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Nice, I use one of those converters on my 24v solar setup at home to run a 12v water pump and some LED lighting.
A box fan typically uses 60-100 watts. A small Ryobi battery is 1.5Ah @ 18v, so 17 Watt hours * 0.80 (efficiency of your buck converter and inverter probably) = 13.6 Wh. So your fan should run on low a little over 4 minutes on a full charge. Maybe less, not sure if lithium-ion has the Peukert effect like lead-acid.
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Buck converters are usually 93-97% efficient.
I was (a little) surprised to find LED bulbs in 24V, 32V, and 48V:
http://www.led-cfl-lighthouse.com/page/1433707
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Terracore - sorry, I should have mentioned this earlier. To join the mad scientist club you actually have to blow something up. Either deliberately or not although the latter is preferred.
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So, back to the "No Ryobi tools for you!" portion of this thread...
Shortly after buying the chainsaw I bought a Ryobi weed whacker. I'm happy with our gas model but the wife can't use it and most of our frequent needs are light duty anyway. Since they don't sell the "whacker only" (without yet another charger and battery) in stores, and they don't ship the "whacker only" to Hawaii, I had to order the whacker from the customer service desk using their freight forwarder.
The ordering process was actually pretty easy after waiting in line for 10 minutes, though the sales tax was about twice what our GET tax is. BUT, there is no shipping charge, so that is a plus.
I ordered the whacker several weeks ago and hadn't heard anything from them, although they did tell me it could be 4-6 weeks. I was at HD today for a different reason and wondered if it might be there.
Unfortunately, they couldn't tell me if they had the whacker or not. Because I forgot to bring in my order number (and they couldn't look it up) it's anybody's guess if the whacker is here or not. Apparently, there is no way to "go look for it" either.
They were polite and accommodating ("you can call with your order number") but the lesson learned here is don't lose your order number. I should have taken a picture of it so it was on my phone.
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I have the 40v one and it is barely acceptable for trimming grass and new weeds if you are patient. Do you already have a 40v pack? I would not hold much hope out for the 18v version's capabilities...
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The Ryobi 18V string trimmer is nice for manicuring the fine landscaping up near the house, doesn't fling rocks hard enough to break a window, etc -- but it's an accessory, not a replacement for a 25cc and/or 40cc "outer yard" trimmer.
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Here is a youtube review comparing the 18v and 40v trimmer models:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHd6Sw5VjGo
Not surprisingly the 40v trimmer is the winner. I thought about going to 40v when I was looking at chainsaws, but I didn't want to deal with having two separate sets of chargers, batteries, and tools and am willing to settle for the 18v limitations. I've also read bad reviews on the longevity of the 40v batteries and on top of that they are expensive to replace. Where the 18v trimmer won't suffice, I'll either break out the 2-cycle or tie a goat out.
The goats and the donkey outgun all the trimmers. The geese keep the bermuda grass down a good half inch lower than what the lawn mower can do. Too bad they don't do it evenly, and their craps are bigger than our dog's.
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A well tuned quality chainsaw shouldn't be too big a chore to start. Prime, choke, decompression switch and a pull or two. If it takes any more than that then it probably needs some TLC. A little Seafoam in the tank can perform miracles, but so can changing a plug, depending on what the problem is. I stick to Stihl and Husqvarna and have great luck with them. I'm sure not going to take on a foot in diameter tree with an electric saw (battery or plugged in), it's slow and frustrating and I don't like bending over that long as I'm old enough to qualify for a pension starting next March. For the most part I feel the same about weed eaters, but to each their own.
Me ka ha`aha`a,
Mike
Me ka ha`aha`a,
Mike
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I got the Ryobi weed whacker today and once again I am surprised- it exceeded my expectations. More power than I was expecting, less string consumption than I thought, easy on the battery, and it took out larger ferns and weeds etc than I would have expected from a battery powered device. Overall I am pleased, though the unit does have a cheap plastic "feel" to it that gives me some reservations. If I get two years occasional landscaping use out of it I will be happy. Best of all, the wife can use it. She had been wanting a weed whacker that wasn't too heavy, and although this unit was a little heavier than I was expecting, it is well within her ability to use for short periods of time.
Definitely agree with Kalakoa's last description. So long as it doesn't break too quickly, it fills the niche we were looking for.
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Ryobi "Black Friday" pricing (through 11/29) includes: 2-pack high-capacity lithium 18V batteries for $79.
