Ryobi is heating up the cordless hobby tool space with a new USB Lithium foam cutter, model FVH64K.
The new Ryobi cordless foam cutter is designed to “cut, shape, and shave foam for any DIY project.”
It’s powered by their USB Lithium battery system, which features a removable battery with built-in USB-C charging, and external chargers are also available.
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The Ryobi cordless foam cutter can heat up in just under two minutes, and features high and low temperature settings.
It comes with three attachments – a hot wire tip for cutting or shaping foam, a precision engraving tip for adding details or texture, and a holing tip for cutting out shapes or boring holes into Styrofoam.
Tip-changes are a tool-free process.
The foam cutter can be used hand-held, and can also be attached to Ryobi’s RHS01 portable hobby station.
The user controls are simple, with an on/off button and mode selection buttons for switching between the dual heat settings.
Heat Settings: 300°F (low), 520°F (high)
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An LED light signals when the tool is heating up, and another indicates battery charge status.
The kit comes with the FVH64 foam cutter, USB Lithium 2Ah battery, hot wire tip with nichrome wire, precision engraving tip, holing tip, and USB charging cable (power adapter not included).
An additional 2pc foam cutting tip kit (A81FC07), with blade and scooping tips, and replacement nichrome wire (A81FC06) will be available separately.
The blade tip is described as being suited for cutting customizable tool box foam inserts (specifically Ryobi’s Link foam, but presumably other brands’ as well), and the scoop tip is for adding depth or dimension to projects.
In a promo video, Ryobi showed off a storage case that can hold all of the kit contents plus the optional added 2pc tip set.
Price: $99
ETA: July 2023
The foam cutter will be available exclusively at Home Depot.
Discussion
Sweet!
Ryobi first announced their USB Lithium cordless power tool line in early 2022, and started expanding upon it last summer.
This new foam cutter is one of several new Ryobi hobby tools for mid-2023, with the others being a soldering pen and power scrubber kit.
The foam cutter looks highly versatile, and there’s the potential for further expandability. Maybe a hot rope cutting blade will be introduced next? Or at least, that’s what I’m hoping for.
I’m really liking what Ryobi is doing with their USB Lithium cordless tool and accessory line.
What types of compact or hobby tools do you want to see Ryobi come out with next?
Jared
Interesting idea. Maybe useful for kaizen foam?
Keith
Exactly what I was thinking. Our 5S guys should get one for making tool shadow boards. Our last on-site accident was a cut finger from a utility knife while making shadow boards.
John
Can you unhook the wire to put it through a closed hole? I think that would be necessary to cut interior holes like that.
Bonnie
It has a straight-cutting plunge tip.
Andrew D.
Taking a guess based on the “tool free tip change” but still having 2 screw drivers in the kit, I’d imagine they are intending to make the wires replaceable, so yeah, you can most likely do interior cuts.
D3t
Screwdrivers?
https://youtu.be/VyKBQZcpX0g?si=_-MNKYYA3-Z2q4eZ&t=44
Jim Felt
This kind of tool is a standby in the foam as under-scenery base for model railroaders. (And commercially for upholstery pros). No idea if HD’s usual display methods will lead to a category killer though.
Plus I’m certainly doubting it’s particularly unique in the MicroMark world.
Now if M12 or the like did just this…
Bonnie
Definitely a bit odd if it’s stuck to just Home Depot (this thing would kill as an endcap at craft stores). I’d say it definitely looks to be a step above the majority of existing battery-powered hotwire tools, which for the most part are just single-piece plastic shells over a pair of bare batteries.
This might be a re-engineering of a similar cordless foam cutter made by Minova Tools, in the same way Ryobi’s 18V hot glue guns seem to have been cross-developed with Surebonder.
Lance
I really wonder what kind of battery life this will have with a single 2Ah battery running a 500F wire?
Cool concept for sure though. I’ve been contemplating building a much larger version for myself.
DavidY
Ryobi has been teasing us with a 3Ah usb battery for a few months but it is still listed as “out of stock”.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-USB-Lithium-3-0-Ah-Lithium-Ion-Rechargeable-Battery-FVB03/324232232
A
The 2-pack of 3Ah usb batteries IS in stock at that link, though!
FrankT
The single 3ah is now too
BigTimeTommy
Looks handy I know people who would love this. But my Ryobi glue gun eats through a 4ah 18v battery very quickly. I’m expecting this to either be underpowered or short on battery life.
Adam
Glue has a lot of mass to heat, to be fair. Heating wire takes less energy.
Dennis
Having helped my kids with a lot of school projects and Halloween costumes, I welcome this new addition to the Ryobi line. Being a lover of Kaizen foam organization I welcome the add on kit as well. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for battery life. But I’ve seen deals on Ryobi 4v battery multi packs pop up from time to time, so that may be the way to go.
Bonnie
If it can actually cut decently this thing could be amazing for hobby railroad, cosplay, and wargaming folks.
MM
Absolutely, it looks like it has a ton of uses for those kinds of crafts. It would be good for cutting the foam in padded cases too. And I’m sure people will think of other uses for them.
I recently learned that hot-wire foam cutters are apparently the state-of-the art method for removing the necks from acoustic guitars when doing repairs: the fret above the neck joint is pulled out, two tiny holes are drilled from inside the fret slot down into the neck joint, and fine wire-type foam cutters are inserted and turned on. This heats the glue in the joint and it can then be separated. When the guitar is put back together the fret is reinstalled and it covers up the holes. No doubt people will think of more creative uses like that.
I would love it if they had hot knife and hot scraper attachments. Even without those I am very tempted to pick the set up even though I don’t have an immediate use for it. This feels to me like one of those tools which can solve unexpected problems.
Aaron+S
My store is only stocking the inflator. Is this line more present in other regions?
Jason Young
> Ryobi is heating up the cordless hobby tool space with a new USB Lithium foam cutter
I see what you did there 😆
Stuart
=)
BrianA
Ryobi keeps coming out with all these great USB 3.6/4v tools. When the heck is Milwaukee going to make something for their USB system besides a dozen lights… yeah they have a laser too…
MM
I find it annoying that that most of the big boys when it comes to cordless tools–Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita, and so on–seem to have largely ignored a lot of what might be called “craft tools”. Dewalt and Milwaukee would have more of my money if they made things like this, glue guns, a base-station type soldering iron, and other craft/DIY/modelmaking oriented tools.
TomD
Milwaukee does have an M12 soldering iron, but I somewhat suspect that they don’t bother going into “craft tools” because the market isn’t really there for them.
And that soldering iron is really too bulky to use; you ONLY use it when you absolutely need the cordless, otherwise you get a base station.
fred
Maybe they are cautious not wanting to repeat what Black & Decker did with the B&D brand which became synonymous with DIY tools.
This sort of tool will find its use and buyers – just maybe not commercial foam cutters (like upholstery shops and furniture makers – or EIFS installers)
Steve
I have the M12 soldering iron and quite like it. Especially, with the smaller batteries. The 6.0’s can make this tool a little hard to handle. I image the margins and volume just isn’t there on these hobby tools or you’d see them all in this space. Good opportunity for a sister brand like Ryobi though…
fm2176
I saw the Ryobi USB Lithium tools at my local HD a couple of weeks ago, when I took advantage of Ryobi Days. This line looks promising. I have then Tek4 inspection scope and a bunch of One+ tools and wouldn’t hesitate to buy into the USB line, so this foam cutter may be what prompts me to do so. I can see using it for gun cases as well as tool boxes.
Frank D
Still waiting on for instance the three position charger … from? Last year.
A two port would suffice for me though.
Anyway.
Hoping for more products and maybe some non-kit lower price points.
Drewski
You are probably going to be waiting a while longer. There were manufacturing issues with it. I bought one, and found out that only the first position worked. The batteries wouldn’t fit in the second or third position. I returned it to Ryobi instead of HD (long story why) and I’m still waiting for resolution.
schill
I was able to get one and it works well. I hadn’t heard about the manufacturing issues.
Drewski
Looks like Ryobi also has a soldering iron/pen coming: https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/33287216710
It’s listed at $70. Seems a little high, when compared to their 18v tool, but I guess the portability will justify the higher cost for some users.
Joatman
This tool really isn’t for me…however, I did just open the floodgates for the RYOBI platform. About a week ago I got the brushless pruning 6” chainsaw ( free) with the 3 battery/charger starter pack. I’ve been holding out for quite some time now. Although, I have a ton of Milwaukee and DEWALT tools, RYOBI just has some great prices on some unique novelty sort of tools. I’ll probably get the Fogger/ mister next. It just seems that RYOBI isn’t afraid to go where the others won’t. Milwaukee M12 hooked me with a few specialty tools not offered in 18v or 20v………just the same that RYOBI just hooked me on some choices that I can’t find in Red or Yellow.
TonyT
Don’t forget to check DirectToolsOutlet, especially on Fridays; sometimes they have incredible Ryobi deals, too. Just remember to check 1)If it’s cheaper at HD? and 2) Do you really need it?
Joatman
Thanks for the suggestion. Didn’t realize I live pretty close to one of the outlets.
TonyT
Then you’re really lucky, because often the best deals are “in store only”. To give you an idea, DTO had the Airstrike narrow crown stapler “in store only” for ~$72 (forget if it was factory blemished or refurb).
Coach James
We bought a Ryobi fogger back during Covid to fog our facility (18,000 Sq feet) each night. It worked great for that purpose.
Regarding Direct Tools Outlet, I have bought some Ryobi stuff from the Myrtle Beach store and online, but several times I have found the brand new tools cheaper at Home Depot, Their stores are also great for the “Kid in a candy store” effect.
Rx9
What is absolutely fantastic about Ryobi 18v system is 3 things:
1. The fact that it is a form factor that started in the ni-cd era, and has persisted to this day. No other major battery platform has compatibility reaching back that far. No other platform has that level of confidence that your investment in it won’t one day be obsolete.
2. Line expansion with almost reckless abandon. Literally 100’s of 18v tools have been released, with more on the way every quarter. I bought into Ryobi’s 18v line to get tools for applications I cannot find anywhere else. The only system that comes anywhere close is Makita’s. Hot glue gun? Misting fan? Waterproof scrubber? Most other brands don’t have these. Ryobi’s got at least 2 of each.
3. Cost. Ryobi tools are not built to the standards that Milwaukee or Dewalt are. Yes, but they won’t obliterate your wallet. Everything in the line is engineered with value and reasonable durability in mind.
There are a massive amount of tools in this system that come in at a sub $50 price point. Just the other day, I got a clip fan and a sprayer for under $30 each. Only Harbor Freight comes close the sheer affordability that Ryobi brings to the consumer.
What’s more, elements 1 and 2 above contribute to a thriving secondary market, where prices get even better.
Rx9
Here are some suggestions for 4v applications:
-detail sander
-stud sensor
-ir thermometer
-laser/sonic distance measurement
-non contact voltage tool
-multimeter
-laser level
-inspection camera
-ir camera
-phone charger/usb power bank
-stick light
-snake light
-pocket fan with folding blades
-Bluetooth speaker
Ryobi’s best strength has been its constant line expansion. The 40v line has avoided the failure that so many other higher voltage lines have met because of that expansion. More applications increases buyer confidence in the battery system. If they can replicate that success for this 4v line and not stumble like they did with tek4, this may be a win.
Charles Anderson
Add a battery shaped insert with a cord to a power brick for your workbench
Add a label printer to your list
And if they had a stand for the cutter, that held it upside down with a foot switch so I could run my velcro tape through the blade
It would be the perfect travel kit for computer field technicians.
Rx9
Good ideas, Charles!
I just thought of some more:
-3d printing pen
-plasma lighter
– thermacell-like mosquito repeller
-oscilloscope
-mini blower/low pressure inflator
-micro oscillating multi tool
– wheeled inspection drone
-uv light
-floating speaker
-ultra compact reciprocating saw (like an m12 hackzall, but smaller, and using jigsaw blades)
-headband light
kent_skinner
One of the first Ryobi tools to turn my head. USB C rechargable, so I guess it doesn’t violate my “no more than 2 different battery chargers in the shop” rule.
Hk
I truly love Ryobi tools, and I’ve really wanted to see them extend into the hobbyist/modeling line for a long time. I was severely under impressed with the hobby station. There’s just far too much drift in the plunging motion for anything requiring precision. TTI even replaced the thing for me, and the replacement had the same issue.
This tool may pull the Hobby Station out of mothballs.
schill
I bought the hobby station when it first came out (as soon as I could get my hands on one) but I returned it before even opening the box after hearing about the issues with it.
I’m hoping they are able to come out with an updated version.