My first and last Ryobi tool.
Well, I got this thing yesterday and tried it out today after the rain that we've been having for the last two days came to an end. At first everything seemed great. I gave the battery an initial charge and it started right up. Took it outside today and did some edging at the curb and along the driveway. It seemed to do a good job and was not stalling out, but then suddenly after about only 10 minutes of use it stopped running. The battery had run down ! So I took it out of the tool and recharged it, which took about 30 minutes. I put it back in the tool and depressed the trigger and......nothing....nada....rien.....nicht ! Took the battery out, put it back in the charger and it indicated full charge, pushed the battery test button and all 4 LEDs lit up, even checked the battery with a voltmeter and it was good. Put it back in the tool and still not a peep. So I turned the blade on the motor shaft and it made a rattling sound and felt rough, which was not the case when I first got it. So, it seems like something went bad in the motor, and it was broken. Although I bought it online from Home Depot, I simply threw it in my car and drove to my local Home Depot store, which is only a few miles from my house and returned it for a refund. While I was there, I bought an Echo PE-225 gas edger and am happy I did. The Echo was only $80 more than the Ryobi and is a lot more powerful. I've heard bad reports on Ryobi quality, and this simply confirms it. :frown:
This is what it looked like before I put it back in its box and returned it to Home Depot: