Using Ryobi products without solar

[bullfrog]

I have and still do use Ryobi 18 volt One products while on the road.  They have up to a 9 AH battery and I use a couple of these with several 4 AH batteries as well.  I charge them using an in vehicle charger while driving or parked using solar.  I started out using their tools to build a camper and since I had the batteries decided I didn't want to deal with a lot of interior wiring or fixtures.  It was much easier to hang a couple wire baskets which happened to be just the right size to hold the battery and desk lamp which the handle wedged against the ceiling to keep it there.  When I started using the heater I needed a fan Ryobi had a robust dual power one on sale.  The next summer while working a in a hot building I got an Artic brand misting fan that is totally self contained and uses any 5 gallon bucket for a base and water reservoir at Home Depot and surprise the Ryobi batteries fit.  I also picked up an 1/2" impact and a tire inflator for emergencies.  I don't like using the vehicle battery for anything but starting the vehicle.  I have a wet dry vacuum and am also thinking about the new 150 watt power station they offer.  Avoid the temptation to buy the off brand batteries,  the HP series have lasted 4 years now with no complaints and as they are lithium were the cheap way at the time to try the new tech as lithiums in 12 volt were almost twice as much as they are now.  The new brushless tools look to be better also but I haven't tried them.  I get up to 8 hours use out of the 9 AH with the fan on high.  Crazy how many specialized tools they come out with but the batteries will fit any of the One tools.  Buy with a Home Depot card and you get a bring it back type warranty at any store, but be sure to check that to make sure.  There are a lot better tools out there but none that put the electronics in the battery so it fits any of the tools which makes the batteries the big cost.

 

[ZoNiE]

I just looked that fan up. Nice that it is Ryobi battery compatible. Too bad we cannot get it without the battery and cheesy charger for less.

I have a ryobi 18V sabre saw that is branded a homelite. I bought that when working in Taiwan...

 

[bullfrog]

There is a fan without a mister that is 120 or 18 volt that is the same size.

 

[ZoNiE]

Yeah, I tried that fan in my shop and it kinda sucked. Was expensive for the air flow, and the speed switch was intermittent.

 

[bullfrog]

Mine worked good especially to circulate heated air on low in my small camper. But most of the tools have surprisingly long warranties. I would go to Home Depot service and ask and if no luck the Ryobi web site. I took a drill I burned up by overloading it almost a year after purchase with no receipt but they looked it up on my card, they didn't have the individual drill in the store so they got one from a kit and warentied the kit!

 

[Gypsy Freedom]

nice, so you are just using different ryobi offered tools to do tasks others might use the car/house battery for. but you are not some how converting the 18v down to 12v and then using 12 appliances, right?

pretty cool how you got that work out.

 

[bullfrog]

That is correct but Ryobi has come out with a 150 watt inverter for 120 volt that has 2 USB ports that is powered by the 18 volt One battery. There are several hacks for using the 18 volt One battery to boost weak starting batteries on the net. I have several seen requests for them to develop a booster pack that uses the One batteries and being as they have offered some really strange tools I wouldn't be surprised to see it happen. I think if you look you will find that there is almost anything you can imagine available and seeing as how they have a 12 volt DC to 18 volt DC charger and a 18 volt DC to 120 volt AC inverter/USB(I believe they are 5.5 volts DC?) it will soon happen. There is already someone offering one on Ebay which is a charger as well as a 12 volt DC supply if the 18 volt battery is installed.