 18V One+ 18-inch Cordless Hedge Trimmer is currently available for $80. It comes with the tool, a battery, and a charger, and on one charge should last for up to 40 minutes. It's lightweight to make longer trimming sessions easier on the arms. It can also handle branches up to ⅝-inch thick, and provided that you keep your hedge-trimmer blades sharp, it should last way beyond Ryobi's 3-year warranty.

To date, 2,227 buyers have offered their thoughts on the trimmers, and of those, 77% have awarded them 5 stars. They're rated 4.6 overall, owing largely to their lightweight build, cordless operation, and the ease with which they handle summer growth. As one user said, "We have a hedge in front of our house and it grows fast and I am happy I got the Ryobi hedge trimmer to keep up and make the front of the house look great."

There are various Ryobi tools that can help to whip your lawn into shape. If you're working with up to 3/4 of an acre, then it could be worth considering Ryobi's 40V HP Brushless 21-inch Cordless Walk Behind Mower. It's supplied with a charger plus two 40V HP batteries, which yield up to 80 minutes of runtime. The mower is self-propelled, which helps to save your back when your lawn needs mowing most frequently, and its electric motor speeds up whenever it senses thicker grass, which keeps it from bogging down.

It's rated 4.5 stars overall, with 73% of more than 1,770 users having awarded it full marks. The life of those dual batteries curries favor among users, which is good to know in larger yards. It's also praised for its fast charging and ease of maneuverability. And in case you're concerned about swapping from gas to electric, there are some users who couldn't be happier that they decided to make the switch. "I never saw myself buying a battery powered mower," said one. They continued, "but this thing is ridiculous. It chopped through and leveled the backyard ten times easier than my gas mower."

Ryobi's Expand-It Cordless String Trimmer alleviates the need to buy tons of separate tools in order to manage your summer garden. It's priced at $159, which buys the string trimmer head, a battery, and charger. Crucially, it also includes the Expand-It tool handle, which can be used with a variety of other Ryobi attachments, including a pole saw, lawn edger, cultivator, hedge trimmer, and more.

To date, more than 3,750 shoppers have rated this versatile tool, earning it an overall score of 4.3. 64% of buyers gave it top marks, with users praising its balanced feel and premium build quality. It's worth noting that a few have cited issues with string changes on the trimmer, with one saying that they're tricky, and another explaining that it resulted in a broken head. With that being said, the tool comes with a 5-year manufacturer tool warranty, which should help to assuage any concerns around malfunctioning.

Breaking into the higher price range of Ryobi's tool selection, this 80V HP Brushless Cordless 30-inch Riding Lawn Mower is designed to make light work of larger gardens. It costs just shy of $3,000, but includes an 80V battery and charging unit, which alone are worth more than $1,400. The set comes with a mulch kit as standard, and can also be bought with an attachable mower bag for a total of $3,448 at Home Depot. Of course, whether you need a riding mower or a smaller push mower depends on the size of your yard. But if it's on the larger side, then Ryobi suggests this unit can handle up to an acre on a single charge.

It's also fairly well regarded by reviewers. To date, over 130 users have taken the time to offer feedback, with 64% awarding the steed 5 stars. It's rated 4.3 overall, with most explaining how impressed they are with the mower's agility, powerful cutting, and easy recharging. Now, it is worth saying that several buyers have called into question the mower's ability to handle larger gardens. These are in the minority, but depending on the size of your garden, it may mean that you need to buy a spare battery in order to mow your lawn in one session.

Bridging the gap between manual shears and a full-sized chainsaw, Ryobi's 18V One+ 6-inch Pruning Mini Chainsaw is designed for trimming the thicker limbs of your trees and hedges. It's currently available at Home Depot as "tool only," meaning first-time Ryobi buyers will also need to buy a battery. However, if you have large or awkward trees to maintain, then it could be worth the expense. The saw handles 50 cuts per charge with a 2Ah battery — the cheapest in Ryobi's 18V range. It's also handy in tight and awkward spaces where larger tools are impractical.

Of course, the big question is whether Ryobi's compact pruning chainsaw is powerful enough for the work it's designed to do. According to the reviews, it would seem that it is. More than 2,220 users have reviewed it, and out of those, 80% awarded it full marks. It earns a 4.7 overall rating, with several users saying it performed much better than they expected. As one buyer said, "This saw cuts much better than I anticipated. It's easy to use and plenty powerful to cut larger branches multiple times."

Choosing the best pruning tool for your needs comes down to several factors. For example, if you have a tall tree that needs pruning, then it pays to have something with the requisite length to help you reach it safely. Ryobi's 18V One+ Cordless Lopper Tool helps extend your reach by 2 ½ feet, while the 18V-powered motor takes care of the cutting without undue exertion on your hands. It can handle branches up to 1.25 inches in diameter, and its in-built branch hook makes it easy to remove loosened limbs.

It's rated 4.6 stars overall, with 74% of more than 1,380 users having awarded it top marks. For the most part, it's favored as a strong, reliable tool that handles elevated pruning tasks with the minimum amount of human effort. It's even described as "oak proof" by one user, who was impressed by the unit's power. That said, while the majority of reviews are favorable, there are some who said that the thumb safety mechanism is awkward to use. A few also noted that it's slower to cut branches than a manually-operated tool, although that's arguably a small price to pay if it means alleviating the strain on tired or arthritic hands.

There are certain plants that benefit from regular pruning during the summer, especially if you hope to get the most colorful blooms out of them. The problem is that the more you grow, the harder that pruning can become on your hands, especially if you have arthritis. An electric pruning tool is a great way to take the sting out of this important summer task, and Ryobi's 18V One+ Brushless Cordless Pruners is a good example of why. Its bypass blades yield clean, precise cuts on branches up to an inch thick, and all you need to do is pull the trigger. It's supplied with a battery and charger, and its brushless motor delivers cuts (per Ryobi) 1.5x faster than regular cordless pruners.

As for reviews, it's currently rated 4.7 out of 5. More than 1,160 have offered their feedback, and of those, 84% gave it 5 stars. It's praised for handling everything from small trees to rose bushes, and curries favor for its compact size and light weight. "I LOVE THIS TOOL!! I am pruning everything!" said one particularly exuberant user. They continued, "I especially love how it cuts brown parts off of palm trees instead of just bending them, and saves my hands!"

Whether or not a leaf blower is worth buying depends on the nature of your yard. If your walkways are perpetually peppered with grass clippings after mowing, or your lawn finds itself littered with fallen leaves, then yes, it's probably worth the investment. Ryobi's 40V 120 MPH 550 CFM Cordless Battery Leaf Blower comes complete with a charger and battery to get you blowing right out of the box. A single charge yields up to 75 minutes of runtime, which should be enough to keep those lawns and walkways suitably cleared. It's also designed as a true gas replacement, says Ryobi, yielding more power than a 25cc gas engine.

The reviewers seem to like it, too. More than 6,800 have offered feedback, with 75% awarding the blower 5 stars. Its battery and balanced build both earn points among users, as does its quiet operation. "Extremely powerful but also very quiet," said one buyer, who added, "I had an 18V blower and this 40V is much more powerful and quieter." The only drawback is that, while it remains quiet even in turbo mode, some users have said that using at at its highest settings can dramatically reduce runtimes. In other words, you may need to buy a spare battery in order to handle those larger clean-ups.

Whatever you need to douse your yard with, a sprayer is the tool for the job, and Ryobi's 18V One+ Cordless Chemical Sprayer can handle up to 30 gallons of spraying per charge. It's supplied with a 1-gallon tank, so you'll need to replenish your fluids if you plan to test its limits. However, the tank detaches easily to make cleaning straightforward, which is useful if you have several different substances to spray.

It's rated 4.4 stars overall, which is pretty solid. Out of more than 3,660 reviews, 66% have awarded the sprayer 5 stars, with many praising its ease of use, adjustable spray pattern, and its easy-clean tank. It's worth noting that a few customers have had issues with product failure, several after just a year's worth of use. But again, these are in the minority, and any defects under normal household use are covered by Ryobi's limited three-year warranty.

If you need to keep things cool in the height of summer, a fan is the obvious solution. Ryobi's 18V One+ 7 ½-inch Bucket Misting Fan takes the idea one step further. The principle is similar to the brand's larger 12-inch cordless misting air cannon, only it's a little over half the price. Like the larger version, it plugs right into a standard garden hose. Alternatively, you can mount it on a bucket of water. It's a nifty way to keep things cool on the patio, delivering up to 14 feet of misting coverage. And since it runs for up to five hours at a time on a single charge, it should help to keep you comfortable through the hottest afternoons of summer.

Impressively, the fan is rated 4.8 stars out of 5, with 83% of 989 users having awarded it top marks. Customers love how easily it keeps both their families and their pets cool in hot weather. It's also praised for how well it rotates, even when mounted on a bucket. One user, who described it as a "Great misting fan," said, "I have used the fan multiple times in the blistering heat of South Carolina. A bucket of cool water and the fan cools a larger area for kids to play around."

Whether you need to drain an algae-infested pond or transfer water from a rain barrel to your garden, a transfer pump can help. Ryobi's 18V One+ Cordless Transfer Pump fits nicely into its existing 18V range of tools. It's designed to drain water levels down to 1/16 of an inch, and per Ryobi, can be used to transfer both small and larger bodies of water. It isn't as highly rated as similar cordless pumps available at Home Depot. DeWalt's 20V Max Cordless Pump, for example, is rated 4.8, while Milwaukee's M18 18V Pump is rated 4.6. However, both are at least $60 more expensive than Ryobi's. And while their price tags apply to the tool only, Ryobi's comes complete with the battery and charger.

It's rated 4 out of 5 stars overall, with over 315 user reviews. 59% of those gave it top marks, with most agreeing that it's an excellent solution for occasional drainage work. As one user put it, "This pump has made flooding in my garden, as I am living in the 'low laying' area in town, much easier to cope with." Just bear in mind that, like any cordless tool, battery runtimes are naturally limited. Several users have cited frustration with this, including one who said that the battery lasted just 30 minutes. This won't be a problem if you have some spares kicking around the garage. But if you don't, and you need to drain lots of water, you may need to consider buying some additional batteries.

In order to create this guide, we looked for Ryobi tools most likely to be useful in and around the garden during the summer. We narrowed down the list to those rated at least 4 stars overall by Home Depot shoppers. And to ensure that those ratings represented a fair appraisal of each product, we focused on those with at least 120 user reviews.