Boy and Girls,

While waiting for my new compressor to get delivered (monitoring the phone in the office), rather than twiddle my two dodgy thumbs, I thought I’d whack the keyboard… keyboard!  Hmm, another hint seems to be brewing.

This is one of my 360° about faces… where I have promoted this review that I published at LumberJocks on 4th. March, 2022 (and Edited by Moderator on Aug 5, 2022).

 

Two reasons for the gender change,

1.     I don't believe Martin hasn’t formalised Reviews.

2.     The reason behind the original review will hold equally well for any Drain-auger, whether corded, cordless or in the hands of those manual hand tool brigade.

 

This conceptual tip is along the lines of clearing dust extraction ducts.  While the regurgitated prattle was based on 50mm (or so, shop-vac gauge) ducts, it could be adapted for much larger piping… although they would be less likely to get clogged and less difficult to clear which may depend on how bent you are.

 

Sit back, relax and be mesmerised by the magic of a green, non Fe$tool gizmo.

 

Not interested? Hmmm, I suggest you read on, as when Martin introduces reviews under which this may just get reposted, I might have been promoted to admin status who could/would enforce mandatory reading of LBD giblets.

 

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Ryobi - Drain Auger (R18DA) (Rating: 5)

Boy and Girls,

In keeping with my disturbing mental instability, this is another review of a product for something it was never intended for.

To set the scene, let me digress to a time when C19 was still in the brains of alleged foreign uni students studying their first year of chemistry in Australia.

I have this dust extraction duct running the line of the pictured clamps (?5m run),

Had a fit of cleansies... while undertaking the chore of beautifying the workshop and karaokeing to the tune of Sadie the cleaning lady, I neglected to observe a chunky block getting sucked up and a bucketload of shavings and sawdust building up behind it when it got stuck about half way in one of the junction joins. From a tell-tale sign of no more suction, I soon realised what eventuated. Try as I might to suck it "clean" or poke it with a big stick, it seemed that the only salvation could be delivered through the cesarean dissection of the duct and perhaps re-lining/joining it… even with two good arms and a tad much younder, I remember it as an over arduous task thay I would hesitate to repeat in future years.

Fast forward to 3 days ago when a similar tragedy befell this line of ducting,

This time a piece of rag decided to tunnel crawl, closely followed by a fair representation of forstner bit shavings, sawdust, and that dreaded TCT bit circle swarf. Again all my attempts sucked without sucking and I was faced with the dismemberment of the ducting as there was no way I could cajole some ¾" dowel around the bends… a procedure I was not overly eager to undertake.

Remembering that Ryobi had a drain auger in their inventory, and as I had the batteries, all I lacked was the auger. Of to my local Bunnings, and after the mandatory weekend sausage sizzle undertaking, I arrived home with this green ogre.
Not being a licensed plumber, I RTFM'd and after climbing the ladder

I unleashed the power of a 2AH battery.

Much as I'd like to glorify the outcome, what followed was quite mundane. When the rag was hit, it was grabbed and promptly extracted

without further ado…

I realised that there was a 5m vac hose hanging around that had suffered an arterial blockage a while back and was fated for canibalisation,

unhooked it,

held one end in a clamp, ogered it

and it now rests back in its original place

I no longer need to play musical hoses.

How will it perform doing what it was designed for, like chasing turds, I have no idea as I am not keen in creating a testable sample, however, for clearing hoses I give it 6 out of 5.

This may never replace that elusive plumber, however, with this gizmo, I now have a "free" way of trying something before I make that phone call that never gets returned.

In summary, I'm not as much spruiking Ryobi but the use of augers to unblock workshop ducting.

Keep safe, jocks... and your jocks, safe!