5 Unnecessary Ryobi Products You Might Want To Buy Anyway

It’s easy to kid yourself into believing that some tools are a more necessary addition to your toolbox than they really are. Most DIY enthusiasts have at least one tool they bought thinking that it was going to come in handy all the time, only for it to end up being used once and then sit in storage forever. Ryobi offers a broad range of products covering every application you can think of, from woodworking to home landscaping essentials. This means that it’s especially easy for this brand to convince you to buy something you don’t need, no matter what your interests might be.

Buyers with a habit of purchasing DIY products they don’t need could try to save some cash by buying their tools used, but even then, there are plenty of Ryobi tools that you shouldn’t buy secondhand. Ultimately, the best way to keep your purchases in check is to be as realistic as possible about how much you’ll use any new product — and then accept that you’ll probably end up with some stuff in your cart anyway. And hey, maybe some of that stuff will be useful, even if it isn’t essential. These five Ryobi products might not affect your ability to get projects done, but they still promise plenty of functionality for buyers with cash that’s burning a hole in their pocket.

There is a wide range of useful Ryobi tools for summer vacations, including a misting fan that can be fitted to the top of a bucket to provide a cooling mist on hot days. The Bucket Top Misting Fan is part of the brand’s Whisper Series range, meaning it’s designed to run as quietly as possible so it doesn’t disturb you when you’re trying to relax. According to Ryobi, this fan will run for five hours or more on a fully charged 1.5Ah battery.

This gadget is available both as a standalone product and as part of a kit, along with a 1.5Ah battery and a charger. The 18V One+ Whisper Series 7.5-Inch Bucket Top Misting Fan Kit retails for $99.00, while the standalone tool costs $69.00. With such a small price difference, the kit almost certainly offers the better value for the money, since you get an additional One+ battery that can be used with any other product in the brand’s 18V range. That said, if you already have plenty of Ryobi batteries, getting the standalone version will save you $30.

For folks with serious extra cash to spend, Ryobi offers a $499.99 smart power cooler. However, for most users that’s far too pricey to even take in consideration, unless you’re specifically looking for a high-end, portable cooler. The Ryobi Link 17-Inch Soft Sided Cooler, on the other hand, is a much cheaper option. Thanks to its Link compatibility, it could even be a more appealing option, at least to the users who are looking forward to every new Ryobi Link product. Ryobi’s cheaper portable cooler retails for $59.97 and can fit up to 24 standard 12-ounce cans, and the brand claims that it’s efficient enough to keep ice solid for up to 24 hours.

Sun-drenched job sites are inevitably made more bearable by the presence of cool drinks, but the cooler will come in handy on camping trips, on barbecue parties, and on hot days on the beach, too. Ryobi’s soft-sided cooler bag also includes a bottle opener, so you’ll always be able to open your beverages. As well as carrying cans and bottles, the cooler has the space necessary to store a few small items, thanks to its trio of pockets. Though it’s unclear if all those are refrigerated, one pocket is housed inside the lid of the cooler and can be counted on for keeping snacks, sunscreen, or other small items protected from the heat.

While a Ryobi speaker isn’t going to offer the same level of audio quality or portability as the highest-rated outdoor speakers, it still makes for a great and affordable addition to your arsenal. For $59.97, buyers can get their hands on the Ryobi 18V One+ Compact Bluetooth Radio/Speaker, which offers both FM radio and a Bluetooth connection with a range of 175 feet. According to Ryobi, the speaker can run for up to 32 hours on a single charge, though the brand doesn’t specify which kind of battery you’ll need to enjoy such a long autonomy.

Unlike the average Bluetooth speaker, the battery of Ryobi’s 18V One+ Radio/Speaker is interchangeable, which means that its runtime is only limited by the number of batteries you have. As well as playing music, podcasts, and whatever else you might want to broadcast from your phone, the speaker functions as a power bank, thanks to its USB-A port that can charge other devices. The speaker delivers an intensity of sound up to 15W, which falls short of the most capable outdoor speakers on the market, but can be considered competitive, given its retail price.

Another weekend-ready Ryobi gadget, the Ryobi 18V One+ 4-Inch Clamp Fan attaches to a variety of surfaces and can provide a stream of air for up to 40 hours on a single charge. It retails for just $24.98, too, making it the cheapest Ryobi product on this list, but also one of the most useful in hot weather. While it’s not really comparable to bigger fans, the Clamp Fan is decently powerful, too, reaching an airflow of 180 cubic feet per minute (CFM) on its highest setting.

This fan is only available as a standalone tool, so you’ll need to have a One+ battery handy to power it. Either that, or you could buy the fan alongside one of the many great Ryobi products for outdoor adventures, many of which are available as kits that include a battery and charger. However, you should know that achieving the 40-hours runtime claimed by Ryobi will require a much larger battery than the ones usually sold with kits — the brand promises 40 hours on a 6Ah battery, which is far pricier than many bundles of tools and batteries.

The Ryobi 18V One+ Bug Zapper retails for $89.97 and promises to make camping trips during mosquito season a far less itchy experience. Like all 18V One+ products, it can be used with any compatible Ryobi 18V One+ battery, but don’t worry if you don’t have one: This gadget is available in a kit with a 2Ah battery and a charger for $149.00. The idea behind this tool is simple: The zapper kills bugs with 2,550 volts of electricity, then collects them in the removable tray at the bottom of the device, all without having to spray smelly chemicals in the air.

User reviews confirm that Ryobi’s bug zapper works well, though they do highlight some drawbacks. Some users claim that bugs can get trapped in the collection tray while still alive, while others note that the tray fills up quickly, especially in particularly bug-prone environments. Some suggest that using an additional mosquito lure to draw bugs towards the zapper is more effective than using the device on its own. These lures can be purchased for about $30, and could make the zapper an even more useful purchase — even if it’s still not a necessary one.