Ryobi USB Lithium High Volume Inflator
Ryobi USB Lithium High Volume Inflator Kit (FVIF61K)
Summer is a great time to spend time relaxing in the pool, the lake, or the ocean. Sitting in a large pool float is a great way to spend the lazy, crazy days of summer. Of course, inflating those pool toys and floats can literally suck the fun out of your lungs. That’s where the new Ryobi USB Lithium High Volume Inflator comes in! It has the power to inflate air mattresses, pool toys, and beach balls, while also coming in handy as a hard surface blower.
Specifications
- Ideal solution for air mattresses, pool toys, and beach balls
- Compact hard surface blower
- On-board accessory storage
- Includes a high volume nozzle, a sweeper nozzle, and a narrow pinch valve nozzle
- IPX4 water resistant rating
- Includes a 19” USB-C cable
- Ryobi USB 2Ah lithium battery
- 2-year limited warranty
- Available at The Home Depot for $39.97
Physical Footprint
The Ryobi High Volume Inflator is sold in a small box since it contains several components. The inflator arrives fully assembled. It is approximately 8 inches long, 5 inches tall, and 3.5 inches wide at its widest part. The handle is just over 3.25 inches long—it could have been another inch longer for those with large hands. The battery compartment is at the bottom of the handle. The power button is located atop the handle area and positioned perfectly where your thumb would want to rest.
On the left side of the inflator is the deflation port. On the right side is the nozzle storage, which conveniently holds the narrow pinch valve nozzle and the spreader nozzle. The high volume nozzle usually remains attached to the front of the inflator. Ryobi includes 2 “feet” at the bottom of the inflator that allows you to rest it on a surface leaning back against the nozzle storage area.
Knowing that the high lolume Inflator will frequently be used near water, Ryobi manufactured it with an IPX4 water resistance rating. This level of protection is perfect for splashes of water near the pool or the river, though it is not full submersible.
I would have liked to see a clip or a lanyard hole somewhere on the inflator’s body to facilitate storing and carrying the inflator with you.
Triple The Nozzles
Ryobi sells the USB Lithium High Volume Inflator with 3 separate nozzles. These nozzles will probably be all you need for the majority of your work. The wide end of the high volume nozzle slips over the head of the inflator and then secures in place by twisting the notched slots over the 2 tabs. Once it was attached to the inflator, the high volume inflator never became loose. When you are ready to use either the narrow pinch nozzle or the spreader nozzle, all you need to do is slide the round end of the nozzle firmly over the already installed high volume inflator. These nozzles also remained firmly in place after being installed.
The wide volume nozzle is designed for those devices with a valve approximately 0.75 inches in size, such as an air mattress. The narrow pinch nozzle has a very small opening (1/8-inch) that is perfect for beach balls and pool floats.
The spreader nozzle is the largest nozzle at 1 7/8 inches long and just over 1/8-inch wide; with these dimensions, it was designed to be a hard surface blower.
Battery Powered Convenience
The Ryobi USB Lithium High Volume Inflator is powered by the included 2Ah lithium battery. The inflator is also compatible with the new Ryobi 3Ah battery if you were looking for extended battery life. If you own several of Ryobi’s USB Lithium tools, then this is a great addition to your line-up since the batteries are so easy to carry with you in your beach or pool bag and swap out when one dies.
The Ryobi High Volume Inflator has a built-in battery fuel gauge on the device itself. There is a small LED indicator in front of the power button that functions as a battery meter. When the inflator is powered on, the battery LED lights up a solid green. The LED becomes a solid red color when the battery is low (20%). When the battery has less than 5% of battery life remaining, the LED flashes red 3 times. I really valued the inclusion of the LED battery strength indicator immediately atop the inflator because it was always within view while I used it—this was a nice touch!
Through the numerous inflations I performed, I averaged 25-30 minutes of battery time operating the unit entirely on high power. I didn’t choose to run it on low inflating the river floats since I wanted to complete the job quickly. The Ryobi Inflator operated at 78 decibels on high power. I definitely noticed a reduced speed in the motor’s noise as it dipped below 20% life remaining.
Similar to the other Ryobi USB devices I have tested, when the plastic cover is removed, the battery will not fall out accidentally. The battery remains securely inside the handle, which I think is a nice design. You must physically pull the battery out of the compartment when you want to recharge it or swap it out.
The battery has one flat side, so it will not roll away when placed on a table–this is another nice engineering touch. The USB-C port on the battery can also be used as a charging device for your mobile devices, making it the perfect size to take on the go when your phone is low on power.
Like the other Ryobi Lithium batteries that I have tested, the battery charges in approximately 100-105 minutes using the provided USB-C cord.
Performance As An Inflator
The Ryobi USB Lithium High Volume Inflator arrived a couple of weeks before my family and I went on vacation in North Conway, NH. I brought the inflator with me because we planned to float down the Saco River on several occasions. Having the inflator with me was highly beneficial when we needed to inflate seven different 45-inch round river floats.
Prior to our river launch, I timed how long it took for the Ryobi Inflator’s narrow pinch valve nozzle to fully inflate a river float. I had 3 different models of river floats to test it on and all of them were 45-inches in size. In each case, the Ryobi USB Lithium High Volume Inflator was capable of fully inflating a very large river float in just under 7 minutes. I always used the high speed for my testing. The average speed for the seven floats was 6 minutes and 56 seconds. I fully exhausted one 2Ah lithium battery and most of a second one inflating the seven floats.
I think being able to use a battery-powered inflator is a life-saver when you unpackage a new river float and want to get on the water as soon as possible. The Ryobi USB Lithium High Volume Inflator will save your lungs lots of stress!
Ryobi does sell inflators with stronger motors and larger battery sizes, but the beauty of the Ryobi USB Lithium High Volume Inflator is its compact size. I was able to use this device on the patio and then could carry it with me in the car for any emergencies on the water. If you were headed to a neighbor’s pool party, the inflator would take up very little space in your pool bag. It is small enough to carry anywhere with you, and you could include several extra batteries, too. An added bonus is you won’t have to worry about having a wet float when you are using it because of its IPX4 water resistance rating.
I also tested the inflator and narrow pinch valve nozzle on some 12-inch beach balls. I was able to inflate them in a very speedy 38 seconds. Being able to inflate beach balls and pool floats with one tool will make you the hit of the party!
I didn’t have an inflatable twin air mattress or any other larger devices to test the high volume nozzle with. Ryobi states with the high volume nozzle in place, it can fully inflate a twin mattress in under 90 seconds. I can imagine that to be true based on the size of the output nozzle. A quick 90-second inflation would make this a very desirable device for sleepovers and camping trips when an air mattress might be necessary.
Performance As A Blower
For the past 22 years, I have been employed as an Instructional Technology Specialist in an elementary school. One of my many jobs is keeping more than 30 ceiling mounted projectors clean and free of dust. I usually clean a projector’s vents and filter with a bottle of canned air or a vacuum. I brought the Ryobi High Volume Inflator with me to school and I tried each of the nozzles on the units I maintain. The pinch nozzle and inflator did a fabulous job blowing away all of the dust from the delicate filters installed on the projectors. The sweeper nozzle was perfect for removing the dust that sat atop the projector itself. I really appreciated how both nozzles were readily available to me on the side of the inflator’s body and the unit itself was so light and easy to carry up and down the 8-foot ladder.
I did try out the wide sweeper nozzle in a variety of other clean-up scenarios. Based on its size and power, you will probably only use the blower function to clean up messes above your waist. It is definitely not strong enough to tackle bigger messes at ground level. The inflator easily moved dry debris, like dust, leaves, grass, and wood shavings, but it had some trouble with wetter messes. It’s convenient to have a blower option available to you in such a compact size.
Final Thoughts
Many homes would benefit from owning the Ryobi USB Lithium High Volume Inflator. It will be your compact and portable solution when you need to inflate an air mattress, pool float, or beach ball. Save your time and your breath and invest in the Ryobi High Volume Inflator to inflate all of those things you need to enjoy a day on the river, the lake, or the pool.
Ryobi has recently released many different USB devices that use their 2Ah lithium batteries. These tools each can satisfy a unique need in your home, office, or workshop. I encourage you to have a look at some of these other handy devices here:
- Ryobi USB Lithium LED Compact Area Light
- Ryobi USB Lithium LED Compact Flashlight
- Ryobi USB Lithium LED Flip Light
- Ryobi USB Lithium LED Clamp Light
- Ryobi USB Lithium LED Magnifying Light
- Ryobi USB Lithium Power Scrubber
- Ryobi USB Lithium Clamp Fan
