Ryobi 18V One Plus Hybrid Fan Review
The Ryobi 18V One Plus Hybrid Fan offers several really great features, and as we found out, the chance to have some fun! The big draw for the latest edition of the Ryobi fan is the ability to use your Ryobi One Plus batteries or electrical power to run it. In addition to all of the fun things we found to do with it (see our innovative uses below), my lovely assistant and I had some outdoor testing to do on several power tool accessories.
In Florida, July is hot. I mean the kind of hot where you step outside, stand for 60 seconds, and sweat begins dripping from your forehead. We knew we’d be outside for at least a couple of hours, so we set up a canopy to protect ourselves from the brutal afternoon sun, and set up our Ryobi 18V One Plus Hybrid Fan. For some additional enjoyment, we also brought along our best-in-sound-quality Ridgid Jobsite Radio.
Ryobi Hybrid Fan Features
The Hybrid Fan has two-speed settings: low and high (although you probably figured what those two were already). With the high humidity and temperatures, we ran the fan on high, which was strong enough to give us a nice steady breeze. We also used it to cool the temperature of the accessories that we were testing. The initial temps on the hole saws were 30 degrees Celsius (about 86 degrees Fahrenheit). By the time friction did its work, the metal was increasing close to 105 degrees Celsius (about 221 degrees Fahrenheit) and the Hybrid Fan helped cool them down much more quickly. Using a 2.0 amp hour battery, we got a little over an hour of run time at high speed out of the fan.
So what happens when the battery runs out? Just grab the nearest extension cord. There’s no special connection that requires the purchase of a cord from Ryobi. Any three-pronged extension cord you have will work to give you unlimited cooling breezes. Unless of course, you’ve racked up your electric bill to $1,000,000, then you might get cut off by the power company. Why $1,000,000? Ask Clint DeBoer about a conversation he had regarding the power deposit on his house sometime…
Another feature of the Ryobi 18V One Plus Hybrid Fan is a hook on the base that will allow you to hang it in an upside-down position. It also has screw holes if you would like to semi-permanently affix it to a table of other structures securely. The Ryobi Hybrid fan tiltS far enough that you could actually use it as an overhead fan directly above you. It really is versatile enough that we were able to direct the fan to any position we needed air moved.
The Ryobi Hybrid Fan sells at the Home Depot for $49.97. It’s just the fan, so you’ll need to provide your own Ryobi One Plus battery packs and/or extension cord.
Possible (Reasonable) Places to Use the Ryobi 18V One Plus Hybrid Fan
- In the shop
- Camping with a tent
- In the garage
- In the shed
- On the porch
- Next to the grill
- Anywhere that you want to stand out for using a power tool battery to run a fan
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