Worx WG183E 40V vs Ryobi RBC36X26B: value cordless

On paper these two sit in similar cordless-value territory, but they’re solving different problems. The Worx WG183E is a featherweight grass trimmer built for effortless lawn edging, while the Ryobi RBC36X26B is a proper brush cutter that happens to be cordless, with a steel blade included to back it up.

At a glance

	Worx WG183E	Ryobi RBC36X26B
Power	40V (2× 20V PowerShare)	36V MAX Power
Motor type	Brushed	Brushed
Cutting equipment	Line only, 33 cm	Line head + TriArc 3-tooth steel blade (wider capability)
Weight	~2.2 kg excl. battery (much lighter)	Noticeably heavier — built for a blade
Battery supplied	2× 20V packs + charger	4 Ah pack (larger single cell)
Handle style	Standard trimmer loop	Bike handle
Best suited to	Lawn edging, light grass	Tall grass, light scrub, brambles
Price position	Entry cordless	Mid-tier cordless

Weight and handling: no contest

If all-day comfort is the priority, the WG183E wins outright. At roughly 2.2 kg without its battery, it’s about as light as cordless trimmers get, making it easy to swing one-handed for quick edging jobs without arm fatigue. The RBC36X26B is a heavier, more substantial tool with a bike handle designed to control a spinning steel blade — it’s built to be planted and worked through resistance, not carried lightly all afternoon. Neither approach is wrong; they’re simply engineered for different tasks.

Cutting equipment: line-only vs blade-equipped

This is the real dividing line between the two. The WG183E is strictly a line trimmer — its 33 cm cutting width and AutoFeed line system are aimed squarely at grass and lawn edges, and it has no path to fitting a blade. The RBC36X26B ships with both a line head and a hardened TriArc 3-tooth blade, so it can switch from tidying grass to cutting through light brambles and tougher tall growth without changing tools. If your plot ever throws up anything woodier than grass, only the Ryobi is equipped to deal with it.

Battery and runtime

Both machines come with batteries included, which is a genuine convenience at this price point — you’re not paying extra just to get the tool running. The Worx pairs two 20V PowerShare cells to reach its 40V rating, while the Ryobi uses a single, larger 4 Ah pack on its 36V MAX platform. In practice, the Worx’s lighter cutting load (line only, no blade drag) means its smaller combined capacity still gives reasonable runtime for lawn work, while the Ryobi’s bigger single cell is there to support the extra draw of driving a blade through scrub.

Motor and durability

Both use brushed motors rather than brushless, so neither is the last word in motor longevity or efficiency — that’s a trade-off both brands make to keep these models at an accessible price. Given similar motor technology, the deciding factor really comes back to what each tool is asked to do: light, repetitive lawn trimming wears a motor far less than pushing a blade through dense material, so the Worx’s lighter workload plays to its motor’s strengths.

Choose the Worx WG183E if…

• Your job is lawn edging and light grass — nothing woody or dense
• You want the lightest possible cordless tool for long, comfortable sessions
• You like AutoFeed and never want to tap-advance a line head
• You want batteries and a charger in the box without paying for cutting capability you won’t use

Choose the Ryobi RBC36X26B if…

• You face tall grass, light scrub or the odd bramble patch
• You want the flexibility to switch between line and steel blade
• You’re happy to carry a heavier, bulkier tool in exchange for real cutting power
• You want a larger single battery pack rather than two smaller ones

Which should you buy?

If your work is genuinely just grass and lawn edges, the Worx WG183E is hard to beat for comfort — it’s light, simple and comes ready to run. The moment your ground includes scrub, brambles or anything a line head would struggle with, the Ryobi RBC36X26B’s included TriArc blade makes it the more capable, more versatile machine, at the cost of extra weight. Match the tool to what you actually cut, not just the price tag.