Ryobi RY40220

40V Cordless Trimmer 8.8/10

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Ryobi RY40220 Weed Eater
The Ryobi RY40220 is a cordless weed eater that, like the Black & Decker LST136W, avoids the hassle of maintaining a gas trimmer and still provides great cutting power in a lightweight body. We were impressed with the strength of the 0.080″ dual line, which handles even the toughest weeds, brush, and grass fairly easily. Another plus that we noticed quickly was the noise—or lack thereof. If you’re the kind who likes to do yardwork early in the morning before the heat of the day, then you can do so guilt-free knowing that you won’t disturb the neighbors. We would have liked to see more thought put into the ergonomics of this model; having length adjustment would prevent users from having to lift the trimmer and putting stress on their arms. However, the long runtime and the ability to switch between different attachments will make tending the lawn much more convenient.

Quick Specs

  • $149
  • 40V battery
  • 13 inches
  • Cordless
  • 13–15 inch cutting width
  • 3-year warranty
Strengths

0.080″ dual line handles tough weeds, thick grass, and brush easily

Cuts out the hassle of maintaining gas-powered trimmer

Allows users to connect attachments like blower, edger, and trimmer

Low noise production is easy on the ears

Cutting power comparable to most gas weed eaters

Runtime around 45 minutes, which is enough for most average-size lawns


Weaknesses

Not the most ergonomic: length adjustment would have been convenient to prevent soreness after using it

Switching to edger mode takes more steps than a comparable Black & Decker model

Trimmer guard doesn’t catch all the grass that shoots out

Prices

Jon Bannister Jon Bannister has always had an interest in the latest technology and gadgetry. A graduate of the Georgia Tech computer science program, Jon has a very technical and working knowledge on how computers interact with and improve… See more about Jon