If you’re currently using or thinking about switching to a battery operated power tool, you’ll be enjoying the cordless freedom it brings to your DIY projects and improvements.
Simply click in your battery and get to work! Switching between tools couldn’t be easier with Ryobi ONE+ technology, as our modern Ryobi 18V ONE+ Lithium battery can power over 200 Ryobi ONE+ tools for your home and garden.
Once you’re done, it’s time to charge up. Depending on the brand of tool you use, you will need to choose a charger that accepts your particular battery. Every power tool brand uses its own proprietary fitting of battery to ensure compatibility with its own range of power tools. If using a lithium battery, you also want to ensure your chosen charger is suitable for charging such batteries. It will typically advertise this to ensure you choose the correct charger.
Having a Ryobi ONE+ charger system for all of your tools around the home can make your life easier, as one battery charger fits all batteries in our range.
What battery charger is best?
Deciding which battery charger is best will solely depend on which batteries you are using, what capacity your batteries are and how quickly/frequently you want to charge your batteries. Ryobi uses ONE+ technology for cross-tool compatibility and simple charging.
For example, if you have a Ryobi 18V ONE+ 2.0Ah Lithium battery you can use the Ryobi RC18120 2.0A charger. This will charge your 2.0Ah battery from empty in 60mins. If you want to charge your battery faster than the newly released, Ryobi 18V ONE+ Rapid Charger will charge your 2.0Ah battery in 30mins.
From mowing your lawn, drilling a hole, cutting wood, trimming hedges or polishing your car, the ONE+ System lets you do all of this with only ONE battery. Meaning you can power over 200+ different tools with the same battery and charger. You can quickly expand your ONE+ system for less by buying individual tools and adding additional batteries or chargers if you need them too.
What should I look for when buying a battery charger?
First, ensure your battery will fit into the charger and the output voltage is the same so it is compatible. Second, ensure the charger is suitable for the chemistry of your battery, ie Lithium, NiMh, NiCad, etc. Lastly, check the charge rate, this will be shown on the back of the charger and measured in Amps (A). The larger the number, the faster your battery will charge. To work out the charge time for your battery, divide the battery capacity (Ah) by the charger output (A) and this will give you a rough guide to charging speeds.
Can any Ryobi charger charge any Ryobi battery?
All modern Ryobi ONE+ 18V chargers can be used to charge any Ryobi 18V ONE+ Lithium battery.
Simply choose from our seven battery sizes to suit the power tool and application load (grinding or sawing will require higher capacity batteries for a longer run-time). All of our ONE+ batteries are made with IntelliCell technology, so they uniquely manage their own power to deliver optimum performance and runtime for any ONE+ tool and application.
Older Ryobi chargers (typically grey or black in colour) were designed before Lithium batteries existed within the range so therefore won't charge Lithium batteries. If a Lithium battery were to be plugged into such a charger, the protection electronics within the battery won't allow it to be charged for safety reasons.
Can you charge a lithium battery with a 12 volt charger?
Charging a lithium battery with a 12 volt charger will depend on which battery you have and if the charger is compatible with it.
For example, Ryobi offer their RC18118C in car charger which will charge any Ryobi 18V ONE+ lithium battery using the 12V auxiliary power port in your car or van. It will charge your batteries at a rate of 1.8A.
Do lithium batteries need a special charger?
Yes, lithium batteries require a charger that has appropriate electronics on board to allow batteries to charge efficiently and safely. As a minimum requirement, lithium compatible chargers must protect the battery and charger from overcharging and getting too hot.
Some chargers such as those in the Ryobi range also feature extra electronics which monitor battery condition to optimise charging to prolong the life of the battery and to ensure each cell within the battery pack are charged equally to 100%.
Should lithium batteries be left on charger?
Technically Lithium batteries should never be left on charge as they can become dangerous when charged passed 100%.
Any charger which can charge a Lithium battery however must have overcharge protection which stops charging the battery once it reaches 100% and shuts the power off. This ensures your battery is safe to stay plugged into the charger just in case you forget about it. It won't overcharge or overheat which is critical.
Are all Ryobi Chargers the same?
Not all Ryobi chargers are the same, as they are best suited for different battery capacities. You can choose which is best for your tools and common applications.
The current 18V ONE+ chargers will charge any of Ryobi's ONE+ Lithium batteries but they all charge at different rates.
- The RC18115 charger charges at 1.5A so is great for smaller batteries.
- The RC18120 charger charges at 2.0A and is great for small to medium batteries.
- The RC18150 charger charges at 5.0A and is great for quickly charging all Ryobi batteries including larger capacities such as 5.0Ah and 9.0Ah.
- The RC18640 6-Port Battery Charger charges at 4A and is great for charging up to 6 batteries in one go.
- Ryobi also offer an in car charger which is powered from your car’s 12V auxiliary power port and offers a 6-port charger which will charge up to 6 batteries sequentially at a rate of 2.7A which is ideal for those with large battery collections.
Browse all Ryobi ONE+ chargers and batteries.