Ryobi 36V Cordless Leaf Vacuum and Mulcher - Tool Only

I thought this would be a great help as we have a large Chinese camphor tree that sheds year round and in the spring we are ankle deep (okay, not quite) in little seeds. Chose Ryobi as we are very happy with our other Ryobi products.I find it cumbersome and I have to switch hands quite often. I can deal with that and I love the way it picks up everything with the exception of small trips which I can blow into a pile and shovel up. It is great for my rock garden.BUT…..the bag is a disaster. Hard to attach and the zipper broke in the first week. It also developed a hole at the seam right near the nozzle. I tried several kinds of heavy duty duct tape as a stopgap but no luck. I ordered replacement bags from Amazon that didn’t fit. Not good planning, Roybi.

I bought this when I bought my trimmer and lawnmower and quickly tested it out. Mainly bought it for fall so we don’t have to rake the leaves. It worked amazingly! Sucks up all the leaves and pine needles and grinds them up. The downside is it does get quite heavy so you have to empty it before it gets full. And it is quite loud! I will be purchasing ear muffs. I will update the review once we use it more but it has exceeded my expectations so far! Will make my life that much easier in the fall so I’m not spending all my time outside raking leaves! The worker did recommend I buy the biggest take possible to rake the leaves in a pile so I am going to do so.

Broken after 40 minutes

I received the device 2 days ago. I used it for a total of 40 minutes in 2 days. The 40V 5 HP battery lasts only 20 minutes and charging is very slow. On the second use, a wheel supporting the device broke. I couldn't exchange the device in store since I bought it online. Fortunately, I was able to get a refund. If I had intended to order a second one, I would not have been able to do it since there were no more in stock of the same model.I bought it because there was a promotion, the 40V 5HP battery was included in the price and a second 2 HP 40V battery was also included at no cost which represented a saving of $ 188. I quickly understood why they gave a bonus battery since the 40 V 5 HP battery was completely discharged after 20 minutes.Judge for yourself the ... MoreI received the device 2 days ago. I used it for a total of 40 minutes in 2 days. The 40V 5 HP battery lasts only 20 minutes and charging is very slow. On the second use, a wheel supporting the device broke. I couldn't exchange the device in store since I bought it online. Fortunately, I was able to get a refund. If I had intended to order a second one, I would not have been able to do it since there were no more in stock of the same model.I bought it because there was a promotion, the 40V 5HP battery was included in the price and a second 2 HP 40V battery was also included at no cost which represented a saving of $ 188. I quickly understood why they gave a bonus battery since the 40 V 5 HP battery was completely discharged after 20 minutes.Judge for yourself the satisfaction you will get from this device, given its fragility and the duration of a battery charge.During the short time I was able to try it, I appreciated the power of the suction. The device with the 40V 5 HP battery is too heavy to be pleasant to use. The secondary attachment of the bag is completely non-functional.Good luck!

Decent

This is an okay tool to use for leaves, it’s by no means faster than raking and bagging but it works.The good:- I find this helpful in garden beds when you are trying to get leaves out of rocks and mulch, picking up pine needles, or anything small that is difficult to rake like cedar tree leaves.- the battery lasts surprisingly long time- able to get more leaves in to bags- not a bad price for tool onlyThe bad:- The turbine housing gets build up pretty quickly if your material is wet.- Expect to try and vacuum up to many leaves at once and plug the intake.- The bottom chute to the bag also plugs up rather frequently.- There’s a clip for the bag to attach it to the intake tube, this clip will not stay on once you start using it which isn’t really ... MoreThis is an okay tool to use for leaves, it’s by no means faster than raking and bagging but it works.The good:- I find this helpful in garden beds when you are trying to get leaves out of rocks and mulch, picking up pine needles, or anything small that is difficult to rake like cedar tree leaves.- the battery lasts surprisingly long time- able to get more leaves in to bags- not a bad price for tool onlyThe bad:- The turbine housing gets build up pretty quickly if your material is wet.- Expect to try and vacuum up to many leaves at once and plug the intake.- The bottom chute to the bag also plugs up rather frequently.- There’s a clip for the bag to attach it to the intake tube, this clip will not stay on once you start using it which isn’t really a big deal just annoying.

Excellent machine, works very well

This machine is an excellent concept - powerful suction and mulches straight away. I can just empty the bag contents on the garden wherever I want it to have mulch. So glad it has wheels because I'm only 155cms tall and with the weight of the battery (middle size) makes it very heavy and I find myself having to lift the machine up to be more parallel with the leaves otherwise some get missed. Its ok for a little while but my arms and shoulders get very tired. This would be ideal for a taller person probably minimum of 165 cms. So much nicer to vacuum away dead leaves, rose petals, small twigs, dried grass instead of blowing it off the path only for the next gust of wind to blow it all back. When I purchased this I didn't realize it needed a different battery, my ... MoreThis machine is an excellent concept - powerful suction and mulches straight away. I can just empty the bag contents on the garden wherever I want it to have mulch. So glad it has wheels because I'm only 155cms tall and with the weight of the battery (middle size) makes it very heavy and I find myself having to lift the machine up to be more parallel with the leaves otherwise some get missed. Its ok for a little while but my arms and shoulders get very tired. This would be ideal for a taller person probably minimum of 165 cms. So much nicer to vacuum away dead leaves, rose petals, small twigs, dried grass instead of blowing it off the path only for the next gust of wind to blow it all back. When I purchased this I didn't realize it needed a different battery, my fault for not understanding the different batteries which added another $300 to my purchase for a 4.0AH 36V battery and charger. These batteries are very heavy so I will be taking more notice with future purchases.

Might work for small jobs... but so does a rake.

I love the concept behind Ryobi's "one" battery / many tools. However now there's two batteries - and maybe more in the future. When I got this I didn't realize it was only a vacuum mulcher. Most of the corded leaf blower / vacuum / mulchers do all 3. That said, it did vacuum and mulch. on a full charge on one of my existing batteries (no battery or charged in this kit either) I could do a small yard and got part way through mulching the leaves that were there. Then I connected my old one with the long extension cords and finished the job. I don't do the job often enough to justify a gas blower, and was looking for the convenience and safety of no cord. But the job (which took 4 hours) would have easily taken 6 or 8 if I'd had to stop and change and charge batteries ... MoreI love the concept behind Ryobi's "one" battery / many tools. However now there's two batteries - and maybe more in the future. When I got this I didn't realize it was only a vacuum mulcher. Most of the corded leaf blower / vacuum / mulchers do all 3. That said, it did vacuum and mulch. on a full charge on one of my existing batteries (no battery or charged in this kit either) I could do a small yard and got part way through mulching the leaves that were there. Then I connected my old one with the long extension cords and finished the job. I don't do the job often enough to justify a gas blower, and was looking for the convenience and safety of no cord. But the job (which took 4 hours) would have easily taken 6 or 8 if I'd had to stop and change and charge batteries along the way. Plus, I would have to have a separate blower or rake the leaves before mulching them. For the new discounted price, I still would have hoped for more. That said, if you have a smaller yard? Not good for older people. A bag of leaves can be 20 pounds. Plus the tool and battery. Even with the wheels you would be carrying the heavy end of the tool, plus the leaves.

Save yourself, Just don’t buy it

I bought this today, wish I didn’t.It’s heavy, the wheels are a joke, the bag is not easy to empty. There is a hanger to support the bag and even that is a fail. There needs to be a shoulder strap to support it. One can’t be seriously be expected to fun this machine for hours. Just easier to rake and bag. So what if you use a few extra bags. You’ll be thankful you did.You will come inside covered in dust and you neighbors with be thinking of The Peanuts as to the dust cloud you’ll be working in.The zipper to empty this bag is as painful as the unit itself.I have to wonder if someone seriously tested this unit before manufacturing thousands of them.I had way higher expectations from RyobiSorry for the bad review, just can’t think of anything positive to ... MoreI bought this today, wish I didn’t.It’s heavy, the wheels are a joke, the bag is not easy to empty. There is a hanger to support the bag and even that is a fail. There needs to be a shoulder strap to support it. One can’t be seriously be expected to fun this machine for hours. Just easier to rake and bag. So what if you use a few extra bags. You’ll be thankful you did.You will come inside covered in dust and you neighbors with be thinking of The Peanuts as to the dust cloud you’ll be working in.The zipper to empty this bag is as painful as the unit itself.I have to wonder if someone seriously tested this unit before manufacturing thousands of them.I had way higher expectations from RyobiSorry for the bad review, just can’t think of anything positive to say about it.

Very Poorly Designed

I bought this on 5 Aug 2021 and I will return it next week. The vacuum must be held at a steep angle so that the mouth is on the ground before it will pick up leaves. It becomes very heavy with the battery and the accumulated leaves. I certainly cannot hold it like a leaf blower with my arm hanging down. Perhaps it is meant to be used after blowing the leaves into a pile. For my very small yard it went through a battery charge and half the next one. By comparison, one 40V battery in my Ryobi mower, mowed my lawn, same battery edged the lawn and I could blow about half of the cleanup. The leaf vacuum/mulcher cries out for a major redesign.

Very pleased

Ok, yes it’s a tad awkward, and clumsy, however so long as the Leaves are dry it makes mincemeat out of garden plant waste. Ideally run the mower over everything first. I basically mulched down10 full bags of garden waste. Perfect for soil amendments in the fall. However if there is any moisture, you have to unclog it. Easily done… it eats battery life, then again I had it going like a Saskatchewan combine harvester. I use it for soil spills no sweat. As the bag gets heavy and full, it starts to get difficult to manoeuvre. My only real issue is the Velcro seal on the bag. It needs to be constantly checked, otherwise it blows back out. All in all quite pleased, I use it daily to keep the leaves down the garden looks immaculate as I vacuum the lawn daily.

sack of potatoes

Moving this thing around is like moving a sack of potatoes. To get descent suction I had to place the nose of the tube flat on the ground. That's not the worse part. Emptying the bag wasn't all that easy. Ryobi could have made the inside of the bag with a smoother material so the mulched leafs can come out easier. Its a mess with the mulch stuck all over the Velcro and inside the bag. Will be returning product back to store ASAP. Unfortunately, had to return other Ryobi products as well. Beginning to lose faith in Ryobi.