Ryobi has announced that they are introducing a new battery platform. These are new compact and lightweight and affordable power tools powered by their new USB Lithium battery pack.
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As you can see above, the new lineup consists of four new cordless tools which include a rotary tool, a power carver, power cutter, and a twist driver all of which are powered by the new USB Lithium battery shown below the tools. We will be discussing all new tools including the battery except for the twist driver as Ryobi hasn’t provided additional details regarding that product yet at time of writing. All the Ryobi USB Lithium products shown in this article are said to launch Spring 2022 although nothing is mentioned regarding the twist driver.
RYOBI USB LITHIUM 2AH LITHIUM-ION RECHARGEABLE BATTERY FVB01
At the heart of the new cordless system is the tiny Ryobi USB Lithium battery pack. As you can see above, it’s composed of a single lithium ion battery cell, probably a tried and tested 18650 lithium cell. That means that the new Ryobi system is 3.6 Volts or rather 4V Max as most brands are rounding up nowadays. Ryobi doesn’t go out and call it a 4 volt system as they probably don’t want users to assume that 4 volts means worse performance than 12V or 18V. It usually does but that doesn’t mean a brand can’t make 4V tools to be strong for their voltage class and that’s probably what Ryobi wants, is for the user to test and see how these little units perform without being hung up on voltage. For now, the new USB Lithium system starts with a 2 ah battery, ah or amp hours being a measurement of battery capacity not performance. All it means is that the bigger the ah, the more the battery will last. For example a 2ah battery will theoretically run twice as long as a 1ah battery just to give you an example.
The new USB Lithium battery packs are inexpensive at $19.97 a pop and they also come included with the tools as a kit form as shown below. Key to its name, these batteries have USB charging ports so you can easily charge them with any USB C charging cable. They aren’t supplied if you just buy the battery by itself but USB-C charging cables are included with their power tool kits. They also feature an on board LED light to indicate charging status.
As a whole, this isn’t Ryobi’s first venture into interchangeable battery 4 Volt power tools. We still remember their TEK4 system released just a few years ago. You can still find them at the Home Depot website however we haven’t heard of anything new in that line for some time. One thing the new USB Lithium line has over the previous TEK4 is that the batteries can be charged with any USB C cable whereas the TEK4 batteries needed a proprietary charger. I wonder if this new Ryobi USB Lithium system will be the replacement for existing TEK4 products? We will have to wait and see.
- Powers RYOBI USB Lithium tools for portability and minimal downtime
- On-board LED indicates charging status
- Conveniently recharge with any USB-C charging cable
- Compatible with all RYOBI USB Lithium Products
- 2-year manufacturer’s warranty
- Includes: FVB01 USB Lithium 2Ah Lithium-ion Rechargeable Battery and Operator’s Manual
- This battery will be available exclusively
HomeDepot.com
RYOBI USB LITHIUM ROTARY TOOL KIT FVM51K
The first Ryobi USB Lithium power tool we’ll talk about is the rotary tool. It’s very compact thanks to the small USB Lithium battery pack. These are good for cutting, grinding, polishing, carving, and sanding. It also features the new quick change collet Ryobi’s been including on their latest rotary tools. And unlike their new 12V rotary tool, the USB Lithium version uses interchangeable battery packs so you can swap out for a fresh battery when needed, if you have more than one of course. As far as features go, it’s got your standard on/off slide switch, variable speed dial, and also has a power on indicator light. It will be priced at $59.97 as a kit with 15 accessories, battery pack, and charge cable.
- Compact design delivers more power for any application
- Quick-Change Collet with 4 times faster accessory changes
- Powered by the RYOBI™ USB Lithium battery system for portability and minimal downtime
- 2-year manufacturer’s warranty
- Includes: FVM51 Rotary Tool, FVB01 USB Lithium Battery, 15 Accessories, Wrench, Accessory Storage Case, USB Cable, and Operator’s Manuals
- This tool will be available in various kit configurations exclusively at select Home Depot stores and HomeDepot.com
RYOBI USB LITHIUM POWER CARVER KIT FVH51K
Next on the list is the Ryobi USB Lithium power carver. Ryobi says this is the industries first cordless power carver. It looks similar to a rotary tool in just about every way but it works completely different. Instead of spinning, it uses strokes with a stroke length of 1mm and runs at at 14,000 SPM. This works more like how an SDS rotary hammer works with a spade bit when set to hammer only, it chisels away and that’s what makes it perfect for carving out small projects on wood. It will be priced at $69 as a kit with 3 chisels, battery and charge cable.
- Industry’s first cordless power carver
- Controlled carving with 14,000 SPM
- Ideal for carving on all types of wood and furniture restoration
- The Straight Chisel blade is ideal for detailed carving and furniture restoration
- The ¼” U-Gouge allows users to clear large amounts of wood while carving
- The 90-degree V-Gouge is best for relief carving
- Powered by the RYOBI™ USB Lithium battery system for portability and minimal downtime
- 2-year manufacturer’s warranty
- Includes: FVH51 Power Carver, FVB01 USB Lithium Battery, Straight Chisel, U-Gouge, V-Gouge, USB Cable, and Operator’s Manuals
- This tool will be available in various kit configurations exclusively at select Home Depot stores and HomeDepot.com
RYOBI USB LITHIUM POWER CUTTER KIT FVC51K
Last but not least is the power cutter. This uses a rotary blade wheel to cut through items like cardboard, plastic, carpet, leather and more. The blade wheel is said to be self sharpening and it will be priced at $59.97 as a kit with the tool itself with a cutting blade installed, battery, and charge cable.
- Self-sharpening blade powers through a variety of materials including cardboard, plastic, carpet, rubber, and leather
- Integrated guideline allows for unmatched precision
- Powered by the RYOBI USB Lithium battery system for portability and minimal downtime
- 2-year manufacturer’s warranty
- Includes: FVC51 Power Cutter, FVB01 USB Lithium Battery, Pre-Installed Power Cutter Blade, USB Cable, and Operator’s Manuals
- This tool will be available in various kit configurations exclusively at select Home Depot stores and HomeDepot.com
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