Summary
Home improvements are almost never finished in a timely manner. There’s always something to tweak, update, fix, or adjust. Whether it’s a new coat of paint, putting down tile instead of a carpet, building a new piece of furniture, or adding a new light fixture to update the room, there are plenty of projects to keep homeowners busy.
A few months ago, my wife and I decided to replace some of the old doors that the previous owners of our house had in the bedrooms. They were chipping and squeaking, and the style wasn’t exactly one we loved. After taking the old doors off the bedrooms and closets, I then had a surplus of doors sitting in my garage. I tried to donate them and sell them, but to no avail. So, I decided to cut them up with a table saw. But before I did that, I grabbed a Ryobi clamp fan to help with the job. Once that job was finished, I haven’t stopped using my fan since.
The Ryobi clamp fan has been incredibly helpful
The first job made it worth it
The Ryobi USB Lithium Clamp Fan was recommended to me by a contractor a few years back. He claimed it was one of the best budget buys you could make for your home tool inventory. It is powered by a 2.0 Ah battery with a USB-C charging port and comes with a charging cable. The battery lasts about 7 hours while on low, and I’ve found that to be mostly true.
Of course, there are plenty of times when you want the higher setting (the fan has two speeds) and with extended use of the higher speed, the battery will die quicker. I purchased this for two reasons for that first job of cutting up doors.
The first was to help me clear out the dust that would accumulate as I was making the cuts. I didn’t want to lug my entire Shop Vac upstairs for a job that didn’t really require it and the fan was able to clamp onto the table and quickly disperse the dust. My contractor friend mentioned the incredibly flexible neck of the fan and how you can twist it and maneuver it all around. Clamping it to the table and moving the fan around where the dust sat was so simple. Plus, the fan then stays put in place when you move it. It isn’t one of those fans that is too heavy in some positions and it topples over. This is sturdy in any position you put it in.
The clamp itself is also incredibly strong. It tightly grips many surfaces, making it secure for almost any job. The second reason why I got it for this specific job, though, was because my garage gets hot, and I could use a fan blowing on me while I was doing the work. I haven’t had any issues with getting cool as I use this.
This feature has extended my use cases
This has been used by one family member more than anyone else
My son was only a few months old when the summer came around. Trying to find ways to get him outside, as we have an active toddler as well and a large dog who likes to go on walks, we knew we needed to keep him cool but still bring him with us places. The Ryobi clamp fan has been the answer.
It easily straps onto the handle of his Doona car seat / stroller and we used it all summer. It can provide a refreshing stream of air to keep him from overheating and delivers enough strength to not budge as we’re on an outing. We’ve strapped it onto multiple strollers, a sun shade while at the beach, and even his bouncer and it has worked perfectly.
Many of the baby fans on the market are small and easy to transport, while the Ryobi clamp fan is a bit more cumbersome to pack. But almost none of them have batteries that last as long, and I’d venture to guess none have a better clamp than this.
Obviously, we always make sure it is secure before we leave him unattended with it and when it isn’t in use, we take it off where it is being used. It was never intended to be used mostly around a baby, but that’s how we’ve used it, and I’m grateful for that.
It isn’t quite like other Ryobi tools I have
But it is easy to use and charge
The Lithium battery doesn’t fit into the Ryobi ONE+ battery system, like a few of the other tools I have in my home. This battery doesn’t have a large battery pack that can power other Ryobi tools, such as my drill / driver that I’m fond of.
But the battery itself can be used as a portable charger for mobile devices. If you buy the kit that comes with the charging cable, it can do that for you, as it is USB-C by USB-C. There is a cap on the end of the battery in the fan that keeps it securely in place, so you just have to remove it to charge it or use it for external charging.
It was never intended to be used mostly around a baby, but that’s how we’ve used it, and I’m grateful for that.
There are other portable fan kits that Ryobi offers that can be powered by the battery as well, so it is part of its own battery system with other small Ryobi tools. I might have to look into other tools that can use it, as I do with the ONE+ system.
This clamp fan has been a true blessing
The Ryobi USB Lithium Clamp Fan has been an excellent addition to not only my tool inventory but also my home. It has been one of the most used tools in my house this year and I look forward to finding more ways to use it in the future. Plus, I now have another portable charger, which is never a bad thing.
Ryobi USB Lithium Clamp Fan
The Ryobi USB Lithium Clamp Fan can run for seven hours. It’s adjustable to be able to direct your airflow.