Professional Tool Reviews for Pros

Ryobi has two excellent high-performance carbon fiber string trimmer models now and selecting the right one is all about the property you're maintaining. If your needs are primarily trimming a maintained lawn, the 15-inch RY40290 is the better bet. When you have larger acreage to maintain and tough, tall sections to reclaim, the 17-inch RY402110 has the muscle to give you the benefits of a battery-powered string trimmer with the performance of a legit gas model.

Battery-powered string trimmers have been an easy transition for more homeowners with options that have excellent performance and runtime. However, properties that need more than a 25cc engine can offer have been short on options. We tested the Ryobi 40V HP Brushless 17-inch carbon fiber string trimmer to see if it’s ready for those tougher properties.

Ryobi turns to its 40V platform and HP Brushless motor technology for this string trimmer. Compared to the RY40290 (Ryobi’s 15-inch HP Brushless model), this model is noticeably stronger.

It’s capable of running, 0.080 to 0.105-inch line, up from the 0.95-inch max on the 15-inch. It’s also able to run 15 or 17-inch cutting swaths. Just flip the cutter around to switch between the two.

As we trimmed around our office, the boost in performance was eye-opening. It’s a confident cutter in low speed, making quick work of thinner grasses and weeds, and matching the cutting performance of what we’ve seen in high speed from other models.

Switching over to high speed, it’s a different animal. We were able to reclaim thick sections of grass, including St. Augustine with ease. Ryobi doesn’t claim a particular gas equivalence, but there’s no question it has the power of a 25cc gas engine and it’s probably closer to 30cc.

I remember testing some of the first Ryobi battery-powered string trimmers and they had a ton of vibration. Between the carbon fiber shaft and improved overall design, the Ryobi 40V HP Brushless 17-inch carbon fiber string trimmer is SOOOOO much better! There are a couple of brands that have it dialed in more, but if you’re coming from the world of gas string trimmers, Ryobi offers a big upgrade in vibration control.

With more power and larger line diameter, there’s a runtime cost. Ryobi pairs the RY402110 with a 6.0Ah battery in the kit and pre-loads 0.095-inch line on it. With that combination, we were able to run continuously for more than an hour (1:05:34). Switching to 0.105-inch line will bring that number down some, but it’s awfully impressive, even compared to the Pro-focused models we’ve used.

If you buy the kit Ryobi includes a rapid charger that gets the battery back in the game in less than 60 minutes.

This string trimmer is part of Ryobi’s Whisper Series and claims to run 60% quieter than gas. We tested at our operator’s ear and measured 84 dB(a) in low speed and 87 dB(a) in high. While that number might change a little depending on the line you use, it’s a lot quieter than gas models at any power level.

Ryobi’s addition of a carbon fiber shaft helps reduce the weight to 8.8 pounds as a bare tool and 12.9 pounds with a 6.0Ah battery. It’s fairly tall, as well, measuring just over 72 inches from tip to tail without the battery.

The head is a bit heavier than many of the battery-powered string trimmers we’ve used, likely because of the beefier brushless motor doing the work. That helps balance the weight of using such a large battery and combined with a tool-free adjustable front handle, you can customize a setup that’s relatively easy to manage.

Still, it’s on the heavy side of the weight spectrum for cordless models and you can shave some weight by using a 4.0Ah battery or even a 2.0Ah pack when you don’t have an hour’s worth of trigger time in front of you.

As we expect on string trimmers, Ryobi uses a dual-line bump-feed head. Fortunately, it’s an easy-loading Reel Easy design. When it’s time for a refill, line up the arrows, thread your line to the halfway point, and then turn the top section counterclockwise to load it up. You can be back up and running in less than a minute and there’s no more manual winding!

Ryobi also includes a second head. This one uses either fixed line (no bump feeding) or plastic blades. The blades have a higher mass than line and are great at hitting some of those thicker weeds patches that line isn’t very effective at cutting.

The Ryobi RY402110 is the new flagship and has a higher price that reflects its performance and design. As a bare tool, it runs $251. You can also get the kit with a 6.0Ah battery and rapid charger fort $315.27. Either way, look for it at your local Home Depot or on homedepot.com.

Ryobi back the string trimmer with a 5-year tool warranty and 3-year battery warranty.

Ryobi has two excellent high-performance carbon fiber string trimmer models now and selecting the right one is all about the property you’re maintaining. If your needs are primarily trimming a maintained lawn, the 15-inch RY40290 is the better bet. When you have larger acreage to maintain and tough, tall sections to reclaim, the 17-inch RY402110 has the muscle to give you the benefits of a battery-powered string trimmer with the performance of a legit gas model.

Check out Ryobi’s entire 40V lineup here.

On the clock, Kenny dives deep to discover the practical limits and comparative differences for all kinds of tools. Off the clock, his faith and love for his family are his top priorities, and you'll typically find him in the kitchen, on his bike (he's an Ironman), or taking folks out for a day of fishing on Tampa Bay.

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Professional Tool Reviews for Pros