Ryobi RLT1831H25F Review

The Ryobi RLT1831H25F is a straightforward 18V ONE+ line trimmer, and it’s worth judging it as exactly that: a tool for keeping grass and edges tidy, not a do-it-all brushcutter. It doesn’t pretend otherwise — there’s no blade attachment, so brambles, woody stems, and thick scrub are outside its remit from the start.

Where it’s good

The main selling point isn’t the trimmer itself so much as the battery it takes. Ryobi’s 18V ONE+ platform is one of the largest cordless ecosystems around, spanning everything from drills to leaf blowers to pressure washers. If you already own ONE+ batteries, this trimmer effectively costs you just the bare tool, and you’re never short of a spare battery on charge. The head is light enough to swing one-handed for short bursts, and the second handle gives a steadier, two-handed grip for longer sessions or awkward angles, which matters more than people expect once you’re twenty minutes into edging a long border. Being line-only also keeps things simple: no blade guard to fit, no blade sharpening, just feed the line and go.

Where it falls short

The obvious trade-off is capability. An 18V motor and a 25-30 cm cutting width put this firmly in the “tidy the lawn edges and light grass” category rather than the “clear a rough patch” one. There’s no way to bolt on a metal blade if you later find brambles or saplings creeping in — you’d need a different Ryobi model or a higher-voltage machine for that. Runtime is also the usual cordless compromise: fine for a regular once-a-week trim, less comfortable if you’re facing a large area or growth that’s been left to get away from you. Buyers expecting brushcutter-level toughness from the ONE+ badge will be disappointed; this is a grass trimmer wearing a bigger ecosystem’s name.

Who should buy it

This suits owners of small to medium gardens who mainly need grass and edges kept neat, and it’s an especially easy recommendation if you’re already sitting on Ryobi ONE+ batteries from other tools — the incremental cost and hassle of adding this trimmer is low. Anyone facing thicker growth, larger plots, or wanting the option to upgrade to a blade later should look further up Ryobi’s range, or at a purpose-built brushcutter instead.