I personal too many Ryobi batteries, however these are the one ones I might purchase once more

My storage shelf holds extra Ryobi batteries than I ever run directly. Most got here inside device kits, and some I purchased on worth earlier than I understood what separated one pack from one other. I’ve written about how the battery became the real investment in my Ryobi setup, and that lesson bought sharper in August when Ryobi reshuffled its 18V lineup.

The outdated customary packs are on their means out, the teal High Performance line now carries the plain 18V ONE+ Lithium title, and EDGE sits above it. So I sorted each 18V and 40V pack I personal into two piles: those I’d pay for once more and those I’d go away on the peg.

The 4.0Ah High Performance pack is the primary one I’d change

It powers my noticed with out weighing down my handheld instruments

If I might rebuy just one 18V battery, it might be the teal 4.0Ah (PBP004). It spends most weekends on my round noticed and strikes between the influence driver and oscillating multi-tool throughout basement initiatives. Under load, the noticed holds its velocity by way of a full rip as a substitute of slowing midway down the board.

Weight issues as a lot as output. Overhead work with an influence driver will get tiring quick, and this pack retains the device balanced in a means the 6.0Ah cannot. It’s the pack behind most of what I described when High Performance batteries rescued my budget Ryobi tools. It lists at $129, however Home Depot’s battery promotions reduce it near half typically sufficient that I’ve by no means paid full worth.

The 6.0Ah High Performance pack handles my longest jobs

My growing older Dyson now outlasts its unique battery

The 6.0Ah (PBP007) goes on something that runs constantly quite than in bursts. Its most helpful job has nothing to do with woodworking. My Dyson V8 runs on Ryobi packs through an inexpensive battery adapter, and on this one the vacuum outlasts its inventory Dyson battery by a cushty margin.

It additionally pairs nicely with my warmth gun, which pulls energy for minutes at a stretch. A smaller pack can get it by way of a job, however the 6.0Ah finishes with no return journey to the charger, and that is what I’m paying for.

The trade-off is bulk. I pull it off handheld instruments as soon as the lengthy activity wraps up. For most households, one among these plus one 4.0Ah covers almost each 18V job.

The customary 4.0Ah is the battery I remorse shopping for

Ryobi is phasing out this tier anyway

I purchased the usual 4.0Ah (PBP005) as a result of it price $30 lower than the teal pack hanging beside it. It nonetheless costs and works, however on any device with actual motor load, it performs like a heavier model of a equipment battery.

Ryobi appears to agree. Starting in August 2026, the usual tier is being phased out at Home Depot. The former High Performance batteries now carry the 18V ONE+ Lithium label in 2.0Ah, 4.0Ah, and 6.0Ah sizes, every with IntelliCell electronics and Cool-Core warmth administration. The outdated High Performance EDGE packs develop into Lithium EDGE, offered in 4.0Ah, 8.0Ah, and 12.0Ah.

The pack I remorse is disappearing, and the pack I’d rebuy simply grew to become the baseline. If you discover a leftover customary 4.0Ah on clearance, go until the low cost is steep and it is headed for a drill.

Compacts earn shelf house however by no means my cash

I let device kits purchase these for me

Credit: Jonathon Jachura / MUO

My 1.5Ah and a couple of.0Ah packs all arrived bundled, they usually nonetheless do helpful work. One stays on the drill for pilot holes and lightweight meeting, the place a lighter device is simpler to regulate. Another rides on the tire inflator, which tops off a tire in a couple of minutes and by no means asks for extra.

I simply will not pay retail for one. A compact falters the second it meets a round noticed or sander, so shopping for one outright means spending cash on the least versatile pack within the system. If you want a small battery for overhead or tight-space work, the brand new 2.0Ah Lithium is the one compact I’d contemplate, because it carries the identical IntelliCell electronics as its bigger siblings.

The 40V 6Ah is the one yard battery I’d purchase twice

The 4Ah quits too early, and the 8Ah is just too heavy to swing

My 40V facet runs a string trimmer, leaf blower, hedge trimmer, and edger throughout 2.5 acres, fed by 4Ah, 6Ah, and eightAh packs. Only the 6Ah would make it again into my cart.

The 4Ah handles the hedge trimmer and edger, which end their jobs shortly. On the string trimmer, it provides out earlier than I’ve labored the complete property line, and which means a stroll again to the storage and a wait on the charger. The 8Ah has the other drawback. It retains the blower going nicely previous the driveway, however hanging that a lot weight off a trimmer for an hour wears on my shoulders. It makes extra sense on a self-propelled mower, the place the machine carries the load.

The 6Ah lands in between. It will get the trimmer by way of a full lap of the yard and runs the blower lengthy sufficient for fall cleanup with out making both device depressing to carry. If you are beginning a 40V assortment, two 6Ah packs beat one among every dimension.

Battery Type(s)

Lithium-Ion

What’s Included

2 Batteries

Buy the center of the lineup, not the largest quantity on the peg

Every pack I’d rebuy sits in the midst of its lineup. The 4.0Ah and 6.0Ah High Performance batteries cowl my 18V instruments, and the 40V 6Ah handles the yard. Ryobi’s rebrand additionally simplifies the 18V determination: the usual tier goes away, and the Lithium label now marks the packs price proudly owning.

Save EDGE for bench instruments and different heavy attracts the place runtime beats weight. Before you spend $200 or extra on the largest pack Ryobi makes, learn why the largest battery isn’t always an upgrade. A pair of mid-size packs will doubtless serve you higher.