Ryobi Real vs Amazon Batteries  

In Australia, genuine Ryobi batteries are up to 4 times the cost of the aftermarket versions and are almost never on sale. My experience has been that the knockoffs aren't quite as powerful and run down more quickly, but still work. I simply wouldn't be able to use a Ryobi tool at all if I had to pay full Ryobi prices. I'm considering a cordless mower - Ryobi batteries add $350 to the cost. The aftermarket option adds just $88. For me, it's aftermarket or nothing unfortunately.

you should open the battery up and compare the difference of made and what is inside

Aftermarket is a way better deal. I always buy aftermarket batteries. Also, some people think if they buy the real Ryobi batteries that they are made in the USA. No, they are all made in China.

Ryobi Real vs Amazon Batteries: A Comparison - An aftermarket 6Ah 18V battery purchased from Amazon was tested against a genuine 6Ah 18V battery from Ryobi to see if the cheaper Amazon option was a viable alternative for Ryobi power tools. - The physical attributes like weight and fit in various Ryobi tools were very similar between the two batteries. The aftermarket battery weighed just slightly less at 1 lb 7 oz compared to 1 lb 10 oz for the genuine Ryobi battery. - Performance tests were conducted using tools like an impact driver driving TimberLok screws, a drill driver, and a reciprocating saw. In these tests, the genuine Ryobi battery seemed to provide a bit more power compared to the aftermarket option. - A runtime test using a constant load (a light on highest setting) showed a significant difference. The aftermarket battery lasted around 3.5 hours, while the genuine Ryobi battery nearly doubled that at 6 hours of runtime. - Charging times also differed, with the aftermarket battery taking 3 hours to recharge fully using the same Ryobi charger, compared to just 1 hour 52 minutes for the genuine battery. - While the aftermarket Amazon battery worked compatibly with the Ryobi tools and had built-in safety features, the genuine Ryobi battery demonstrated superior performance in power output, significantly longer runtime, and faster recharging - indicating higher overall battery capacity and quality. - Though much cheaper, the aftermarket battery fell short in these key performance metrics when compared to Ryobi's own batteries made specifically for their power tools.

I have been using aftermarket batteries since I found them and they work great. Fans, lights, chargers/inverters you can't beat the 9ah prices. When you are paying a 3 to 1 ratio then you have to decide. Great video.

My initial reason for purchasing a 3rd party battery was "Once burned, twice shy". My two original batteries died even though they hadn't been used many times. I decided to go with something less expensive so I wouldn't lose as much if it happened again. It hasn't, and I now have three 3rd party batteries that have been serving me well.

I've had several of the 5ah aftermarket knock-off batteries for a few years now and there still going strong. At the time I purchased them, I got 2 for 60$ canadian roughly, and single authentic 4ah here was roughly 75$, so all in all, a great bang for buck! Also worth mentioning, I have a couple of Makita knock-offs from the same dealer (Powertree) for about two years now that are still performing great.

I got 2 6Ah 18v aftermarket batteries and a dual charger for $59 on Amazon- 6 months & so far so good.😃

I think the big takeaway is that the aftermarket batteries are only providing 50% watt hours they list. You could buy smaller Ryobi batteries and get roughly the same price to watt hours. I would go with the name brand if I'm not saving any real money. Plus, the Ryobi stuff is constantly on sale.

When you retest in 6 month or year. Throw in a regular 4ah for comparison. I think I did the same light test with 4ah and got 3.5 hrs

I use both aftermarket and genuine Ryobi batteries with our Ryobi electric mower, whipper snippet and blower. The main difference I notice is the price difference not run time or charging time. I will continue to buy aftermarket batteries. I have been using these now for 3 years.

Oh nice! I will find it. Thanks!

AN EXCELLENT VIDEO! Your video addressed all my concerns whereas other videos and articles did not. Although I was hoping for just a little bit better performance, I'm going to try a pair. Being I use them mostly around the house, and sometimes to help friends or neighbors--polesaw, drills, chainsaw, circular saw... I'm hoping they'll be good enough for me. Thanks so much. I know Ryobi batts would be better, but the price! I don't mind spending extra money for quality, but I do mind spending an excess of money for a 'Name', no matter the product. A little extra... Maybe. An excess... Nope. Thanks again 👍 :)

Thanks man

Seems like they’re pretty equivalent to a legit 4ah, and I’ve got a DTO nearby so I’ll keep my cheap legit ones haha. Pretty nice for those without a DTO nearby I’d say though 🤷‍♂️

would love to see a test with the 6ah genuine vs amazon for my ryobi compact radio thx

All my tools are Ryobi and have used factory and aftermarket batteries. If your using lights and drills, aftermarket batteries are fine, however one the high amp draw tools like circular saw, grinders the knockoff batteries dont have the amperage. My saws will cutoff easily vs genuine batt has no problem. I have also noticed most of the newer batteries are what i call 2 year batt, once they get past the first year they degrade pretty quick, although both genuine and copy have failed within the 2 years, the copy tend to ail sooner. For light duty work though you can't beat the cost of aftermarket batteries, they are cheap and you can buy several for the cost of one which i prefer, so nice to have extra charged batteries ready to work instead of having to stop and charge.

I have had mediocre results with off brands. The problem is quality control and returnability. I tend to wait for originals to go one sale. The HD near me had the 2,4, and 6ah batteries with charger for 99 bucks on a daily special. I prefer this route.

I have these batteries and they are great. I have dead ryobi batteries but no dead aftermarket ones.

enjoy your test. FYI-my opinion. The knock would be OK for most home owners as it appears to last enough for most home use and with a shorter turnaround time, whereas I would think the Ryobi wouid be excellent for home use but even much better for heavy duty or commercial use

I've had genuine Ryobi batteries last less than a year, so I decided to try the cheap knockoffs. So far they don't power the tools for as long before needing a charge, but they've been solid so far. Considering the price I'll probably get some more.

I guess the main question is use the batteries equally and try again in a couple of months?

I have been using my 5ah aftermarket battery for 6 years now. I'm satisfied

I have about 20 after market Amazon batteries from different brands. Ryobi 18 and 40, Dewalt flex 60, 20 and 12, Milwaukee 18 and 12, Skil 12 and Makita. None have failed. The thing they ALL have in common is the exaggerated AH ratings. I have no way to measure instantaneous AMPS output so can't speak to that. I have timed them all on fans and lights and can say without a doubt the rated AH is exaggerated. That said the batteries are typically 25%-40% cost and you are getting maybe 60%-80% of the performance. If you go into it knowing this then you won't be disappointed. I'm not a pro, simply diy so I'm not really risking anything either just for full disclosure.

Do the aftermarket hp batteries have the 2 extra contacts on them and give the extra power that the genuine batteries do ?

Got to wonder how much of the price of a Ryobi battery is paying for the name. The fact an aftermarket company can sell them for a quarter of the price tells something.

I bought 3 "boot-leg batteries 3 years ago. One died but the other two is going strong. Totally worth the price...

I bought 2x 40 volt 6Ah knock offs and they work great. Just as good as my regular 40 volt batteries. I've been cutting my grass with them for years. As far as the ones you have, they probably have 1 or so "not that good" cells.

I feel like for high drain tools the OEM batteries are best. For low drain devices like the lights and Bluetooth speakers the aftermarket batteries are a great deal.

I would be curious about the higher amperage batteries(6Ah or 9Ah) in high draw equipment like a skill saw or grinder. Would the aftermarket battery be able to provide as much current as OE? Would it be more likely to melt down? In things like drills and lights, I don't think it's as critical, but can you beat them up?

So the official battery lasted twice as long but you get two aftermarket battery's for the price of one official. To me that comes with a huge benefit of having a extra one on the charge and on standby. But if i had one official battery i would have to stop and charge. Not to shabby.

I would love to see you do the same comparison on the 40 volt batteries. I just bought one on Amazon before I found your channel. I was hoping it would be just as good as the Ryobi but now I have my doubts.

The Amazon Battery link show "currently Unavailable. We don't know when or if..."

Even if the Amazon ones r technically a 3-4ah or so, they’re still a decent deal

Many after market "knockoffs" are not just sub-standard, they are actually genuine rip-offs. Beware of outrageous claims of 6ah, 9ah, and 12ah batteries. The weight is the clue. If you buy a Chinese battery, make sure you can send it back at the expense of the seller if it isn't as advertised. Often times they will refund you AND let you keep the battery. Sometimes they will refund half (essentially charging the correct price for the lower capacity they sent you). You will eventually get batteries that don't even have all the cells inside that they should. I got a 6ah battery that had one row of cells inside (2ah). But, the ones that are good are a great deal.

What about memory creep, and how many charge / discharge cycles before they are to be thrown in the bin?

Love to see a tear apart on the after market battery. Just searching the specs on the cells used would give you confirmation on if this is a 6ah battery or as usual a 3ah battery being sold as 6ah

the aftermarket battery really sucks in my 18v ryobi 16inch lawn mower. the ryobi 18v 4Ah batteries last much longer and go until they are dead compared to the aftermarket 18v 7Ah battery. the aftermarket batteries run for a fraction of the time then shut down from overheating with over half charge still left in them. I am sure the aftermarkets are fine for smaller draw tools and the mower should really have more power but it does work well w the 18v 4Ah battery and mow's for a longer duration than the aftermarket 18v 7Ah batteries. this has been my experience, thanks for the video!

With how crummy ryobi batteries have become I'm seriously considering buying some aftermarket. I have 8 ryobi batteries and the onky one that still works is also my oldest one. Some only worked a few months and a handful of charges before they quit charging. The cells are all still good on most of them but the boards are telling the chargers their bad.

I know there are good aftermarket batteries, but, there's also a lot of rip-off batteries too. I've gotten genuine stack batteries from legitimate sellers for a fraction of the regular price so I don't mess with aftermarket.

I noticed that they are using the higher priced HP batteries from Ryobi not the standard batteries that you get with a tool. Ryobi claims these are 25-30% more powerful which really ties in with the performance we saw in this video

I have both after market and genuine batteries and from experience I have Ryobi batteries that are over 10 years old, it doesnt store as much power these days, but they do store and still charge, the after market batteries on the other hand Im lucky to get 3 years from them, there seems to be an issue when the thin tin foil bridge burns out on them. Usually the inside batteries of the after market batteries are still in working condition. I am really surprised at the weights between them because the ones I have are significantly lighter than the original Ryobi batteries. I did score a 4ah and a 2ah for $130 a couple of weeks ago.

I like money! Many of these batteries save and continue saving me lots of money. I use em everyday and they perform just as good as Home Depot's overpriced 💩!

I have the 4ah aftermarket batteries and they will only charge in my single charger like the one shown but not in my 6-battery charger.

was that a standard Ryobi or their HP series?

What is the real-life price of an OEM Ryobi battery? Last year I bought a Ryobi 40v tool with a 4Ah battery and charger on sale for $10 less than the battery only retail price! Sometimes you can get a multi tool kit with batteries and charger on sale for less money than the batteries themselves cost if bought separately. I am suggesting that if you need to buy Ryobi tools, then the OEM Ryobi batteries in those packaged kits are practically giveaways. Or the tools are free. Either way, the real-life cost of the OEM Ryobi batteries is not so easy to determine as a simple listing on a knock-off battery on Amazon.

Can you charge the amazon batteries on the ryobi charger?

I think a better test would be a standard 4ah Ryobi battery vs the aftermarket instead of the HP battery, which is SUPPOSED to provide more power and a longer run time than the standard batteries.

Thank for sharing your test. ryobi are rip off in price if they sell in compatible price no one will buy after market batteries

I am surprised why tool batteries are still so expensive when we know that the price of lithium has halved over the past 10 years.Even if the after market battery has only half the power of a genuine Ryobi product when it costs only a third of the price or less it is still a better buy

I have heard comments about genuine Ryobi battery packs being unreliable. If that is true, it probably means the battery controller inside the pack is doing a bad job of cutting off the pack when the cells drops to 3V per cell. On a 5 cell pack, that would be 15V.

The price of the aftermarket far supercedes the small inconveniences. I can buy more to have ready

I have both and my hp batteries , there is no competition

I Have 3 40 V batteries (aftermarket) that Died at the same time (thanks to the cold) and now waiting for a recharge kit that may revive it..

Is it an aftermarket hp battery?

Excellent video as usual. I would be interested in seeing the insides of the batteries to get a comparison there as well.

I wish you compare the actual amphere?

I bought the Ebay Ryobi different brand they all broke after a few months. They say they have a 10 year warranty but the sellers won answer Emails

I noticed that you are comparing a Ryobi high performance battery vs. a generic regular lithium ion. You won't see the difference in the batteries until you get to bigger tools like mowers, trimmers, and blowers that have more battery contacts requiring more power output.

So far, I've had decent luck with aftermarket batteries.

Great guide and surprised by results definitely going to stick with the genuine.

That’s the HP battery though. Wonder how it would do against a regular battery. Cool test

I always buy the amazon ones because they work just fine fine me (DIY) the Ryobi is crazy to expensive so I will big money all day long

I know this video is a little older, but if THEY reached out to YOU to test the aftermarket battery, i would be weary. It's been well 'documented' that they send "good" batteries to reviewers, and ship everyone else batteries with cheaper cells in them. Take that for what you will

Speaking of all the lithium problems. Being in public safety we tend to see the cheaper knock off batteries are failing because of QC and their BMS systems is poor or non-exsistance. I'll stick with name brand. I've had numerous ryobi batteries only few quit charging but they are also 5+ years old at the time of their failure.

I can buy two regular Ryobi 4 amp hour batteries at Home Depot for $79.99. A lot of times during the year you can buy the same batteries for $99.99 and you get a free tool. I've been using these batteries for many years now and they work for all my projects. I see no reason to save a few dollars by buying an inferior battery.

Cut open the Amazon battery to see if it has weights instead of batteries.

Ryobi batteries are so expensive now that I can't justify buying anymore of their products. I've bought 5 of the products in the last 3 or 4 years and I feel like they've sucked me in like I'm a cash cow. I refuse to pay $180 for a 40V 4.0 AH battery that cost less than $15 to make. Their customer service has gotten bad, their website is not user-friendly and never has been (I've told them about the problems several times), some of my tools have design flaws and are not rugged enough for their intended use, and it's looking like the best time to cut my losses and bail out is now.

One of the main reasons I bought the after market batteries , is they look different and my step son uses them and I know if they are mine or not.

I am at 6:13 in the video, and the statement is made "I think the real battery outperforms..." -- excuse me? Nothing in ANY of the tests to this point show any difference whatsoever between the two. In neither case do the tools shuts down, slow down, or anything indicative of inferior/superior performance of either battery! If you want to know which has better charge, then you do a series of voltage tests over time, or you can use a battery test setup to determine actual max charge available. If doing it between two tools, you have to do a test of total run time using the same tool for the entire test of both batteries. Something high-amp draw such as the sawzall should give an accurate comparison. Questions over which battery is best are based around functionality... are they each accurate in quoted amp/hr, and do they supply ample current to run the highest amp tools. Everything else is second, everything. If the answer is yes for both, then the question is longevity. I have both, and the Ryobi "real" batteries are horrible at longevity, where I have numerous aftermarket that are several years old and still functioning as well as new. I bought aftermarket at the same time as I bought many of my tools which came with "real" batteries. Not one of my original Ryobi batteries is still functioning, not even ONE. MOST of the aftermarkets still work. Two have failed out of eight so far in the same time span.

pronounced RYE-obi!!!!

My opinion is it's pronounced RIE-o-bee, not REE-o-bee or it wouldn't be spelled with a Y. :D

This Ryobi company is a joke. Case in point Ryobi has a major 40 volt battery issue where after a few uses the battery will not charge. No recall that I have seen. You own it. JUNK. I contacted Ryobi. Was like pulling teeth. After jumping through hoops they say send it back with the receipt. JUNK.

There have been plenty of shows showing the knockoffs are junk. This is just a well known fact by now. They don’t last because they are shitty cells.

Ryobi batteries are over priced. They are no longer affordable. Ryobi or Home Depot are gouching their customers.

Dam cheap chinese battery packs they ruined my battery rebuilt business.

Ryobi batteries are the most unreliable on the market !!!!!!! Stick to after market !!!!!