Greenworks GD40BC vs Ryobi RBC36X26B: 40V vs 36V cordless

The Greenworks GD40BC and Ryobi RBC36X26B sit at similar price points and both promise cordless convenience, but they’re built for different grass. The Greenworks is a wide-cut line specialist; the Ryobi is a line-and-blade all-rounder. That single difference in the box shapes almost everything else about which one suits you.

At a glance

Attribute	Greenworks GD40BC	Ryobi RBC36X26B
Battery platform	40V G40 (open, 40+ tools)	36V MAX Power
Battery included	4 Ah	4 Ah
Cutting supplied	Line head only, 40 cm width	Line head + TriArc 3-tooth steel blade
Cutting width	40 cm (line) — the widest of the two	Narrower line width, plus blade for scrub
Handle	Standard loop/bike setup	Bike handle
Best suited to	Open grass, medium-to-large lawns	Grass plus light scrub
Price positioning	Similar mid-range	Similar mid-range, slightly lower list
Rating (our review)	8.0	8.1

Clear wins: the GD40BC wins on raw line cutting width and speed across open ground; the RBC36X26B wins on versatility, since it’s the only one of the two that ships ready to cut scrub.

Battery platforms compared

The GD40BC runs on Greenworks’ G40 system — an open 40V platform shared across more than 40 garden tools, from mowers to hedge trimmers to blowers. If you’re building a multi-tool garden set-up, or already own G40 kit, that shared battery pool is a genuine saving. The RBC36X26B runs on Ryobi’s 36V MAX Power line, a smaller but well-supported platform, and Ryobi buyers often also have access to the much larger 18V ONE+ ecosystem for other tools, even though it’s not the same battery as this machine’s 36V pack. Neither platform is a wrong choice; the decision usually comes down to what else is already in your shed.

Power and cutting width

On the spec sheet, 40V edges out 36V, and the GD40BC backs that up with a genuinely wide 40 cm line cutting width — one of the widest in its class. That translates directly into fewer passes over an open lawn or field margin. The RBC36X26B’s line width is narrower, so it won’t clear the same ground per pass. But raw voltage and line width aren’t the whole story: cutting capability also depends on what’s fitted to the head, which is where the Ryobi pulls ahead.

What’s in the box: blade vs line-only

This is the real fork in the road. The RBC36X26B ships with a hardened-steel TriArc 3-tooth blade in addition to its line head, so out of the box it can take on light scrub, tough tall growth and woody weeds — not just tidy grass. The GD40BC is supplied for line cutting only; it will clear grass fast and comfortably, but it isn’t set up to tackle brambles or scrub without buying blade attachments separately (where compatible). If your land is genuinely mixed — lawn edges one day, overgrown patches or light scrub the next — the Ryobi’s included blade removes a follow-up purchase the Greenworks doesn’t.

Handling and comfort

Both machines use a similar overall format for a cordless brush cutter, and neither is unusually heavy or awkward for the class. The Ryobi’s bike handle, paired with a metal blade, gives good leverage and control when you do swing it through scrub. The Greenworks, aimed squarely at open grass, is comfortable over longer sessions of pure line trimming across a bigger lawn, helped by that wide swath cutting down the number of passes needed.

Full detail on each is in our Greenworks GD40BC review and Ryobi RBC36X26B review.

Choose the Greenworks GD40BC if…

• Your ground is mostly open grass or lawn, and covering area quickly matters more than cutting scrub
• You already own, or plan to build out, Greenworks’ G40 battery platform across other tools
• You want the widest line cut available in this class to minimise passes

Choose the Ryobi RBC36X26B if…

• You need one cordless machine to handle both grass and occasional light scrub or brambles
• You want a steel blade included in the box rather than buying one separately later
• You’d rather have cutting versatility than the single fastest pass on pure grass

Which should you buy?

If your work is genuinely grass-only — a lawn, a field margin, tidy ground with no woody growth — the GD40BC’s wider 40 cm cut will get the job done faster, and it’s the stronger pick if you’re already invested in the G40 platform. But for most owners whose ground throws up the occasional patch of scrub, brambles or tough weeds alongside the grass, the RBC36X26B is the more sensible buy: the included TriArc blade means you’re covered for both jobs without an extra purchase, and that versatility usually matters more day to day than a few extra centimetres of line width.