Jerry wrote in yesterday (thanks for the note!), with a heads-up about new Ryobi cordless power tools: I was at Home Depot recently and the Ryobi display had a little teaser about some ‘coming soon’ 18V cordless tools. I think there were at least two, maybe more, but I can’t remember for sure. The one I do remember, was a cordless 18V One+ drain auger. Do you know anything more about it?
And wouldn’t you know, just a few minutes later a Ryobi Tools press release hit my inbox, announcing the new Ryobi 18V One+ drain auger, model P4001.
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It’s a cordless snake! You know, for clearing out stubborn clogs.
The Ryobi drain auger can be used in sinks, toilets*, and bath drains. It’s got a 25-foot reinforced cable that is said to resist kinking, and can be used in drains up to 2 inches wide.
Features & Specs
- 25-foot reinforced cable
- Max 2-inch drain size
- 600 RPM (no load)
- Powered forward and reverse feeding mechanism
- Auto-feed lock that engages bearings
- Cable clamp
- Protective feet keep rotating drum off delicate surfaces
- Rear drain port prevents water build up
- Improved GripZone handle comfort
Price: $70 (battery and charger sold separately)
ETA: Sep/Oct 2015
Compare (Manual auger via Amazon)
Compare (Ridgid auger via Home Depot, also at Amazon)
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First Thoughts
I don’t think I’ve ever used a toilet snake before, but I familiarized myself with my grandfather’s older corded model after he passed away. I remember my father borrowing it in past years a couple of times. It was heavy and still required a lot of elbow grease to get going.
Drain augers have corkscrew-like tips that, when rotated, can dig into and grab hold of whatever might be clogging up a drain, such as clumps of hair that has built up over time, or… other stuff.
In the announcement email, our contact at Ryobi leads into the attachments by saying You may want to think twice before calling a plumber? When a plunger fails (here are some recommendations), or simple hair hooks or other improvisations are simply way too short to reach a sink or bath clog, most people are left with calling a plumber to resolve the issue.
It really might be a good idea to pick up one of these before calling up a plumber. How much does it cost for a plumber to come out and clear out a clogged drain? I’m guessing that this would pay for itself with one or two uses.
Ryobi’s new drain auger is just $70. A battery and charger are sold separately. But if you’ve already bought into Ryobi’s system, this seems like a reasonably priced accessory.
I took a look at manual drain auger pricing, linked above, and you can get a basic model for as low as about $25, and a Ridgid one for $40. AC-powered augers are different story, with fairly high pricing.
Compared to a manual auger, this $70 Ryobi model might seem a little pricey, but it also has a number of appealing features. While you might not need a powered feed to reach shorter clog differences, it’ll likely make a difference after you a U-joint, elbow, or other bend in the piping. And then you have the auto cable lock so that you can rotate the cable around without unintentionally losing contact with the clog.
Ryobi’s new 18V drain auger looks good on paper, and it should be safe to assume it’s built as well as their other One+ tools. It looks to be a great addition to Ryobi’s frequently-expanding range of cordless 18V tools.
While I don’t think professional plumbers will even look at this tool for this drain-clearing jobs (or would you?), it might be a good addition for maintenance pro’s, facilities managers, and other such do-it-all guys that might not want to splurge for a more premium powered model.
pete
TTI is really making Ryobi look like a heavy hitter against their other premium brands. Granted as long as your not a heavy duty contractor that doesn’t need all the big dog of tools day in and out. I really wish they would release tools like these for Milwaukee!
I’m still waiting for my Milwaukee cordless inflator!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HATE having to carry around 1 stupid Ryobi battery just for the inflator.
glenn
Ryobi are certainly kicking some goals with their variety and introduction of cordless tool types .
I feel this is where Milwaukee are sometimes missing the boat. Instead of concentrating almost wholly and solely on the top end and sometimes the more esoteric gear ie; one key, they should also be releasing more tools that everyday users want.
We were discussing this point at work recently just after NPS15 and the One Key release and decided unanimously that there is not one new tool from that release that any of us would buy. (HVAC & Electricians at @ 75% Milwaukee owners & users) .
We would however have welcomed DC only dual voltage chargers and the above mentioned inflator. They would literally sell millions of them worldwide. After all, most tradies turn up to work in a vehicle of some sort, most of which have tyres that can go flat as well as a very handy12v power supply.
And agreed, having to keep one battery and charger for just one too is just plain annoying.
Jason
For 70 dollars this would be pretty nice to have around. I just can’t get rid of my Ryobi batteries they just have so many interesting tools that other companies don’t offer or have them at a much lower price.
Jerry
I’m the guy who saw the teaser. Glad you could put up some info on it, Stuart, especially the price. HD had this, and at least one other thing in a ‘coming soon’ teaser, but no prices. I’m glad that your info included the price. My (retired) parents have a garbage disposal in their kitchen sink, and about every 6-8 months or so, the drainpipe going down from it clogs at the junction, where it connects to the main, larger pipe in the basement. It takes about 8 feet or so of snake to get it dug out. I think over time the greasy food bits from the sink disposal build up and it gradually drains slower and slower until we blast it through. My father has an old manual snake, but it is getting so rusty it stained the sink on its last use, and I was tempted to ‘borrow’ it sometime, accidently ‘lose’ it, and get him (us) a new one. However, for $70, probably less come the holidays, I think I will get this one. I already have the Ryobi batteries, I should get a snake of my own, and since we fight with a manual one a couple times a year already anyway, I think this would be almost a no brainer, since a decent hand crank one runs $35-$45. If it works well, the time saved and convenience alone would be well worth the extra money.
I don’t know if you ever used a hand cranked drain snake, but it works like this:
Pull out a bit of snake, tighten the little wing nut to lock it in place, (otherwise it just pushes back into the housing). Crank while advancing the snake (the entire unit, housing and all). Loosen wing nut. Pull out another 6-8 inches of snake. Tighten the wing nut. Crank while advancing snake. Repeat over and over again until you reach the clog. If you get lucky, you can sometimes advance the snake more than that at one time, but go too far, and it twists into a tangle in front of you, as it uses suport from the inside of the pipe to help it keep from kinking.
A cordless unit, with automatic advance, even if it was slow, would be a great improvement as far as convenience and ease of use.
One other bit of advice for anyone who uses a snake: when you are done, pull out the snake cable, and dry it off by running it through a rag. Then, be sure it dries out completely before you put it in a closet or confined area that may prevent it from drying thoroughly. My dad didn’t do that, and the first 10 feet or so of the snake has gotten very rusty.
Ryobi tools may not be quite up there with DeWalt or Milwaukee for daily professional use, but the ones I have are solid performers, especially for the price, and the sheer number of One+ tools available, is just amazing.
Adam
I bought a snake from Menards a few years back. It was only $10-15 at the time, but or has the ability to be connected to a drill chuck. For as much as a home owner would need one, I’d go that route. Of I was a handyman, I’d pick up the ryobi.
I already have several batteries for the ryobi hybrid fan, so that isn’t a hesitation point.
mizzourob
I think the other coming soon tool is a random orbit sander, model P411
Nathan
not knocking ryobi – however they tend to be weaker tools.
as mentioned above – what about a auger device that was meant to chuck into a drill or impact driver – seems that would be a better use of 70 dollars, or say 50
and you’d have a better tool because that money would be put all into the cost of the gear drive etc – instead of needing yet another motor and circuit . . . . . .
I’d like to see something like that – then you’re not married to a battery tool platform – it would work on any driver device of color preference.
Mike aka Fazzman
We just had a plumber come out yesterday to clear our main line,it was around $100.
This seems like it would be good, the manual feed one I have is a pain,the cable is small diameter,cable length can be an issue too. It becomes frustrating to use.
Mike
Having cleared many drains in my days, I’d buy one! Be great for shower and sinks. If you use once every 5 years it might not be the best way to go. The smaller snakes are usually pretty worthless on toilets. Pick up a 6′ toilet auger for that.
fred
As someone who once made part of their living from a plumbing business – I can highly recommend a homeowner having a closet auger – and this – or a hand/drill powered tool line Ridgid’s Power Spin (about $40 at Home Depot) might be worth a try. As may have been said before – the good part about some of these tools are that they are lightweight and relatively inexpensive compared to a plumber’s fee. The problem is that they are sometimes too lightweight (the 5/8 inch or 3/4 inch cable on the machines we often used was certainly more kink resistant) to get the job done. Even with the Heavy Duty machines – for longer lines and specific problems we sometimes had to call in a sub-contractor who had jetting machines.
SteveR
I don’t think I’d use this in a toilet; it’s not really designed for that. Better to use a Ridgid (or other brand) 3-foot manual toilet auger for that. For sinks and bathtub drains, I have a manual Cobra Pistol Grip Drain Auger (from Amazon), with a 1/4″, 25-foot-long cable. That’s the non-powered equivalent of this Ryobi. The force the powered versions generate can twist the cable into a pretzel if too much power is applied.
Drain augers aren’t suggested for toilets because they’re too narrow for that application; the toilet auger is a larger-diameter cable (1/2″). Additionally, the cable end could scratch the porcelain at the bowl’s inlet area. Ridgid and other toilet augers have a rubber or plastic piece for protection where the cable enters the inlet.
It’s best to go slow in attempting to clear a clog rather than taking the “more power” route when you don’t know the extent of the blockage. You likely won’t need a lot of force to clear a typical sink or bath drain clog. Frequent blockages may be a sign of a more complicated problem (tree roots, for instance) that will require professional attention.
Jerry, above, has given a very good description of how the process works with the manual auger. One other thing to do is oil the cable after drying it, to prevent rusting. You could get the Ryobi unit, but for the number of times it would be used, I think you’d be money ahead buying the manual auger. Things to consider are how skilled you are using an auger, and whether you already have Ryobi batteries and a charger.
fred
Cobra used to give away an anti-scratch rubber mat (their part # 10601) when you bought their urinal augers. At any rate – as you say – most closet augers come with a rubber or plastic sleeve at the end to help avoid scratching the commode. Even a stout closet auger isn’t up to some jobs (think about a half a grapefruit we found stuck ) that required us to pull the commode off and blow it out from the other end with a fire hose.
Benjamen
That first picture bothers me. Why would you snake a drain from the sink? If the sink is draining slowly the first thing you should do is pull the trap. Chances are that’s where the clog will be. If the trap is clear then use the auger from the trap so you’re not going through a bunch of twists and turns.
I’m aware that you can’t always get at the trap, and there are times you know that the clog isn’t in the trap, but sometimes going into the scary space under the sink is better than using a power tool to make things go from bad to worse much faster.
SteveR
Now, Benjamen, you’re thinking logically, and that just doesn’t fly in this environment. At least, that’s what a former supervisor used to tell me when I’d question a new policy (I used to work for the Feds). I think the reason for starting at the drain is homeowner reluctance to grab pipe wrenches and get to the heart of the problem. It involves work, effort, thought and planning. And that just goes against human nature.
Joe
“Why would you snake a drain from the sink? “
Convenience. In the kitchen sink you can’t do this. For unclogging the p-trap in the kitchen, you have to remove it. If the p-trap is clean, you do it from the clean out port. But mostly the kitchen is the one that is harder to unclog due to build up cooking greases building up over time in the pipes. Second in the difficulty is the bathtub due to access to the plumbing. The p-trap is under the bathtub where access to it is mostly a small access cut out hole in the wall.
I think I need get in to Ryobi tools – has auto feed too….nuff said.
Matt E.
“Why would you snake a drain from the sink? ”
Because marketing: that makes for better photo ops than under a sink.
Chris
Ive resigned myself to the fact that my favorite brand (Milwaukee) wont make a lot of the “specialty” tools like this, so when Home Depot was clearing out Ryobi battery packs, I bought a few.
Now I have 3 4.0ah packs sepcifically for tools like this. My everyday tools (drills, impact drivers, etc) are Milwaukee and the things I dont use often (right angle drill, oscillating multitool, etc) are Ryobi.
Good combination of both IMHO.
Jason
I’m set up the same way Milwaukee for more of the serious construction tools, and Ryobi for tools I won’t use often or tools that Milwaukee will never offer. The other thing is the Ryobi fan is a better design and deal than the Milwaukee fan.
Curtis
Awesome comments Chris and Jason! That’s exactly why I’m here. Searching pages and pages of the Milwaukee Tool website in the naive hope that I’ll find an 18v Drain Auger to go with my amazing 18v Milwaukee system and no dice. Accepting defeat I first check the Ryobi site to see what else they might make that Milwaukee doesn’t, now that I’m intimately aware of what they do make and like you both I found some tools that might justify my hesitant step into a dual system cordless world. Ugh.
The last time this drain in our house clogged we paid a plumber enough to buy 3 of these Ryobi Augers, only to have to help him locate the clean-out and clear the drain after he was stumped when he couldn’t clear it through the sink drain. He used a more traditional drill style version of this thing that he told us he bought at Home Depot. Once he was finally in the right place to clear the clog it took him only minutes to clear with his drill auger what we had already worked on for hours. He encouraged us to get our own and here I am, off to Home Depot at lunch today.
Eric
This one is on the top of my list, I have an issue with drains…
Ed
Uggg… just bought it, broke it 10 minutes later. Motor is very powerful, too powerful, and cable is very weak, too weak. Snapped the cable right off while in my drain. Now I will have to cut the drain pipe and retrieve the cable. Normally I have nothing but good things to say about Ryobi… but given the circumstances I would say dont buy this.
A different guy named Ed
I disagree with this. The cable is no weaker than others–in fact, looks pretty much identical to the one on my (now retired) Ridgid. The manual says you must stop the tool if the cable stops spinning. I just bought one of these last night, and it works great, paid for itself already. The cable did stop once or twice, at which point I retracted it and started back in at lower speed. No problem, just a slight delay. The auto feed is fantastic, I could not find that on any other tool short of a $200 or more professional monster.
I also like that the cable has a plastic rod inside to prevent kinking.
Ger Cabs
I just bought it also. The cable broke in the drum, and is stuck. Having difficulty pulling it out.
Bill
There need to be better quality cables. Kinking and breaking are frustrating issues to deal with. Most sinks especially bathroom need to be snaked out after the trap. This is where most of the gunk accumulates over time and clog the drain. Snaking from the sink will not clear this out with all the turns in the pipe.
Mr Lloyd
I am interested in purchase of of one or more of these cordless drain cleaners, please contact me at
regards
Mr Lloyd
Ian Grainger
Can You ship to the United Kingdom
Stuart
We don’t sell tools.
Jason
You can buy one off Amazon and get international shipping.
Jason
Not Amazon Ebay . http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ryobi-Drain-Auger-18V-Battery-Operated-Cordless-Snake-Plumbing-Power-Tool-Only-/222217481695
Michael Godfrey
I just bought and tried to use a Ryobi drain auger, P4001. The cable clamp doesn’t stop the cable from pushing back into the drum. When it hits the first resistance the cable begins to retreat back into the drum.
Am I doing something wrong? Is there a way to increase the clamp’s grip on the cable? You can easily overcome it by pushing the cable back with your fingers.
Lewis Charkosky
I was a plumber for 40 years I tried this snake on my daughters tub. The auto feed did not work and the cable kinked and broke on the first attempt down the drain.. Now I’m trying to figure out how to remove the cable