Ryobi One+ Stick Vac - good for RVers?
Using the brush attachment and only the main unit to vacuum the MaxXair fan in our RV’s bathroom
I’m an admitted fan boy of Ryobi’s OnePlus power system, a series of over 100 products that utilize the company’s 18 volt battery system. I have had OnePlus-powered devices for years now and the list of the company’s devices, and what shows-up in my own arsenal, continue to grow. So when I considered adding a vacuum to our small travel trailer, I first sought out what might be in the offing from Ryobi.
Sure enough the company now has the Ryobi OnePlus Compact Cordless Stick Vac available. Powered by their existing OnePlus battery system this vacuum offers the benefit of a very small size, for a stick vacuum, and the ability to power it with a battery as opposed to having to plug in.
The vacuum comes In three major parts, essentially, a main unit, a long stick and a power head. There are also two attachments, a brush and a crevice tool. Since I already have plenty of the batteries I bought the version that doesn’t come with one and we bring Ryobi OnePlus products with us camping as it is including lanterns, a portable inflator and a power drill to operate our stabilizer jacks.
So, that means we also have at least two batteries and a charger as well. However this vacuum also came with a wall mount for the accessory bits and a charger that will allow the vacuum to hang on the wall and charge any Ryobi OnePlus battery attached to it.
In the box
Putting the vacuum together initially couldn’t have been easier. There is a filter in the main vacuum body that was already installed. You just snap the main unit to the stick extension to the power head, add a battery and you’re rocking and rolling.
Function
The main unit has a trigger handle much like an electric drill. Push the button once, the vacuum starts in high gear. Push it again, it’s off. A third push starts it in low gear. Easy.
There are also buttons on the top of the vacuum so you can turn the power head’s rotating brushes on and off. Theres also a light on the power head which illuminates when the brushes are spinning. Additionally another button can alternate the vacuum from high power to low power modes.
You can also completely remove the center “stick” and attach the power head directly to the main body of the vacuum, which would be beneficial for vacuuming draperies or car interiors and such.
Additionally you can attach the brush or crevice tool right to the main body of the vacuum which I did to clean off my MaxXair fan screen or to the end of the extension wand.
I was pleased with the power and performance of the vacuum. I’ve found Ryobi’s products to live up to their promises in the past including both performance and longevity. I’ve only had one product failure which is impressive considering how many Ryobi OnePlus products I have between the camper and the office and home/workshop.
Dumping the vacuum is relatively easy.
Dumping whatever you’ve vacuumed is also really easy. There’s a spring-loaded door on the main vacuum unit. Just push a button and the door pops open to empty its contents.
The filter inside can also be removed and cleaned if need be and the company claims it’s a HEPA filter.
The power head can also be taken apart with a coin and cleaned out. The spinning brush is good at picking up hair and you can remove it and cut the hair off. There are no belts to replace, the power head’s drive is direct so that will save you from having to ever buy a belt for this.
What’s not to like
Of course no product is perfect and I found that the trigger on the vacuum was really, really sensitive. It seemed almost that if you looked at it funny it would turn the vacuum on. Conversely the buttons at the top were more deliberate in their function and sometimes didn’t respond the first time.
In summary
The goal of this vacuum is to replace our house vacuum and also the dust buster we had in the travel trailer, so it’ll be busy whether we’re home or on the road. I feel it’s totally up to the task and offers good performance and decent battery life.
For $189 it also came with the provision to charge a battery and offers enough flexibility that it will be convenient in a lot of ways. One of the things I’ve found with our home vacuum, which is about the same size as this unit when fully assembled, is that we have become lazy about using it as we have to generally unplug something and unwind the cord, use the vacuum, then re-wrap the cord.
I’m going to find a place to hang this vacuum in our home where there’s power so it’ll always have a charged battery on it. Then, when there’s just a little mess to deal with, I’ll be both able and willing to tackle that. If a device is useful enough that it makes you more productive, that’s a win in my book.
