# Ryobi almost seriously injured me



## hyunelan2 (Aug 14, 2007)

I purchased a Ryobi 1/4 sheet sander on clearance from Home Depot about a month ago. I haven't come up with a reason to use it until today. I was sanding a piece of poplar with 150 grit. Got through one side, flipped the board over and started that side when KABOOM!

The sander literally exploded right in my face. Thank God I had my glasses on. Typically I wouldn't have even put glasses on just to sand something, but had just finished using the miter saw.

From the looks of it, the weighted spinning metal disc in the base of the sander just plain failed. Cheap metal, probably couldn't hold up to the centripetal force of spinning and the disc just came apart, turning the plastic casing into hand grenade fragmentation. My son was also in the garage with me, luckily he was on the other side and not struck. I heard something ping against the walls, but still haven't found the remains of the metal disc.

Pictures of the remains of the sander are attached. Normally I buy DeWalt or Bosch, but figured for as little as I'd use a 1/4 sheet feed sander (usually use orbital or detail sander), Ryobi was fine. Never again. I've got a couple small nicks on my forehead, but no real damage to me.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Glad it wasn't worse than it was, I am just not a Ryobi fan, I have had a couple of bad experiences with that brand so I just stay clear of anything Ryobi. Can't say all Ryobi tools are bad but once I buy a tool or two and they are no good, I just stay away from them.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

I saw some Ryobi tools on sale in the bargain bin at HD and was very tempted by the incredibly low prices on some of their stuff. After this thread, I'm so glad I passed. Glad everyone is ok. This makes me want to double up on safety with my power tools thats
for sure!!!


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## PoleCat (Sep 2, 2009)

I have some that I bought in 2001 or 2 that have held up well enough but it seems the stuff in the stores now is inferior. I usually buy my cheap Chinese junk at Harbor Freight now.


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## hyunelan2 (Aug 14, 2007)

> Gymschu said:
> 
> 
> > I saw some Ryobi tools on sale in the bargain bin at HD and was very tempted by the incredibly low prices on some of their stuff
> ...


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

I would be sending a letter to ryobi and HD with pictures including the injury.


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

joed said:


> I would be sending a letter to ryobi and HD with pictures including the injury.


X 100

They may not do a recall based on one incident, but it will be good to have a record of it. Glad you were okay, you could very well have come out of it much worse. Sometimes I get my head down close to look at a detail, imagine if that was the case.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Also contact the Consumer Protection agency through USA.gov, so they can see if a Recall needs to be issued on that model, or one is already out there.


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

There is a recall on the Ryobi S651D sander, issued May 5, 2011.
https://cc831cbd7a5a3a616f82-509311...pdfs/e3c72eba-5fe7-472e-b7b5-678f815f15ee.pdf


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## hyunelan2 (Aug 14, 2007)

Curious as to why HD would have sold me a model that was recalled in 2011, on December 27, 2014 (I went back and looked when I actually bought it - it was longer than a month ago. Time flies).


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

The manufacturer calls it a "voluntarily recall". http://www.saferproducts.gov/ViewIncident/1320422


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## ratherbefishin' (Jun 16, 2007)

kwikfishron said:


> The manufacturer calls it a "voluntarily recall". http://www.saferproducts.gov/ViewIncident/1320422


"Voluntary recall" only means that the manufacturer agreed to recall the unsafe product.


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## ratherbefishin' (Jun 16, 2007)

hyunelan2 said:


> Curious as to why HD would have sold me a model that was recalled in 2011, on December 27, 2014 (I went back and looked when I actually bought it - it was longer than a month ago. Time flies).


Negligence, plain and simple. Probably a return that some clueless employee put back on the shelf. You have a case against HD, should you choose to pursue it. Contact the GM of the store where you purchased it and see what happens. If I was that person, I'd probably offer you a new sander of your choice and a nice sized gift card in hopes of avoiding a lawsuit.:yes:


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Totally agree with contact the company and send the pics I would also alert HD so these can be pulled.


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## hyunelan2 (Aug 14, 2007)

As I wasn't really hurt, I don't feel like they owe me anything (though I'd take a non-Ryobi replacement sander). What I fear, is whom else bought from the stack of clearance sanders, and how lucky will they be when theirs blows-up?


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## McSteve (Dec 8, 2009)

Aw dang, I have that same sander.


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

McSteve said:


> Aw dang, I have that same sander.


then follow the directions:



> Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled sander and contact One World
> Technologies to receive a free replacement sander.
> Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact One World Technologies Customer
> Service at (800) 597-9624 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the
> firm’s website at www.ryobitools.com.


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

kwikfishron said:


> The manufacturer calls it a "voluntarily recall". http://www.saferproducts.gov/ViewIncident/1320422


regardless since it is listed as a recall by the CPSC it is actually illegal to sell it to anybody. 




> Under federal law, it is illegal to attempt to sell or re-sell this or any other recalled product


what Home Depot did was actually criminally illegal. 

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2068




> (a) Designation
> It shall be unlawful for any person to—
> (1) sell, offer for sale, manufacture for sale, distribute in commerce, or import into the United States any consumer product, or other product or substance that is regulated under this chapter or any other Act enforced by the Commission, that is not in conformity with an applicable consumer product safety rule under this chapter, or any similar rule, regulation, standard, or ban under any other Act enforced by the Commission;
> 
> ...



which is a felony:


https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2070




> (a) Violation of section 2068 of this title is punishable by—
> (1) imprisonment for not more than 5 years for a knowing and willful violation of that section;
> (2) a fine determined under section 3571 of title 18; or
> (3) both.
> ...



as well as civil penalties:

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2069


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

PoleCat said:


> I have some that I bought in 2001 or 2 that have held up well enough but it seems the stuff in the stores now is inferior. I usually buy my cheap Chinese junk at Harbor Freight now.


My $10.00 Harbor Freight Chicago Electric Angle Grinder exploded in my hands the first day I had it.


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## hyunelan2 (Aug 14, 2007)

nap said:


> regardless since it is listed as a recall by the CPSC it is actually illegal to sell it to anybody.
> 
> 
> what Home Depot did was actually criminally illegal.
> ...


Maybe this thread needs to be re-titled to "Home Depot almost seriously injured me."


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## PoleCat (Sep 2, 2009)

r0ckstarr said:


> My $10.00 Harbor Freight Chicago Electric Angle Grinder exploded in my hands the first day I had it.


You should not have plugged it in. They are much safer that way.:jester:


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

r0ckstarr said:


> My $10.00 Harbor Freight Chicago Electric Angle Grinder exploded in my hands the first day I had it.


I had a HF heat gun that shot flames out of the top the first time I used it but yet there'll still be more threads to come where some will argue to the end on how great those cheap tools are.


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

kwikfishron said:


> I had a HF heat gun that shot flames out of the top the first time I used it but yet there'll still be more threads to come where some will argue to the end on how great those cheap tools are.


I prefer the tools I buy, and I've been buying a lot lately, to be debated on whether they're too expensive (Milwaukee, Festool), than whether or not they'll explode when I try to use them. Call me crazy.


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## PoleCat (Sep 2, 2009)

Mort said:


> I prefer the tools I buy, and I've been buying a lot lately, to be debated on whether they're too expensive (Milwaukee, Festool), than whether or not they'll explode when I try to use them. Call me crazy.


For us po folk sometimes it boils down to cheap or nothing. But I draw the line at exploding power tools.


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

I'm not exactly swimming in money either, I save up for my tools. But it's really my only hobby, rent is cheap and the truck is paid for.


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## hyunelan2 (Aug 14, 2007)

Here's the resolution to this. First, like I said, I wasn't injured and didn't feel like Home Depot owed me anything. I know some would probably see it differently and would think I should have sicked the litigious hounds on HD. I was more concerned about someone else losing an eye/finger/etc.

So, I went into Home Depot last night after work. I've been wanting to get there since this happened, but life was being life. I went to the return desk and told them I'd probably need to see a manager. I then explained my story. Unfortunately I had no receipt, and I paid cash for this. I never pay cash. I just happened to have a $50 from Christmas which is why I actually paid cash. HD has a nice online system that lets you enter your card and pull up all the receipts associated with it. But, alas, that wouldn't work in my situation.

Anyway, the cashier called for the manager and I also explained my story to her. I had the pieces of the sander and the recall notice. Unfortunately it would have to be on my word that I didn't really buy this 4 years ago and just show up now - I knew that. I was in a weak position for negotiating. However, I didn't really have to try too hard. They asked me how much I paid for it. I explained that I really wasn't concerned about the $15ish I spent on the sander and was more concerned about the people who bought the other sanders on the clearance rack.

While they were typing in the computer to see the details on that sander, I looked through the soft-case and found the original shelf placard that would have been displayed with the sander. Apparently this one was the floor model. I gave that to them, they scanned it in and issued me store credit for the total original MSRP, plus tax.

The manager said she has no way to track down the people that purchased the other sanders, but they would post the recall notice at the store entrance (typically I've seen them up on an easel after you come in the 2nd set of doors), hoping that the previous purchasers would come back and see it. 

I took my store credit, threw another few bucks on top of it, and walked out with a new-in-box DeWalt D26441K.


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## Tom738 (Jun 1, 2010)

hyunelan2 said:


> Here's the resolution to this. First, like I said, I wasn't injured and didn't feel like Home Depot owed me anything. I know some would probably see it differently and would think I should have sicked the litigious hounds on HD. I was more concerned about someone else losing an eye/finger/etc.
> 
> So, I went into Home Depot last night after work. I've been wanting to get there since this happened, but life was being life. I went to the return desk and told them I'd probably need to see a manager. I then explained my story. Unfortunately I had no receipt, and I paid cash for this. I never pay cash. I just happened to have a $50 from Christmas which is why I actually paid cash. HD has a nice online system that lets you enter your card and pull up all the receipts associated with it. But, alas, that wouldn't work in my situation.
> 
> ...


The sander is literally exploding. HD has a way to contact many of those people--anyone who ordered it online, definitely. Possibly some others, and they can take it off the shelves. I would get a picture of the placard for the sander if it's still there, and then contact the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, shoot an email to whoever is in charge of consumer safety for HD (or have a lawyer do it), etc...

As you put it, thank God you were wearing your safety glasses. The next guy won't be.


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## hyunelan2 (Aug 14, 2007)

Tom738 said:


> The sander is literally exploding. HD has a way to contact many of those people--anyone who ordered it online, definitely. Possibly some others, and they can take it off the shelves. I would get a picture of the placard for the sander if it's still there, and then contact the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, shoot an email to whoever is in charge of consumer safety for HD (or have a lawyer do it), etc...
> 
> As you put it, thank God you were wearing your safety glasses. The next guy won't be.


The likely situation is that they pulled all of them and replaced them with the next model Ryobi put out back in 2011. They just had some laying around in the back at my particular Home Depot store, which made it to the clearance rack in 2014 instead of the dumpster.


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## Tom738 (Jun 1, 2010)

hyunelan2 said:


> The likely situation is that they pulled all of them and replaced them with the next model Ryobi put out back in 2011. They just had some laying around in the back at my particular Home Depot store, which made it to the clearance rack in 2014 instead of the dumpster.


 But that's a problem Home Depot should be addressing institutionally. When that model gets scanned at checkout, whether clearance or not, it should pop up a warning that it's been recalled. There are plenty of things they sell that are inherently dangerous and that's fine--but stuff like this, no matter how innocently it's left on the shelf, their lawyers will tell them they should absolutely not be selling.


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