Ryobi PCL704 18V Hand Vac - Honest User Review

[@hatmanmx]

I want to see it in action, no words.

[@busabobsgarage9876]

Thanks for that feedback. You may want to watch my comparison on the PCL704 vs 705. I honestly believe that the 705 does a pretty good job of addressing some inherent design issues with the 704. I agree that I have too much talk and little action in this vid.

[@hatmanmx]

@@busabobsgarage9876 Thanks a lot!

[@DavidSanchez-ye3mo]

FYI, the HEPA filters can be washed (rinsed with water) as well.

[@busabobsgarage9876]

Good to know

[@Athletic03]

I just purchased one, and i luv it.. Definitely a 10 rating

[@Bman67]

I'm glad I watched your review. I was about to buy this unit but, I don't like the angle of the attachments after being inserted in the hand vac or the fact you have to use an attachment to use the attachments. And then I saw the attachments are an unusual size of 1-7/16" outside diameter.

[@busabobsgarage9876]

I agree that the attachment arrangement is not ideal, however, I've had pretty good luck with the unit so far. Still on the first filter, it cleans up nicely with compressed air. If you can, let me know what type of vac you decide on. Thx

[@Bman67]

@@busabobsgarage9876 I finally just saw your reply. I'm glad the vac is working out well for you. I decided to hold off since I have an old Ryobi hand vac (Model #P7131) to use for now. It's suctions is terrible which is why I was looking to upgrade but, I'll wait and hopefully we'll get a brushless version in the future with a different attachment setup.

[@ex8280]

I just bought 2. They were 20 dollars each, and was tired of dragging cord to vacuum my truck.

[@busabobsgarage9876]

I just bought spare filters for mine. They are about $5 each on amazon.

[@knowitallproductions1178]

Stopped mid-vid to comment, so disregard if covered later… 5:06 Just before this (so ~4:30-5:00 min in) you mention the major drawback, & I fully agree, the tiny consumable HEPA that could prove to have more “$$ suction” from one’s finances than the tool does in use over time, certainly a recurring issue w/ many of the vacuums across all sub-genres & certainly not exclusive to Ryobi’s offerings. I just bought this exact vac after trying to decide b/t the 4-6 Ryobi options that are included in Direct Tool Outlet’s “Flash Sale”, which is 1 day, today 06/26/23. It was 50% off, so the vac was $12.50, & 2 replacement Ryobi filters for it ran another $8, so all-in for ~$23. Obviously few, if any, will see this in time to take advantage of that flash sale, but DTO does frequently have major markdowns on almost the entire Ryobi line, (18v One+, 40v, the new smaller removable 4v lithium rechargeables, plus all of Ryobi’s hand Tools, storage solutions, add-ones, parts, accessories, etc, etc, along with a decent smattering of the Rigid & Hart tool catalogs. (An example, last week I got the Ryobi Clamp Fan, the LED flashlight resembling a right angle drill or “pistol grip, their small/older Bluetooth speaker, & 2x sets of the battery-insert tool storage lanyards all delivered for a total of $51. Upon receipt, I returned the same model fan & 2-pack tool lanyards to HD, where I had paid $25 & $10 respectively the week before, which netted me a refund of $38, meaning I ended up with the light, speaker, & an additional lanyard for just $13) I’ll also say that I’ve had luck with the small “filter socks” that one places around their filter in shop vacs, making them far easier to keep clean, and to maintain their suction as well as lifespan, while simultaneously saving substantially in effectively bypassing their shady “price gouging through filter/consumables” business model. I doubt many if any of those “filter socks” would fit with the tight clearance of the filter in this particular model, but there IS a version that I have found at Lowe’s before (so it should be available on Amazon &/or elsewhere) that is an extremely thin version, think lady pantyhose but solid/less porous, that didn’t work for my intended purposes, but that have been useful & by virtue of their material & lightness easily adapted to other size filters, and I’m (probably naively) optimistic that it may work in this vac as well. Potentially used around what is described as the pre-filter at time stamp above if not the HEPA filter itself, and in that scenario the HEPA filter may be removed entirely in order to keep suction at good levels, possibly even improved levels. (Assuming running it like that wouldn’t compromise the motor, and also assuming that one is using it more for smaller jobs and larger pieces Than the extremely fine particulates HEPA filters are generally used for, .3 microns if memory serves, but it could be .03, not sure. Regardless, HEPA seems I’ll-suited for this hand vac & the common jobs it will be used for by most of its owners, so even finding 3rd party filters that are NOT HEPA, (& especially ones that are reusable) could actually be a major enhancement to this tool, and would also successfully bypass Ryobi’s ham-fisted forays into attempted hostile market coercive practices. Let’s see if the remainder of the video reveals that I wasted my time in typing this out. Lol.

[@phillipcoffman]

A can of canned air would work great on the filter but I would definitely not use the canned air on the Motor housing itself especially the fan great video thank you

[@busabobsgarage9876]

Canned air would work well if you don't have a compressor. The original filter is still holding up, but I will buy a couple spares soon.

[@crsp76691]

The rubber debris trap flapper will break first, good luck getting a replacement, you cant!!! I had to make one out of rubber

[@busabobsgarage9876]

Good to know

[@m.annaalleman1361]

My catch bin has another filter to pry open.

[@mastopage3120]

Hello Bob, i just subscribe to you're channel. Thank for the honest review, not like some other channel... I just bought the same, but in the pack there were one battery and charger. 120$ Canadian. I am returning the m12 Milwaukee. Great construction, but the filter his the same principle and it dose not have the pre filtered like in Ryobi so it clog very easy. Its 15 Can for a pack of 2 Ryobi filter by the way.

[@busabobsgarage9876]

Hi Masto, I'm so glad that the video helped in some way and I appreciate the comment about the pre-filter. I'm not a big fan of buying filters for any of the vacuums that I have, but it's really a necessary expense if you want to keep them running efficiently and preserve the life of the motor. I have been pretty successful cleaning these types of filters with an air compressor, but eventually you have to buy some replacements. Good luck with your vac.

[@mastopage3120]

@@busabobsgarage9876 Well i must said that i am very impress with the Ryobi. I think that the power of suction is almost double compare to the M12, of course it's 18 volt battery on the Ryobi so that help. Alright take care.

[@DjeyB55]

Can you use the 18v HP battery with this?

[@busabobsgarage9876]

@@DjeyB55 sure can, I just tested it.

[@tonyh4513]

There has to be a flaw in the design The brush attachment should angle down. Why would it face up. I bought went to use it after a while and noticed this too late to return it.

[@busabobsgarage9876]

Totally agree with you

[@katiel4913]

it's recommended by the NYT lol

[@busabobsgarage9876]

Well it must be good then 😉