Customer Reviews for RYOBI 40V 12 in. Cordless Battery String Trimmer with 2.0 Ah Battery and Charger

The trimmer was east to assemble and the battery charged in 30 minutes out of the box. The trimmer head is very easy to gain access to the trimmer line and has a automatic line feed with a button to feed the line manually if needed. The weigh distribution is even so it will cut down on fatigue. The line is 0.080 inch thick and comes in a twist version which in my opinion cuts the best.

This trimmer has some nice features. First, out-of-the-box you'll need to put it together (see photo), they provide everything that you'll need. The feature that sets this apart from some other trimmers is the lever that is an "auto-line-feed". You simply let off from the lever, wait a couple of seconds and then press the lever back and the line is good to go. No more tapping the bottom of your trimmer to get the line to feed out and in the directions it even cautions you....not to tap the bottom of the trimmer head. It comes with a battery and charger. The battery came about 3/4 of the way charged, which I appreciated since so many arrive barely charged at all....(see photo for details, this is right out of the box). The battery has indicators so you know how much charge you still have on the battery, itself. It's fairly light-weight and super easy to use. I'd recommend this trimmer, for sure.

The Ryobi trimmer is so terrific at home, I had to purchase another for my studio in the Boynton Beach Art District! The ease of use is amazing and the lithium battery charges quickly and lasts a long time. A helpful Home Depot staff member explained how a Ryobi trimmer would be a solution. There is no engine to start so anyone can use it. But, it was far more powerful than I would have imagined. This high quality machine even edges. I am so pleased. Thank you Home Depot!

I bought one of these because I figured it would be a better buy and the reviews were great. I also picked the cultivator attachment because my wife has a medium sized vegetable garden. I quickly learned that using this product for anything other than light duty work will result in a broken power head. Which makes me wonder why they make a cultivator attachment for it in the first place. When using some of their other attachments, vibrations will eventually crack the handle in half. Ryobi claims that this is not a flaw in their product and will not replace it. Home Depot will not replace it either. If you like to collect broken tools, this is for you

This is a great trimmer. It easily get rid of those weeds, comes with a great battery, is pretty well made, and is of excellent value. How does it cut? Very well, and super quiet compared to anything gas powered. With a 13-inch cutting diameter, it is a bit on a small size, but the tool being well balanced and lightweight, the smallness is a non issue. Operating this trimmer is pretty intuitive and, maybe a bit too easy. The two safeguard switches are very close to each others, so you have to be really careful when removing the battery not to trigger the trimmer accidentally. By comparison, my corded Toro trimmer has a much safer design with switches. The battery is pretty impressive. I have a good size yard and do not need to recharge to get it all done. This battery is also compatible with the terrific 40V Ryobi mower. At this price, this trimmer is a steal. Getting just the battery and the charger is more or less the price of the trimmer with the battery and charger. Highly recommend.

I would recommend this trimmer, but I'm still leery about the battery holding up for more than just a few months. It seems to have good power and do just fine for my needs, I don't have a big amount of grass to trim around being than I have a large pool in my backyard, but the last time I used a cordless the batteries all died and needed replacement right away. Only time will tell how long these 40 volt lithium-ion will last. For now, it works good. The other thing I noticed that is different is that the cutting cord only comes out of the spool in one place rather than the two I've always had in the past. This, I like. It's easier to deal with.

Ryobi continues to take cordless and battery run equipment to a New Level. I was not really confident that anything running on a battery could out perform gas but have been pleasantly surprised. I like not having to deal with the noise and gas making it the better choice. This 40-Volt Lithium-Ion String Trimmer is great for the urban life and ready at a moments notice. It does require assembly but everything was included except a Phillips Screwdriver. It is lightweight, easy to use and trimmed all the dead foliage in our front yard in a few seconds. The design makes it easy to operate, the battery snaps in place, the handle covering provides added comfort, easily adjust the speed with the trigger switch located under the handle. Just increase the pressure by depressing the switch with your index finger. As with any equipment, completely read the manual and understand all the features, wear protective gear and trim away. Highly Recommend this Lightweight, Powerful Trimmer!

This is the perfect trimmer for the suburban or urban lot. It packs enough punch to handle a medium sized job for the larger suburban lot, but it isn't so heavy to overload you. Of course, for a small city lot it is perfect. The unit is plenty strong, and the battery does the job. The charger is fast. I can't complain much about it, so it is fine. Time will tell about reliability. The few times I tried it I found the ergonomics to be a bit strange for me. It seemed a bit long, even for my above average height. But that may be more of a habit of how I use these. The self feeder worked well. And despite the one string spool, it chewed up stuff very well. I actually like the idea of one string instead of two because it makes for less binding inside the spool. The string "blade" (actually a hard piece of plastic) is adjustable, but the minimal instructions didn't make this clear. Pay attention to that when you assemble it. You may want to flip positions on it. If I could change one thing, I wish the head rotated for better ease of edging. You can edge with it, but you'll have to hold the unit awkwardly. Actually, if you've seen pro landscapers use a string trimmer to edge, you'll have to be like them and hold it that way. I was able to edge but had a few uneven lines (see photo). All and all, very nice to be free of the cord or stinky 2 cycle engine. One star off for difficult edging position and poor instructions for assembly.

Great power for a lithium battery operated trimmer. My old B&D battery powered trimmer didn't have enough power to cut anything but average lawn grass and only lasted about 20 minutes. This trimmer is at the opposite end of the spectrum. Easy to use. Light weight. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because it only has one string for cutting. It does a decent job but would be much better if had at least two strings for cutting. The automatic line feed actually works! No tapping. You just release the bottom throttle lever while the trimmer is running, wait 2 seconds, and press the throttle again. Repeat until you get the amount of line you want up to 6". There is blade/line cutter that automatically cuts the line to maximum length.

Out of the box just a few simple steps to assemble the rhobi grass/weed trimmer. I charged the 40 volt battery which came with the unit. This done on the battery charger which also was included in the package. Took out of the box less than 30 minutes to full charge the battery making it ready for use. Four screws Phillip head type you will need that tool for assembly which attaches the line guard at the base of the unit protecting surrounding area from flying debris. Two screws to connect the pole, an alum wrench required for these two screws and that tool is included in the package. Then an adjustable hand holder which is held by a wing nut no tool required for that.. Entire assembly takes about 6 minutes. and Battery charges in less than 30 minutes. Next I ran this Ryobi through the tests on my Zoya grass in my backyard. The auto feed line works well but until it cuts the line proper length it makes some scary sounds but works fine. I just never worked with a battery operated weed trimmer before. I have quite a bit of cement and rock structures I need to weed around and over so I was a little concerned about the plastic casing the line is wound in. It is getting skuffed up pretty bad so I will need to take more precautions when working around those areas. The battery is heavy but still much lighter than a 2 stroke engine and gasoline oil container on the gas operated type trimmers. I also own the Ryobi multi-attachment gas operated unit which I like but will use now with a heavier guage line and use for edging. This new Ryobi 40 volt battery operated unit I chose because I have a solar unit and can charge all my batteries etc for free.. No gas required... And it does a good job. After running it through my tests I am satisfied with the unit performing the job as required. Thanks Ryobi and Home Depot for providing a great product. Two thumbs up!

I have been using this timmer since I received it and so far really am liking it. I have a 6+ year old 18V Black and decker and this is by far way more powerful and lighter. The instructions are a little sparse. I wish they would go into more detail on how you put the two halves together. I had to look at the pieces a couple times, there are no holes in the shaft where the screws are so it was not apparent right away. I would strongly suggest right when installing that you change the cut length of the sting.You can swap the blade around (see instructions) for a longer cut path. Its easy to have a bigger cut path and I found it made a big difference. Once it was installed I liked the feel of it, it was well balanced. The battery charger was faster and I suspect not one of those takes all day ones, it seems a faster one. The battery has an indicator on it, I loved this feature since my old cordless trimmer had none and I had to guess. The run times where about 20-30 minutes of heavy use cutting through all sorts of weeds and such. I did not find any lag in power till the battery was almost drained. Overall I am super happy with this string trimmer. I would though point out there is a couple ergonomic things they should change. The handle is only plastic, no padding at all. I wish there was padding to make it more comfortable to grip, and I plan on putting something there. Also the variable speed switch did not have much give. You really had to hold the switch in to have it at full power. It was as if the switch was too light. After 20 minutes of that my hand was getting a bit tired.

The pros for this trimmer far outweigh the cons. There are only a couple cons. One is that it uses a lot of line. The pro regarding this though is that it self auto feeds and you don't have to push or pull anything to get it to come out. One other issue that I had was that the cord was tangled inside the spool and had to be taken apart and rewound. But, it only took a second of time and wasn't a real bother. It just stopped auto feeding and needed to be untangled. The pros are that it has an amazing battery that lasted through my entire project of about 45 minutes and when I put it back in the charger, it had only used less than 1/4 of the charge. It's light weight, very easy to use and handle. Another pro is that it can be adjusted to a wider length of string to cover more space for larger projects. Basically, it's a great trimmer and the cons are really not a problem and probably happen less with this trimmer than most out there. It's a real joy to use and worked well for my trimming and when turned up it also did a great job edging around my lawn. It's powerful and cuts well.

The first thing I noticed about this trimmer was that it was very light even with the battery installed - less than 10 lbs. That makes it very easy to maneuver and less likely to cause fatigue. The adjustable handle slides up and down as well as rotates completely around the shaft so it was easy for me to find a good balanced grip. I also like the smaller sized guard so it doesn't get in the way in tight fits. It comes with the smallest 40v battery that Ryobi offers, the Slimline, which is only 2.2 lbs and is rated 1.5 Ah. It works fine with this since it requires very little power to operate. In fact, it had enough charge to trim the sidewalk, driveway, fence and landscaping, both front and backyard of my 1/4 acre yard before it ran out after forty minutes. The variable speed trigger works very well and I find myself rarely squeezing it all the way since the motor is quite powerful. It only has a single line but it is a medium size (.080) and twisted so it does ok for light trimming. It utilizes "auto feed" instead of the more traditional "bump feed" for advancing additional line. That feeds it by stopping then starting the motor giving about 1/4" each time. It you run it in very short bursts of a few seconds each, you will get too much line fed out and have to cut it, so it's best to run it for about fifteen or twenty seconds which I found is how long it takes to wear down the amount that it feeds on each stop. That's a good pace that lets you pause to rest or move on to the next cut. Everything about this trimmer seems to be that it was designed for light duty work or smaller yards. Heavier duty trimmers will have dual lines, larger batteries, bump feed, and more sturdy construction. This one does very well for what it's intended and is priced accordingly. Concerning reliability of Ryobi batteries and equipment, I have their 20" mower (awesome), leaf blower (so so), another trimmer with flipup edger (great), 5Ah & 2.6Ah batteries (powerful), for several years now and none have failed or needed any repair. I no longer have any gas or corded equipment and love it!

I am well on my way converting all of my power tools to Ryobi. I had the 18 volt weed whacker and decided to upgrade to this pro strength unit. The 40 volt has extreme awesome power. I can interchange my 40 volt batteries with other Ryobi tools. This one came with the 40 volt 55 watt battery and charger. My 40 volt 94 watt batteries shown in picture worked fine also with this unit. The batteries re-charge in no time at all. I can swap the batteries in all of my Ryobi 40 watt tools with no problems. Try one at your local Home Depot or just ask a friend. I love these tools and have not been let down yet! Thank you Home Depot for introducing me to Ryobi tools. Give as an awesome gift. My brother loves the tools I gave him. Ryobi tools are the best gifts I ever gave him.

This is my first cordless trimmer and I really like it a lot. It is so convenient not to have to plug in a cord, pull it around, untangle it, etc. This thing can just be hauled around and used anywhere without having to worry about getting tangled in a cord. Additionally, it is quiet, not like those gas powered units that are loud and irritating and smell. This is a real joy to use. I can so easily go anywhere with it. If I had one thing I would change it would be that the battery would last longer. It lasts for about 10 to 15 minutes of use and then has to be recharged. I stopped when the battery got to one led power level and it took 46 minutes exactly to charge to full. The battery spends more time charging than being used. I was surprised by this since it is quite a beefy battery. I like that it has power led levels so you know how much power you have left.

This is my first 40-volt lithium ion tool, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm rather impressed with this string trimmer’s power. I had it out of the box and assembled in 5 minutes and it’s significantly quieter than my gas powered string trimmer – it buzzes like a model airplane. It’s also much easier to grab and go verses mixing 50:1 fuel and oil. Of course, I have to remember to make sure the battery is charged (these batteries should not live on the charger once fully charged to prolong life). This unit has plenty of power for cutting and edging. Mine came with battery model OP4015 (it’s 55Wh) and power is controlled by the variable speed trigger control. I was able to edge/detail the entire yard in approximately 15 minutes with two bars to spare. I am slightly concerned about deteriorating battery performance over time, but time will tell. If I have to buy a new battery eventually, a replacement costs more than buying a whole new unit. Sadly, this makes this a disposable tool. Unlike most string trimmers I've had, this model only has one string for cutting (vs. the typical 2). Funny thing is, I didn't miss the extra string. It did a nice job. This unit is not heavy, but after 15 minutes of flipping and turning, 9 lbs feels like 15-20 lbs. I have a universal shoulder strap (available at HD) on my gas-powered trimmer, which I plan to use with this unit. The strap makes a big difference by allocating weight and reducing vibration. I’m surprised Ryobi doesn’t include one. The deflector guard says 10" of string for max battery life and up to 12" for maximum cutting distance (if you turn the line-cutter blade around). I'm not a big fan of the auto-feed string head though. It wastes line in my opinion. Line is feed when the trigger is released for 2 seconds (vs. the traditional bump-and-feed). Based on how I use the tool, line is constantly feeding and getting cut off by the line cut-off blade. Here are some low points regarding quality: The grass deflector is not strong plastic and the screws that attach it are soft metal. Should the deflector need to be replaced, the screw heads will strip. The handle of the trimmer is attached with a metal bolt and a plastic wing nut. I've had more expensive trimmers with plastic wing nuts and know that they break if you crank them down too hard. Overall, this Ryobi RY40204 is a decent, basic model, string trimmer for cutting grass and edging flowerbeds. It does not support other Ryobi attachments like the more expensive models, but is good for its intended purpose.

The 40-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless String Trimmer is so easy to set up, is very powerful, and has a very long battery life. It is extremely easy to use without have to worry about gas or cords and the cutting is precise and very accurate. The trimmer is also easy to store - and breakdown is very easy for hard to fit places. it comes with plug in charging unit that holds charge very well

Got this last year as a fathers day gift. I love it, works splendidly. The straight shaft string trimmer takes care of all my trimming needs including edging with out arguments. The leaf blower attachment is fantastic. The power of the unit is great cuts through everything. But it is very loud, I never have had a need to use hearing protection with an electric trimmer prior to this one. That is the good. The bad is a low quality portion of the trimmer that is vital to the use of it. The boom Clamp. You use it every time you take it a part to change attachments or for storage. The screw and the locking bolt stripped out on me in less than a year. They are replaceable if you order them from a 3rd part parts supplier that Ryobi uses to supply parts. Gonna buy two or three of them to reduce the shipping cost per item. Just something to think about, that a vital part is relativity fragile and has on normal use probably two years of life. You can't buy this part in the stores. It would be nice as it's a normal wear part for the unit. The image below is the locking bolt, had to cut it off due to flaring at the end to make it non removable. Found out the bolt on the clamp was stripped as well so couldn't replace with nut bolt combo.

Short Version: Works great, as good as any consumer-level gas trimmer. I don't think you will be disappointed. Long Version: I'm building a new house that will be done in a few months. We had to rent an apartment in the meantime. I got rid of all my old lawn tools. So, I need a whole new set. I have all the 18V Ryobi tools. I've been using the One+ system for about 15 years now and couldn't be happier with the fact they have stayed with the same format. They've updated the tools and batteries over the years, but it has all been 100% compatible. That makes it real easy and inexpensive to slowly upgrade over time. Back when they started that line, Ryobi said that's what they were going to do. I figured time would tell. Well, 15ish years later and they've been true to their word. Anyway, since I need all new lawn tools, and with my experience with the 18V line, I figured I'd give this a look. I started with this trimmer and the hedge trimmer. I also picked up the Expand-It Brush Trimmer attachment. I took it out to my house lot and got after some really thick, nasty weeds that have been growing. It was probably 30 feet by 50 feet worth of weeds. There is some construction debris hidden in the two-foot growth, so I figured getting after it by hand was better than trying to mow it. I'm not sure I could find anybody to mow it with the potential of tearing up equipment. Anyway, it powered through it with ease. I was very pleased with the battery life. Since I had the two batteries, I was able to get through it all with little downtime. This was about a worse-case scenario. Once my sod is in, this trimmer will definitely be able to get through a half-acre lot on one charge. The string trimmer attachment actually worked really well on these nasty weeds. I was really surprised. I can't stress enough how thick this patch was. I switched to the brush attachment and it did even better. I took the hedge trimmer to some areas as well just to get a feel for it. All I can say is be careful with that tool. It's a beefy monster and will perform as well as any corded one I've ever used. It's a serious tool as well. So, my evaluation so far is that this line of tools is definitely an able replacement for gas-powered tools for normal consumer use. The Lithium-Ion batteries and brushless motors really vault these tools into a new level. If you are used to old Ni-Cad battery powered stuff, you will be shocked at the difference in performance and battery life. I ordered the new 40V Lawnmower (with 5aH battery), and I ordered a spare 5aH battery as well. I cleaned up all the construction debris, and when the lawnmower comes in I'll go over this area with it. I'll be sure to post up a review of it. I attached a poor picture of some of the area in question. It's hard to see, and it has grown A LOT in the month since that picture was taken. But, you can see this isn't normal edge trimming. I'm all in on this line of tools.

I'm on the fence about this product. I ordered this unit online, and when it arrived, there was some cosmetic damage to the power head, which resulted from what I consider poor packaging. Home Depot offered a 10% refund, but I had to agree to taking the unit "As-is", meaning that all warranty would be void. Glad I didn't do that, because after two uses, the battery stopped working. When it was placed in the charging station, the battery flashed red/green indicating a malfunction. I double checked that it was the battery by cross testing with another battery and charger. As for the unit itself, it worked very well the couple of times that I used it. So, functionally, it seems like a great product. I'm just disappointed to receive a damaged unit, and then to have a battery fail. After all, part of the reason to go to the battery operated model is to avoid having a gas motor that is prone to failure. I figured the battery pack would be the most reliable part of the unit. I am sadly mistaken.

Tried the Ryobi 40v RY40220 cordless trimmer. It works well, but it does not deliver enough power compared to my Greenworks 10 Amp 18-Inch Cutting Swath Split Boom Electric String Trimmer. The Ryobi works well for grass trimming along fences and walks, but does not edge as well as I would like. The Greenworks trimmer easily cuts through grass, weeds and brush and edges with a clean straight cut. The Greenworks is much easier to handle and accepts all the same attachments as the Ryobi. So, except for having to use the power cord which is a minor inconvenience (and never run out of juice), I'll stick with the Greenworks. I would recommend the Ryobi to someone who has a small lot and just grass trimming.

Out of the box, this trimmer was a breeze to install and use. The box had the trimmer, separated into 2 pieces that easily join and tighten together. The battery charger was packaged well and is sturdy. Definitely able to stay in the garage and survive the elements. The battery is powerful, built well, yet light to not make the trimmer too heavy. The line came pre-strung on the front of the trimmer. I gave the battery a full charge and then took off to clean up my driveway lines and my other trouble spots. WOW! This trimmer is powerful. More powerful than my old gas trimmer. The speed and consistency of the RPM's made me able to complete the job faster than my gas machine! I am impressed. I have been able to get 7 weekends worth of trimming from one charge. Granted, I'm not going wide open the entire time. I will state that Ryobi made a great unit. I recommend it!

I have the original 40v string trimmer and liked it, but wished it had the expand it capabilities and the higher placed motor. When Ryobi came out with the new model I had to have it, and since I wanted another battery anyway it was a no brainer to buy this. I haven't used it a lot yet, but enough to know I like the balance better and the dual string head. Thanks Ryobi for always thinking of how to make your products better while incorporating the same battery system.

This trimmer chews it up. I have been through at least three gas trimmers and am on my second electric trimmer in the past decade, and this battery operated trimmer is a pleasure to use from an ease of use standpoint. It comes up to speed and just doesn't bog down. The Li-ion battery lasts for a good 40 minutes, which is about all the weedeating I can handle in one session.

When you open the box to this Ryobi Trimmer there will be some assembly required, you will need to attach the grass deflector and then attach the attachment shaft to the powerhead shaft less than 5 minutes with no tools needed, then charge the battery then you're ready to go. The dual cutting head has a cut with .080 line from 13 inches to 15 inches for increased runtime or wider cutting. The cutting head has what's called REELEASY for faster reloads.  The battery is a 40 volt lithium ion hi capacity with a 90 minute charger. The battery itself has an graduated LED light to let you see how far along its charging also the charger has an LED light to go from red to green. This trimmer will cover up to one acre. One nice thing to note is that this Ryobi Trimmer can accept 5 power attachments that they call EXPAND-IT line that are not included but this is a nice feature from a cultivator to an edger and what looks like to be a leaf blower and a couple of different heads for grass trimming, just detached the power head shafts and attach the new attachment. After charging the battery which took approximately one hour, I was pleased about how powerful this trimmer is and very manageable to handle around the yard, it cut nicely along the driveway and around trees tap the bottom of the cutting head and out shoots the new line. There is a extra cutting line that comes with the trimmer so you won't have an interruption in your yard work. The handle that's attached to the shaft is also adjustable from side to side for a more comfortable fit. I've had gas trimmers and it seems to be a close competitor in the power arena. The battery will run many other tools made by Ryobi sold at Home Depot in the EXPAND-IT line. This trimmer comes with a 3 year warranty and a 90 day return. One has to appreciate a company that backs its own products.

I have had this trimer for 2 years and the line feed doesn't work and it keeps flipping to the edger and wont go back without a struggle. I'm going back tp black and decker

Bought the 40v extend it near the end of last season. This spring, It started smoking from the motor during its second use. I contacted HD because we had purchased the extended warranty. Was told by HD that since it failed during the original manufacturers warranty, it was Ryobis responsibility . Per ryobis' instruction, took the unit to a local repair facility in May. I am still without it. My family will never buy a Ryobi product, or Asurion warranty again!

Not a fan of this trimmer at all. I had to exchange the first one I bought because it kept turning on by itself when the battery was attached without touching the trigger button and was a huge safety hazard. Auto-feed has never worked on the replacement. I have to manually extend the line each and every time I have used this trimmer. Also removing the head is extremely difficult, and it is impossible to feed more string without removing the head as the string gets extremely tangled. Expensive, heavy, buttons to shift position are difficult to use, and doesn't work as well as the other brand I have that was less than half the price. I would not recommend.

When it works it is fine. But in the past 3ish months i've gone through 2 of these because small pieces of plastic broke off. Thankfully got the warranty, but this is not worth the hassle. Stay away from this cheaply made brand. I had a lawn mower from them too, it started for a minute and then completely died. Ended up returning it.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] My last Ryobi trimmer died after 10 yrs, so it was hard to find one I liked. I stayed with Ryobi and love how quiet it is!!