RYOBI RYI818BT One+ 18V Power Station Review - 1800W Output 

No pass through charging while running AC is a deal breaker for me. Being able to use AC from the power station during an outage while charging via solar is a must.

A surge rating is meant for inductive loads like motors, which happen in the milliseconds. You are using a resistive load and leaving it on. I am impressed by the running watts.

Ryobi is winning the tool battery power station competition. I am deep in the Milwaukee platform, so I can't justify the purchase..... but man Ryobi is doing great things on these units.

3000 W surge. Try it from 0 to 3000 for a second and back to 1800. Turn off three switches on at once flip one back Off right away, and I bet it would work fine.

Even assuming you already have (8) 6Ah batteries, that’s 864Wh for $650. $750 if you already have (4) 6Ah batteries and want the other four via purchasing the combo kit, which I’ll admit, getting (4) 6Ah batteries for $100 is very, very tempting. But, the Delta 2 (1024Wh) is currently on sale for $700. It has pass through charging and a DC/solar input of 500W. And it can be expanded up to 3072Wh. Bluetti’s AC180 with 1152Wh for $670 is an even better deal right now. I love my Ryobi batteries and 150W inverter for basic emergency/grid down needs: powering my Ryobi lamps and fans, an emergency radio, and recharging my phones. But, for running a fridge and cooking appliances during an emergency, your hard earned money is better spent on a traditional solar generator.

This is a very interesting product from Ryobi. I am heavily invested in their ecosystem; I could fill up this power station AND their 40v power station, but I own neither of them and won't, unless the prices drops substantially. There are two reasons for this: as power stations go, both of their offerings are mediocre to poor, and I'm NOT going to beat up my lithium-NMC power tool batteries by using them in this manner. You can buy an Ecoflow or Pecron power station, with much better features and a dedicated battery, for about the same money, or maybe a few hundred dollars more. The both offer pass-through AC charging, higher solar charging input, and a UPS function, making them much better products, overall. You can even DIY a much better system for quite a bit less money. Even though one wall of my shop is lime green, I will definitely pass on this one!

I have the 40v power station nevertheless I will be getting this one soon hopefully especially at that price. I’ve got plenty of batteries and 4 of them are 8 amp batteries, I love RYOBI products . Thanks for sharing, great video.

For the cost of the unit, it's not practical. For $599, you can basically get a power station around ~1500w with 1200wh capacity. And that 's with Lifepo4 cells that can have 2000+ cycles with better charging abilities. A machine like this is $599 and even with 8 4ah batteries, that's only 576 wh. There's just much better alternatives out there.

I think the 3000w peak they speak off, it primarily millisecond surges caused by fridge compressors, saws etc. If you had it attached to an oscilloscope, and then used an induction load, you'd probably see the surge capacity holding it. You used a resistive load,

I wish this was available in Australia, I would be buying one today.

I have one, like it so far. I did see it go well over 2,300 watts when a motor first started up so the surge rating is probably good for inductive loads.

The starting watts feature is probably going to be fairly hard to test accurately without some specialized equipment, or at least a variety of motors in different ratings. As you noted, electric motors have a pretty huge initial load, until the starting capacitor is disconnected by the centrifugal switch, or potential relay. That high amp stuff happens on most motors within a fraction of a second. Even small motors with a run capacitor have really choppy power curves as the capacitor continually charges and discharges, even though the average amperage is fairly low. I'd be inclined to trust that number; the real question is will it start a non-loaded motor up to continual 1800 watts rating. If it does, I'd be shocked and pleasantly surprised. I bet a standard residential refrigerator would be no problem.

Great Review! I am looking at this vs a Jackery 1000.

Minor correction: you can use the USB-A ports while charging. You cannot use the USB-C or the AC ports when charging. It would be nice if the documentation outlined this but it does not. Also, my 30 minute AC chargers pull 60W, and this pulls 60W when solar charging, so I am not sure why it doesn't qualify as a "fast charger"? I know you are only going to get the input rate of your USB-C source but if that is the supplied power brick, it will be the same as the 30 minute AC charger.

the only way to charge is via a USB-C.. I was mildly interested until then. I love the idea of basically having storage for all my batteries (or most of them), and charging the, and being able to use it as the inverter. If it had the ability to charge from AC, especially if it would fail over like a USB (leave it plugged in to keep the tool batteries charged, and then have 1-3 things plugged in the front, if house power fails, it fails over to power whatever is plugged in, would be awesome. I've got the 1000W inverter that I use and so far does great. I've even used it to power my Starlink for a few hours when working on my Offgrid property. Unless they add another way to charge, I don't see a reason to drop the cash on this, but it is cool, and definately shows Ryobi is really trying to get the most out of the ecosystem for their customers.

While not ideal you could always individually charge a battery with the 150v inverter charger via solar Then swap out dead batteries as needed. It would charge just as fast because it wouldn't be able to charge all 8 simultaneously anyway.

Thank you so much for taking the time to do such an in depth review!

Very nice review. I have lots of Robi 18v batteries, so something like this would be great for me. However, $650 bare tool is a bit pricey for me, and I really would want something with pass through charging. It's great that you can hot swap a fresh battery if needed. Lots on new improvements over the 40v power station. Would be great to see estimated running time remaining on the display along with pass through solar charging on Gen 2 of this power station.

Can you charge the batteries using this device too if you plug it into the mains?

Thanks for the demo and info. I was contemplating either going with the 40v or 18v. Your review is helpful and detailed. Thanks

GREAT REVIEW!!! But I have to disagree about the assertion based on your testing that it probably won't start with a 3000 watt startup. The halogen light test is excellent for continuous load testing but I would NOT expect it to run for even one tenth of a second at more than 1800 watts.

Hey Tim I loved the video and the details but I was hoping you would've done some test on your refrigerator, tv, fans and let us know how it performed with that

I have a important question about the paralell kit. Will the 18v power station and the 40v run in parallel with each other? I have both and i hooked up them parallel and the only one showing that its using any wattage is the 40v so whats going on. I think its because 2 18v batteries are 36 volts so 36 volts wont run in parallel with 40. I even tried holding the power buttons at the same time to sink up together and they did at first then they just run separately. If thats the case thats bad i was really hoping to get more wattage for something bigger

Pretty cool product. Good idea to have a ton of drill batteries anyway... nice that this can pair with another unit. I would love to see a paired couple of units tested...

250 bucks seems very high for a 60watt solar pannel you can get 250 watt solar panels for 100 to 250 bucks

I'll be glad when Chervon will do the same thing for the Kobalt 24v line

Very thorough video - as usual with your work! Nice Job. One Question: Does the unit run the batteries all the way down or cut them off at 10 or 20% like other units (to protect the cells)? Example 8x 6ah (108 watt hours each) = 864 watt hours. Can you actually get 864 watt hours before it shuts off or does it cut out at bit before? I'm assuming that there is some power loss in the power conversion so 864 would not be achieved. Thanks

I'm wondering if there are multiple options for changing the station using solar. Can you use other solar panels besides the Ryobi solar panel?

These tool battery inverters are some pretty sweet tech, but anyone looking at these is doing themselves a disservice if they do not also look into other power stations similar to those made by Ecoflow, Jackery, etc. This thing charges at maybe 100 watts via USB C... my Ecoflow River 2 Pro can charge at 900 watts, and my Delta 2 Pro can charge at 1600 watts. They also have pass through charging, can accept much more solar input, have 100 watt USB instead of 45 watt, and even has a 12 volt car outlet. Only you know what your needs are though. If you have a way to charge 8 Ryobi batteries at once, or have 12+ batteries laying around, maybe this thing is for you. Otherwise, give Ecoflow, Jackery, etc. A look.

how many watts is the charging block that comes with it?

I wish they had the solar charge option on the 40v unit. I have that one and the solar panel.

I would really like to see passthrough charging on these. It would be especially cool if you could pair this with a gas inverter generator, or just do passthrough with a gas generator.

Nice to see them in the game but they have a long way to go. Hopefully they do and can contribute to more competitive pricing and value

Can't use it while charging that sucks

If I hook two of these together, could I run a house well pump?

Can it run a 15 amp table saw under load?

Inrush current happens a lot faster than you realize. Inrush current is only a few milliseconds. You would need a 15 amp power tool, like a saw, and when you start the saw up, the inrush current to get it going would be the 3000w rating. In order to test this at a bare minimum, youd need an ac clamp amp meter and a 120v cord with split wires. You put the clamp around the hot side and watch the current. If the max reading is 25 amps (3125w) and it didnt trip, it works. If it cant go above 15 amps (1875w) before tripping, it doesnt. Youd need a meter with a max reading option though

If you think of it as a multi battery charger that can also supply power its probably pretty nice...but as a dedicated "generator" idk

This is a very cool and interesting idea and I love the heck out of ryobi tools, but THAT PRICE is sooooo high! I can pretty easily get a 1500w(not quite 1800 watts but I am having a hard time finding anything in my house but a hair dryer that needs more than 1500) power station with a built in battery of around 1kwh for $700 (or even less looking for coupons and sales). Plus those will charge the battery at 300+ watts from the wall or up to 200 watts with the right solar panels and a sunny day, not to mention I am pretty sure at least some of them can be used while accepting a solar charge. Even already owning around 20 ryobi batteries (mostly 3ah and 4ah) this makes zero sense at the price unless I really NEEDED the ability to hot swap the batteries on my portable power station. I can only imagine how much faster the batteries would be degrading though if I was using this often.

Would be good if this was sold here in the UK. I am aware the power station would need to be producing 230v with British style (Type G) sockets

Does this come in a UK-compatible version?

$650 too much. Needs to come in around $300-$400. I have a ton of Ryobi batteries and use many of their tools even though I mainly use Dewalt for work. I have the Dewalt 1800 inverter that I paid $450 and thought that was too high but it works good and I have the 60v Flexvolt batteries for my battery powered table saw and miter saw. It will run Power saws and shop vacs with no problems. I think I saw your video of the Dewalt inverter. How do you compare them? I didn't hear you state how long to charge drained batteries. Did you run some appliances with it? What kind of times did you see. I wonder how it compares to the 40V. I have the blower and trimmer in 40V and may consider that one if it gives better performance. Thanx for the info!! I live in Louisiana and storms and generators are a necessity here! Love your reviews!!

I wonder if I can use my dewalt battery with an adapter on this

Can you swap the batteries out while its running lets say its at like 50% dead and I have like 10 batteries sitting on the shelf at 100% can I switch them out while its still on. Thinking about running a 300 to 500 watt 3d printer

I wonder if it would handle the start up of a fridge? Maybe that's what Ryobi means by the 3000W. Fridges usually surge when they start then settle down.

Does it work with the 12Ah ... or the 8ah or just the 6ah ? Thank you for your time :)

currently home depot offers this with 4 6amp batteries for only apx. $200.00. that's a killer price for 4 6amp batteries considering what the batteries cost separate right now. as off blk friday sales ryobi batteries took a stupid price increase for some reason. not sure why, but any chance to get a deal on batteries is almost worth the trouble to get them. i am currently debating to make this buy. tool; with the batteries even though i have several batteries.

Ryobi fan but why it can’t charge and discharge simultaneously is of no use

I am asuming you can connect only one solar panel?

I had to buy another tool chests because of watching tool reviews.

If had Ryobi batteries maybe . Would be great if one of the cordless tools company's would come out with one that does pass thru use .

Where is this manufactured?

I like it, a lot actually, I'm a huge Ryobi fan! BUT for the price of this thing plus eight 12ah 18v batteries , you can get an ecoflow delta pro that has 3 times the capacity, pass through charging, 1800 watt max solar charging input, and 3600w max 120v output 😔

how long can i run a fridge or wash machine or microwave with eight batteries?

GREAT TEST!!!! I'd still love to know why we can't have pass through. I'm still tempted to have this, however, as I have so many batteries, and it would be nice to charge them all in one place, and take the entire device to a backyard work zone, or shed, or camping. And also being able to monitor my batteries... and HOPEFULLY balance charge them. THanks for the great video.

Hi, Got a ?; Can you use diifferent size battery?

I’ve warned this so bad since I first heard about it. But……😮 Being that Ryobi batteries are not Lithium Iron phosphate type batteries (3,000 + recharge cycles) & The recharge time is 1/2 the time of the 6 port fast changing station alone 😢 & Its physically big & cost way north of $1,200 with big batteries included. I can buy a EcoFlow delta 2 or any other solar generator with all their super fast rechargeable internal batteries for less than $800 now. 😮 #2 But… I still love this thing 😂

How long will it last

Fantastic review. If I use it to run a Lasko heater that needs 1500 watts, how long will it run with all 6AH batteries?

Wish it showed estimated time left instead of running time of the unit.

I've been drooling over 1 of these lol

I'd probably buy it tomorrow if it has pass through charging and an adapter to be able to use standard mc4 solar connectors. I was really looking forward to this. :( 😢

Can the unit automatically detect power failure from wall outlet and automatically turn on to power what is plugged into it ?

If you had to choose would it be this on or tbr 40v one?

You should have shown how many appliances you could run e.g.a fridge a freezer, a tv, etc.

I Have A Sears Dihard Jumper With A Built In Power Inverter It's Got Me By During Power Outages & I Havent Used It To Run A Flatscreen TV Or Anything Like That. But If There Should Come A Time I Will.

i have neither the 18v or 40v power station... but could you run the two different ones in parallel?

How long will it take the solar panels to charge 8 batteries installed on the unit ?

nice item

when AND where (state and city of home depot) will the power station is going to be released? as of 09/21/23 no business is selling it (home depot is currently selling only the 40V version)

Can this be used in parallel with the 40v power station?

Are the solar panels compatible with the 40v version?

So there no recharge options aside from the 60w , to charge all or atleast one battery ?

this is cool

No pass through :(

more battery power needed IMO to handle 3000... Maybe try 8 9 or 12 amp and then see

I wonder, instead of ramping up the power first, then overloading... might not be recognized as a "Start-up Surge"... it would be interesting if you hit all three 1000 watt (well, more like 950 per switch)... at ONCE, so it can process it as a start-up surge, rather than just a slow overload. and if need be, then use 2-1000s and the 500. Depending on the components, the software, etc, it may very well work for at least a few seconds, long enough to cover the surge, as long as the consumption lowers to acceptable limits within a reasonable period.

I'm disappointed there's no 12 volt ac outlet otherwise pretty cool

can you put a solar panel on this?

Is it a pure sine wave on the 120V?

Idk if you have an pull, but i would love to see a full size ryobi radio!

I am sure the 3000-watt load is a capacitive load like a motor startup or a compressor startup. What you are doing with your lights is a restive load which is way different. The 3000-watt is an instantaneous load. It does not last long, I am talking milliseconds, so if you plug a fridge into it it will run when the compressor comes on. You need to learn the difference between capacitive and restive loads

I don’t understand why you would put fully charged batteries in the charger if you’re trying to test the charger out.

Pure Sine inverter???

Unfortunate about the USB-C charger. I can't imagine how long it would take to charge 8x 8AH batteries. You're looking at $2,500 for 8x 8AH batteries with this unit and the solar panel. A Honda 2000 watt generator is half that price.

Do you need a solar panel for this work ?

Bummer don't think it will run a small microwave ... also No pass through charging while running AC

RYOBI gets a nod for a good idea, but. Can you charge using 120V wall outlet? 60W charging will take forever. Not being able to use the unit while it charges is a minus...RYOBI batteries are not cheap unless you catch then on sale. I guess it has a purpose, but not a good solution as to other inverter options.

The Bluetooth is it designed to be able to play music from your phone

They should do a deal were you get a discount for getting the powerstation and a solar panel as a combo

That's impressive.

It would be cool if they but jumped cables on them with a air compressor and light and a stand

Nice idea, but cost prohibitive for what you get. Just buy a 100ah lifepo and inverter.

Considering the price of these batteries, you should get a free station once you hit 8 🥵

Too bad they didn't add a couple speakers to the unit so you could play music to it as well. Seems like a miss. Otherwise, looks cool.

Build this into my ZTR lawn mower so I can power my house when it's not being used to mow

Not sure where these battery powered units are viable over a Predator or Champion gasoline powered portable AC power generator. Thanks for doing the review Tim. Cheers!

This is cool, But i bought a 5000 watt gas generator for 700 bucks and i could just plug in my chargers. If they dropped the price by half, it might be worth it. Especially since you have to buy the solar panel seperate

Nice review! Not worth $650 without included batteries. Maybe $200, but not $650

Ryobi will always make me go broke, always.