Ryobi One+ Hybrid String Trimmer

Ryobi One+ 18V Lithium Ion Hybrid Cordless and Corded String Trimmer Review

As you may have read, while I'm not a huge fan of yard work, I am a fan of tools that make it easier.  Therefore, I’m a supporter  of the Ryobi One+ 18V Lithium Ion Cordless String Trimmer.  It’s my go-to string trimmer of choice.  But now, Ryobi has offered a new option.  Relatively new to the market (this year) is the Ryobi One+ P2210 Hybrid String Trimmer.  Now what exactly is a Hybrid string trimmer?  It’s what you might think it would be.  The P2210 is a string trimmer that lets you choose your power source: either the Ryobi One+ 18V Lithium Ion battery or you can plug it in for unlimited power.   As far as I know, at the time of this post, this is the ONLY string trimmer on the market that gives you this option.

Selecting the Power Source:

It’s easy to go back and forth between the power sources.  Just push the stem battery pack into the handle (the P102 18V One+ Compact Lithium Ion Battery comes with the sting trimmer), and you’re ready to go.  Or if you run out of battery, or just prefer not to use the battery, slide the bright reddish orange plate and reveal where to plug in the trimmer to your extension cord.

There is also a opening where you plug your power cord in and a place to loop the cord on the handle so it doesn’t pull out while you are trimming.  Handy feature.

Other Hybrid String Trimmer Features:

It has many of the same features as its “non-hybrid” predecessor.   Features like auto-feed, meaning you don’t have to bump to advance the line.  And adjustable cut width for 10” or 12” cutting for either increased run time or wider cutting.  Personally, I leave mine as is, but the option is there if you want it.

The length of the shaft is adjustable for people who are vertically endowed or, like me, are vertically challenged.   And the shaft can be turned (rotating the head of the trimmer) to “trim” mode, or “edge” mode.  Just like I said in my review of this trimmer’s predecessor, I use this for “light” edging only.   It won’t dig a trench, but it will clean up around stairs for decks, etc.

 

The handle is adjustable also.  So you can put it in a position that’s comfortable for you, and when your friend or neighbor borrows it and changes that position, it’s just the twist of a knob to put it back.

It’s also very lightweight.  Weighing in at about 5.75 pounds.

Pros and Cons and / or Differences:

Pros:

Once Difference that I really like with the Hybrid Trimmer is the placement of the safety switch.  It makes it easy to grip the handle and hold down the safety switch and pull the trigger at the same time.  I’ve been debated on this before with some folks saying it might be “too easy” for kids, and on a saw, I can say: “okay, maybe”, but this is a string trimmer.  It’s not going to cut your leg off, so I say make it easier to use for the average person.  That’s what they’ve done.

Cons:

When I first got the Hybrid Trimmer, I had a hard time inserting and removing the battery, so I let some of my male colleagues and my Dad try it and they had the same problem.  I don’t know if it’s the re-design to allow for the plug connector, but it was difficult, especially removing the battery.  Since I’ve used this one now for a couple of months, it has gotten easier.

One thing that I think may be a con, although it doesn’t really bother me, is that you don’t get the same run time from the same battery that you do on the cordless only version of this trimmer.  I ran a totally non-scientific test where I taped the safety and the switch on using two of the exact same brand new Ryobi 18V P101 batteries.  The Hybrid version ran about 28 minutes where the cordless version ran an hour and 1 minute.  Run times will certainly be different with stops and starts and also depending on what you are trimming, but it’s something to be aware of.  For me its not really a big deal because I keep about 6 Ryobi One+ 18V Lithium Ion batteries charged at any given time, so when the battery runs out, I take a water break and get a fully charged one. With the charger that comes with the Hybrid Trimmer, it take about an hour to fully charge a battery.  I have the 6-port charger.  You may want one too… CLICK HERE to read more.

Other Differences:

On the cordless only version, the head rotated and there was a flower guard.  The Hybrid version doesn’t have these features, but I rarely found myself using them anyway.At the time of this post, the Hybrid String Trimmer (Model P2210) including the P102 battery and 1 hour dual charger is less than $120.

To purchase the Ryobi One+ 18V Hybrid String Trimmer at The Home Depot: CLICK HERE