The Tool On Trial
Vacuums might not be the first tool you picture for a workshop, but they’re indispensable for keeping a workspace safe and tidy. When sawdust piles up on workshop floors or a nasty spill happens in the garage, you want a vacuum that’s easy to use yet powerful enough to handle the mess. Traditional shop vacs do the job, but they can be bulky, awkward to set up and inconvenient for quick cleanups.
When I discovered Ryobi’s cordless stick vacuum weighing just eight pounds, I was curious: could a lightweight, battery-powered vacuum offer the convenience of portability while still delivering strong cleaning performance? I tested the Ryobi ONE+ cordless stick to find out.
Out of the box, the Ryobi ONE+ felt solid and well-built. The components snapped together neatly, and the overall assembly was straightforward. One practical advantage is compatibility with a common battery platform—no need for a specialized battery. I simply grabbed a Ryobi One+ battery from my charger and slid it into the vacuum, which made the setup fast and painless.
The vacuum can be used in two main configurations: as a full-length stick vacuum or as a compact hand vacuum with the extension wand removed. Another thoughtful feature is the removable roller bar, which makes maintenance and cleaning the brush area much easier than on many rivals.
Overall, the tool felt convenient and simple to operate, which earned it initial points for ease of use before I even started real testing.
How We Tested
Ryobi markets this vacuum as suitable for “multi-surface use” including hard floors, short-pile carpet and rugs. To evaluate those claims, I set up three identical 2 ft x 2 ft test zones on three surfaces: low-pile carpet, a longer-pile carpet, and smooth garage concrete. I poured a thin, even layer of kitchen flour into each zone to simulate a typical workshop spill like sawdust.
The test was straightforward: run the vacuum for 15 seconds over each spill zone and see how much of the material it picked up. Fifteen seconds is a short window, but it reflects real-world expectations for a quick, portable cleanup—especially when you want to handle messes before they spread or compact.
The Verdict
In short, the Ryobi ONE+ is a convenient, well-made cordless vacuum that performs unevenly across surfaces. On short-pile carpet it delivered the best results: nearly all of the flour was removed within the 15-second interval, leaving the area noticeably cleaner and showing that the motor and brush roll can be effective on low-profile fibers.
However, performance dropped on the longer-pile carpet and on the smooth garage floor. The higher-pile carpet presented more resistance and the vacuum struggled to fully lift and contain the flour. On concrete, the vacuum tended to disperse the flour more than collect it, blowing and pushing some of the powder around rather than pulling it into the dustbin. I had to finish the cleanup with more powerful vacuums to restore the test areas to normal.
These results suggest the Ryobi ONE+ is best suited for light, everyday tasks: quick pick-ups, cleaning inside vehicles, stair cleaning, or tidying workbenches and small spills. It’s not a replacement for a dedicated shop vac when you’re dealing with larger spills, heavy debris, or deep cleaning on uneven or coarse surfaces. The cordless convenience and compact size are real strengths, but they come with trade-offs in raw suction and handling of large or heavy messes.
Where To Buy the Ryobi ONE+ Vacuum
The Ryobi ONE+ Cordless Stick Vacuum is an affordable option in the stick-vac category, typically priced in the $80–$90 range. It’s commonly available through major home improvement and e-commerce retailers. If you already own Ryobi ONE+ batteries, this vacuum can be a practical addition to your tool lineup for small jobs and tight spaces.
Summary: If you want a portable, easy-to-use vacuum for light workshop tasks, car interiors and quick household touch-ups, the Ryobi ONE+ is worth considering. For heavy-duty shop cleanup, deep carpet cleaning or large spills on concrete, a more powerful shop vac remains the better choice.