5 Basic Ryobi Tools No Handyman Should Be Without

Ryobi is one of the premiere names in power tools. With their ONE+ system, the company has been able to offer a wide variety of products for work sites, mechanics shops, and even the lawn & garden. However, the range of tools Ryobi produces is not exclusive to those that require an 18V battery. Those may be the flashier ones, but sometimes, all that is required is a simple piece of metal or plastic that you can hold in your hand.

If you're someone just getting into using tools in your day-to-day life, it can be overwhelming to know which you should prioritize when putting together your first toolbox. Of course, there are hammers, screwdrivers, and wrenches to consider, but beyond those absolute basics, there are many options out there to get your hands on that are relatively simple to use that could be of massive assistance, whether you think they will be or not. Below, you will find five tools made by Ryobi that would be essential for any person. whether they are newcomers or have been around them all of their lives.

A level is one of the most useful tools anyone has in their arsenal. The ability to know that the picture you're hanging or the table you're constructing is perfectly parallel to the ground is vital, lest it all be guesswork. However, some levels are just too small for certain purposes. If you want to make sure that you are hanging multiple photographs on your wall at the same height, a level that is just a foot long — or not even a foot long — is not going to be the greatest option.

For these applications, Ryobi offers another product called the Laser Cube. Not only does this help you level, but it also emits a laser both horizontally and vertically that reaches 10 feet out. This way, it makes it easier to keep objects level with one another within an entire room. You do not need to hold the Laser Cube for this to work either, nor does it need to be set on a flat surface. The device comes with a push pin that allows you to freely attach it to the wall to get things perfectly level or square with one another. 

A great pairing with the Laser Cube would be Ryobi's LED Whole Stud Detector. If you are someone new to hanging pictures, television mounts, shelves, or anything else that needs to attach to a wall, you can't just drill willy-nilly into your drywall, as it will most likely not hold whatever you choose to hang. You need to find the wooden studs in the wall to safely secure your screws or nails.

With this Stud Detector, you will be able to tell not just where the studs in your walls are (be they wood or steel), but you will also be aware of whether you are at the edge or center or the stud. The detector also alerts you if a certain positioning detects the metal from electrical wire, so you don't accidentally drill into it. So, while you have the Laser Cube set up to hang several pictures at the same level, you can go across that ten-foot laser and point out where all the studs are to best know where to hang them. It's a truly essential tool to have in your possession.

If you have yet to acquire the toolbox, you can still be decently equipped on the go with Ryobi's pocket-sized multi-tool. We need to be efficient in how we utilize our space, and having a tool that can do more than one thing can be a major help. 

As the name implies, it is specifically designed to perform more than one task, and in fact, it works as 14 different tools. Whether you need scissors, pliers, wire cutters, a Phillips or flathead screwdriver, or even just a bottle opener to use on your beverage while you work, the Ryobi Multi-Tool can accomplish all of these tasks and more. With its compact size of just over 4 inches long, it can easily be kept in a pocket or car console and whipped out at a moment's notice, both for work situations or everyday tasks like opening that pesky plastic package. 

This next tool is a bit more specific than the ones previously mentioned, but it could come in handy when you least expect it. Whether you're wallpapering a room, applying tint to your car windows, laying out painter's tape for a project, or need help working the bubbles out of a decal you just put on your motorcycle tank, Ryobi's Application Squeegee was designed exactly for all these tasks. 

Despite the name, this squeegee wasn't designed to rid a surface of water and is strictly for applying adhesives. Though just a simple, slightly flexible piece of plastic, it's easy to grip, glides smoothly over surfaces without leaving marks, and even comes with a felt cloth you can wrap over the usable edge for more delicate applications. We've all been in a situation where we've either ruined a cool sticker, a few feet of expensive tape, or an entire sheet of wallpaper because we were missing a tool like this. For what's essentially a drop in the bucket for total project cost, toss this one in your cart next time.

The last recommendation here is not a tool at all, but if you have some loose tools in your life, this could be the thing that brings them all together. Having a bunch of tools loose in some random drawer or lying on the floor of your garage is no way to be organized. And the bane of an in-home or garage project is the constant refrain of, "Where the heck is that tool? I just had it in my hand!" Having a home base for the tools you're working with makes accessing them a whole lot easier, and will prevent the otherwise inevitable loss of certain tools, as they get knocked off a work surface and roll under a nearby table. 

Once you have bought all of your Ryobi tools, you can put them in a Ryobi Zipper Pouch. This pouch measures a foot long, and its thick water-resistant material makes it a safe and secure option for storage. For some, having a gigantic toolbox or chest is entirely impractical; all you need is this reasonably-sized bag to hold all of your essentials. 

Even if you are someone with a lot of tools, having a pouch like this gives you the option of keeping certain duty-specific tools in one place, so you don't have to go digging through all of your other tools to find them. Imagine the neat row of pouches compared to the scattered array you surely have lived with for too long. Let the Ryobi Zipper Pouch eliminate that problem.