Tool Review: Ryobi 18V One+ Hybrid Fan

I'm a winter person; outside with no jacket in 30 degree weather with no problem. Summer in Kentucky is often times 90 degrees with 100% humidity, which isn't as bad as some places in this world, but my job requires me to go into attics. If it's 90 degrees outside it's well over 120 degrees in an attic. Carrying a fan was never something that we considered very practical, between extension cords and the fact that often times we work in houses where there is no power; that's why we are there.

During the 'Ryobi Days' event at Home Depot I was looking at the battery kit; (2x) 3 Amp hour batteries with a charger, and you get a free tool (from a list) to round out the kit. I didn't really want to buy another brand, as I have some Dewalt and some Bauer tools and batteries already, but to get the 2x batteries, charger, and a free tool for $100 is not a bad deal. That's when I saw the fan.

I personally hadn't seen a fan that ran off of tool batteries at that time, and the possibilities were running through my mind. A fan to circulate some cool air up into an attic, to use when wiring new houses in the summer, to use on our truck when we eat lunch... I sweat just standing still in the summer, so I told Ryobi to take my money.

I use that fan every single day during the summer, and I am definitely going to invest further in the Ryobi 18V One+ line because the batteries are amazing. I can run the fan on low for an entire 8 hour work day and still have some juice left for the day after. That's only the 3 Amp hour battery; you could probably run it all day long on high with the 9 Amp hour. If you do have easy access to a working outlet it even has a direct plug in under where the battery sits.

I have dropped it, kicked it, gotten it dirty, used it all day long every day during 2 summers now and the thing is still going strong. I use Milwaukee tools for my job, and they are great, but I don't see the need to pay more when the Ryobi tools I've bought so far have been worth more than what I have payed for them. Just wait til Ryobi Days and get the advertised kit.

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