I went to Home Depot to buy a DeWalt Hammer Drill.
Ended up with a packaged set of Rigid Tools...
- Hammer Drill - SawsAll - Circular Saw - Work Light - 3 Batteries - 2 Battery Charger - Tool Bag... all for $399.00. (Much less expensive than a package of similar DeWalt tools.)
I asked 3 people at the store if they were as good as DeWitt and they all said as good or better. They sold me on the new Lifetime Warrantee... including batteries. We have a local repair center so it should be easy to get the stuff fixed.
I wanted Pro quality tools as everytime I buy some inexpensive home grade tool I am disappointed.
Is the Rigid stuff Pro quality? How does it compare to DeWalt?
Ridgid power tools are now made by One World Technologies, Inc., subsidiary of Techtronics Inc.. Their power tool division is Ryobi. Personally I won't buy another Ryobi tool.
Your local Ridgid repair center may not be approved to make repairs under the "Lifetime Service Agreement". A quote from Ridgid's web site:
"To obtain service for this RIDGID® tool under the Lifetime Service Agreement, you must return it to One World Technologies, Inc., attn: RIDGID® Hand Held and Stationary Power Tool Technical Service, 1428 Pearman Dairy Rd, Anderson, SC 29625, freight prepaid, or take it to a designated service center. You may obtain the location of the designated service center nearest you by calling (toll free) 1-866-539-1710 or by logging on to
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Not all authorized RIDGID® Brand service centers have been approved to provide service under the Lifetime Service Agreement. When requesting service under the Lifetime Service Agreement, you must present your Lifetime Service Agreement Identification Number and proper personal identification (a valid driver?s license, passport, or military I.D. or a valid Social Security card with photo ID). The designated service center will repair or replace any part covered under the Lifetime Service Agreement, at our option, at no charge to you."
Ridgid is a low priced Home Depot house brand. Do you really think One World can build an equivalent quality tool for half the price of a DeWalt or Milwaukee?
Did they go back to the life time warranty including batteries? They offered that for the last quarter of 2003,
Well pro quality does not only involve a warranty. I almost bought the drill 18 months ago and I use my tools for a living. The drill was way too heavy.
Agreed. I will NEVER touch another ryobi tool. I fell for the a few times early on. Nothing but a waist of money, unless you're hoping to buy frustration, then they are a gold mine! Did not know ridgid was connected with them. Thank you for the warning!
The 5" ROS is getting positive comments and my 6" jointer was as good, or better than any imported 6" machine I'd seen. Some Rigid stuff I've inspected doesn't look or feel so hot.
That said, I really like my DeWalt cordless drills, my PC sanders, my Bosch, Makita, Senco, and Milwaulkee stuff... Each tool was chosen over others when I held them in my hands.
Use it in good health and stop worrying about what color it is.
One problem (among many) in answering such a generic question is that what is "pro" quality to one may or may not be to another. Another is that differing tools by the same manufacturer don't always perform as well as the same tool from another. The concensus "tool of choice" if there is such a thing varies from one maker to another. Yet another is that the current Ridgid brand hasn't been around for very long yet so they don't have a very long track record vis a vis the "name" vendors. Yet another is that the tools from the name vendors also change w/ time.
In general, it's true that quality tends to correlate w/ price...this isn't a name brand thing--the higher quality bearings, stronger motors, better cases, stronger gears, etc., that make for a "pro" service tool simply are more expensive to produce than the lesser-duty models. So, if the Ridgid are half the price of another brand, that's a pretty good clue that has been done to get that price advantage.
In short, other than certifiable junk or low-end consumer tools (the $19.95 B&D type at K-Mart), it's not a "cut 'n dried" question. On the down side for Ridgid is the buyout of the name from Ridgid Tool the maker of the Ridgid pipe wrenches, etc., by the parent of Ryobi some months ago. In general, Ryobi isn't in the top tier and their service isn't always up to snuff either from complaints I've heard hear and other places.
As murky as that is, it's probably the best there is...stories from others unless they're either rants or raves are probably going to cover both extremes and the middle as everybody judges a tool from his own perspective and there's just too much variation in expectations and usage for there to be a uniform response.
ridgid is just a brand name. they don't make any of the stuff except the plumbing hand tools, which are top notch. the rest are farmed out. for a while they were made in the us by emerson. now most are made in china.
absolutely. I know a couple of professional tile setters who buy angle grinders at harbor freight. the angle grinder is an accessory to the diamond blade that cost twice as much, and the two will last about the same amount of time.
Its the Home Depot house brand. Not the original Ridgid of old plumbing tool fame. Just a name now. If the tools will meet your needs then great. They are not 'pro' tools though.
Point well taken but I think that most 'Ridge' Rds, including the one I currently live on, were named because they ran along or over Ridges.
I used to work near the same RIdge Rd that is (or was) the home of Ridgid tools and it is a pretty major thoroughfare on the West side of Greater Cleveland.
My understanding is that their famous calendars no longer feature pictures of their tools. A pity that.
Actually, (as noted above) the Company name is RIDGE Tool Company, they have a product line under the trademark RIDGID tools. That trademark is a play on words on the Company name which in turn was derived from their original location.
I emailed an inquiry to them and promptly received this reply:
"The company was founded on Ridge Rd. in North Ridgeville OH. That's where the name came from"
Seems there is plenty of Ridgidity in their history.
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