When I first moved into my new shop back in August of 2016 my garage door and garage door opener would not work. The torsion springs that balanced the door were sprung and the gears inside the motor housing of the opener were all stripped out. The door to the shop is a Hurricane door and weigh about 250 pounds, there was no way that I was willing to lift that thing manually for the long term..
Now was the perfect opportunity to install the Ryobi garage door opener and see what the rave was all about. I carefully selected the modules that I would use in my shop. I came to the conclusion that the Extension Cord Reel, the Bluetooth Speaker, and the Fan were the modules that I needed. I mean who needs a quiet hot shop with no power?
The install was pretty easy and straight forward, but I wanted this article to be about the modules themselves. I think the modules is what sets this opener apart from the rest. The fact that it can be a "workstation" is a huge bonus, especially for those of us that have smaller shops. With it's 7 module stations it give you the option to arrange it anyway you want, with the exception of the extension cord reel (more on that later)
The Fan
The fan has full osculating capabilities, although it is manual osculation, but you can rotate wherever you need it to point. You can turn it on via the wall mounted switch. Hit the button 1 time for high, 2 times for medium, 3 times for low, and 4 times for off. Or you can turn it on via the smart phone app. In the app you have the option to control the speed infinite number of options. It is mounted to the motor via 1 module port.
The Bluetooth Speaker
The bluetooth speaker is absolutely my favorite for a number of reasons. First, it is always in the shop. Secondly, it is always charged. I managed to always be in the shop and forget to bring out my bluetooth speaker or forgot to charge it. I used the Jawbone Jambox and it was great when I remembered to use it. Now if I go into the shop or outside, even for 5 mins, I am streaming my favorite country stations on pandora. You can turn the speaker on via the wall switch or via the app. As soon as you turn it on it will connect to the last device it connected to. Sometimes that is a pain because if it was my iPad then I have to go hunt the iPad down and tell it to disconnect from the speaker so I can then tell my iPhone to connect to the speaker. This is usually only them problem when I am recording with my phone. I know, I know... I need to get a stand alone camera for recording. The Speaker mounts to the motor via 1 module ports.
The Extension Cord Reel
The is a great accessory for the "workstation" It essentially gives you 3 extra outlets to run your favorite power tools. Something I desperately need until I get the new wiring done in the shop. It extends 25 feet, so that reaches all the way out to the truck when I need it too. The sides of the motor housing come with an extra 2 outlets as well. The only down fall I see with it is it requires 2 module ports and one of the outlets on the motor housing. This limits the extension cord reel to either side of the motor. And whatever side it is on you cannot have anything else mounted there. It is only a minor set back but something I can easily live with.
The Wall Switch
The wall switch gives you command of that "workstation". It comes with many buttons and I love buttons. It has a button to turn on the lights, to raise & lower the door, and to lock the door from being raised by the portable remotes or the outside keypad. There are also 7 other buttons that control the module ports on the motor. Ryobi even includes stickers to stick to the buttons so you do not have to remember which accessory is in which port. I think that is key to being able to activate the accessories quickly. I do not have the stickers on mine yet as I am not set on the placement of my accessories.
All in all, I believe the Ryobi Garage Door Opener is well worth the money and investment. You will not regret the decision to pick you one up. And remember, you can only pick up Ryobi Tools from The Home Depot.
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#HomeDepotPartner #THDProSpective #ad Professionalism comes in many ways, and one of those ways is being organized at job sites. I have used the flimsy bags that came with most power tools to transport my tools to and from a job site for many years.