RYOBI Workshop Blower
RYOBI Workshop Blower
The RYOBI Workshop Blower (model P755) is an example of one of the really useful tools that the manufacturers have brought out in the last decade or so: the battery-powered (cordless) blower.
A New Type of Blower
Where does the RYOBI Workshop Blower fit into your tool kit? Landscapers have always used powerful blowers, and still do of course, but mostly they use gas-powered backpack blowers. For homeowners, the new class of powerful cordless blowers, such as the RYOBI 40407 which I reviewed earlier, are more practical than backpack blowers for landscaping and yard clean-up. For tradespeople these same powerful cordless blowers are a God-send for jobsite clean-up. (Remember that sawdust isn’t just messy and a nuisance, it’s a downright slip – that is, injury — hazard.) In fact, my RYOBI 40407 has been used more for clean-up than for yard maintenance.
But the 500+ CFM of these powerful cordless blowers isn’t ideal for all jobsite clean-up – it’s actually too powerful! Many’s the time I’ve inadvertently sent my table saw fence, or some other tool or a piece of lumber, skittering across the deck when blowing sawdust off the saw and surrounding area. That’s where the RYOBI Workshop Blower comes in. I was glad to see RYOBI come out with a truly one-hand-size small blower meant expressly for cleaning up sawdust, metal shavings, and other workshop detritus.
Specs
- Maximum air speed of up to 100 CFM/160 MPH
- Three switch-selectable speed ranges
- Variable speed trigger
- Soft rubber nozzle: protects surfaces and bends into spaces
- Works with any RYOBI ONE+ 18V battery
- Part of the RYOBI 18V ONE+ System of over 280 cordless products
- Approximately 16x13x6-inches
- $69 (tool only)
Note that this tool does not have a brushless motor, which was a good design trade-off. The more expensive brushless motors are most useful for high-power applications, while the whole point of the RYOBI Workshop Blower is that it provides gentler, less volatile air currents. Going brushed helps to keep costs down with no performance negatives in this class of tool.
Capability
While the RYOBI Workshop Blower is a small hand-held tool designed for controllable air flows, that does not mean that it can’t deliver some power! At the low end, this tool can easily put out a gentle breeze no more powerful than an exhaled puff of air. At the high end, the 100CFM/160 MPH air current can move wet leaves (but of course, the tool isn’t designed for that purpose).
Applications
When I first saw the RYOBI Workshop Blower online I thought it was probably misnamed. I thought there was no way I was going to blow dust all around my workshop – I’d use a vacuum to clean it up. But look at the photo below. It shows the blower as it can actually be used: to move dust and shavings either to a waste bin or into a pile in a controlled, clean way. You just have to be light on the variable-speed trigger.
That said, I will probably use the workshop blower in external (or non-finished) locations, in order to clean up a worksite or to blow out a tool. Think blowing the sawdust out of a table saw after use, or blowing wood shavings away from where they dropped on a plumbing or electrical rough-in.
Performance
There’s not too much to say about the tool in use in that it does exactly what you’d expect and want it to do. It provides a light air stream for interior applications and powerful gusts for heavier and outdoor sites. I didn’t find anything it did that aggravated me or surprised me. In use what you expect is what you get. Between the variable-speed trigger and the three speed ranges, a virtually zero to100 CFM range is easily selectable.
The ergonomics were good: the tool is well balanced, and easy to aim and manipulate. (I used a 1.5 Ah battery to minimize weight and size.) The trigger and speed range selector were all easy to reach and use with your hand on the handle. The handle was nicely over-molded: not too sticky and still grippy. A nice touch: there were non-over-molded sections just where your thumb wants to slide around to activate the controls.
With the small 1.5 Ah battery installed there was no way to set the tool down in which it did not somewhat tip over. But, on the other hand, it naturally tipped into a mostly upright position that still allowed a natural and quick grip acquisition.
In its entirety, I was very pleased with the RYOBI Workshop Blower. Highly recommended.
