What Happened To Ryobi's Tek4 Tool Range?

Ryobi has been a notable name in the tool world for some time, and a large factor in its prominence is its evolution. Over the decades, the minds behind the brand have made it a point to make necessary tweaks and changes to keep it alive. This includes introducing new tools — even in 2025, there are new Ryobi tools to consider – and getting rid of tools and batteries that don't sell, aren't up to modern standards, or any other criteria. In some extreme cases, this means discontinuing entire product lines, like the Ryobi Tek4 series of products that has been defunct for several years now.

The premise behind Tek4 was simple: Ryobi wanted to deliver smaller yet handy 4-volt tools and gadgets with rechargeable batteries. While they got the job done, and the lineup expanded beyond its initial offerings, Tek4 wasn't the most convenient format from a consumer's perspective. More specifically, Tek4 batteries required a unique charger, basically requiring users to get the brand-name unit to keep their tools powered. Fortunately for those who found this irritating, Tek4 and its chargers were discontinued in the early 2010s, though the trade-off was that 4V tools in general took a backseat at Ryobi for a spell. 

At the time of this writing, Tek4 has been a thing of the past for well over a decade. However, that doesn't mean that Ryobi has abandoned the 4V format entirely. Since the Tek4's retirement, the company has attempted to do something about the line's most frustrating feature.

With the end of Ryobi's Tek4 line, the brand backed off of smaller 4V tools for the most part. Around a decade or so after the retirement of Tek4, Ryobi took it upon itself to finally unveil a new, full-on 4V product subline. Simply called Ryobi USB Lithium, this range came to fruition in the early 2020s and received a strong push from the company. A host of different tools were available right out of the gate, including a power carver, a power cutter, and a cordless screwdriver, along with a new lithium-ion battery. It has since grown to encompass numerous other tools and appliances.

The battery released with the USB Lithium line came with a pretty game-changing design choice. Improving on the old, unique Tek4 setup, USB Lithium went in the opposite direction by implementing a more universal USB charging setup for the battery. No longer was a unique Ryobi charger needed for this smaller battery, with a common USB-C cable being enough to get it ready for action. Alternatively, you could get a multi-port USB Lithium charger for faster and more efficient charging. Regardless, overall, the line seems to have performed well as the effective Tek4 replacement, with several Ryobi 4V tools standing out to customers as the best of the bunch.

With all of that said, it's fair to say that Ryobi Tek4 won't be back anytime soon. The Ryobi USB Lithium line seems to be doing just fine as its replacement, and surely customers don't miss the outdated and inconvenient battery setup that plagued the long-canceled line.