Home Depot is having a big tool sale on their Ridgid and Ryobi products. I needed a new compact drill/driver and impact driver.
Got an email that had their newest GenX BRUSHLESS drill driver on sale for $179, and you can pick from a selection of additional tools. I am tired of wearing out DeWalts, and since they redesigned the handles on the Ridgids last year I decided to take a look at the deal. I took the compact drill w hich is also a hammer drill, and took the impact driver as the free tool.
I was worried about the 2amp batteries that come with it as I always worry about enough power with the cordless offerings. So when I got it out the j ob, I tried out the impact driver in my "real world" test so I could see ju st how far I could push it. Driving 3" Deckmate screws with torx heads and no pilot holes, I drove a massive 160 3" screws flush into a 4x4, and remo ved each one! So 160 in, and 160 out. To add to the test, I only used 5 s crews (to keep myself honest about the in and out numbers) to do the whole test. The 4x4 was hard and sappy, and the screws had their points worn smo oth after about 10 "in and outs", and the screw bodies were really sticky w ith sap. Not a problem as the impact driver drove and removed them all.
Then on the SAME charge, I continued. I was floored. I drove in and remove d one 3/8" x 4" lag bolt flush to the head into a 4x4 7 1/2 times. No pilo t hole, and no problem. I have had drills that were strong enough to drill lags before, but not one that would drill that much of a lag into solid wo od. To be fair in reporting the lag test was the battery killer. The half mentioned above was that on the eighth drive, it flushed the lag, but coul dn't pull it out. Practically though, I would never, ever, drive a lag or a ny other large shaft fastener like them without the proper pilot hole as it is too hard on the tools. And to remind myself why, when I was driving on e of the lags it split the 4x4 completely open from about 4" back from the edge. Impressive.
No telling how many 2" to 3" screws that little battery powered monster wou ld drive. I would guess 250 - 300. So it performed beyond expectations. I have read there are impact drivers with better specs out there, but in te sting that I found online, only one driver beat this one out in performance .
I like the 3 LEDs on the chuck, and it is variable speed, too. With the 2a mp battery, it is very easy and convenient to handle, and the belt clip mak es it easy to carry around.
The hammer drill/driver that I bought to get the driver performs along thos e same lines. Plenty of drive power, pretty good fit in the hand (still li ke the DeWalts better for my paws)and the hammer drill does a great job. Wh en using the hammer function, the drill has a high pitched sound to it, pro bably due its bpm function. It seems that actual impacts generated are smal l and fast, and it makes the drill aggressive and easy to control. It is a small tool and it is reported to develop something like 700 inch pounds of torque. It had carbide lined ratcheting jaws so it holds impact bit easil y. It has a bright LED light in the handle that you can turn on by touching your little finger to it without turning on the drill. Same belt clip as the impact.
Two things I don't like. All my DeWalts have a fine trigger, sensitive eno ugh to reduce speed of driving or drilling to literally being hand speed. Excellent for fine work. On the low speed, it isn't too bad, but the drill will start with a small jerk instead of easing into the task. According to the Ridgid folks, that's the compromise they made to have the drill/hammer drill work properly. I'll get used to it, or when driving use the driver as its trigger is much smoother in power delivery.
A comment on the "brushless" technology. It is supposed to deliver more po wer to the tools, make the batteries last as much as 35% longer, and all ot her kinds of wild claims. I actually believe it does. I have many, many co rdless drill over the last 30+ years since they hit the open market. Most tools could never match their claims in performance, but none ever exceeded them. At this point, I don't know that I would buy another "Robert use" t ool (as opposed the community tools used by my guys)that wasn't brushless. I actually purchased this same set except the 4amp batteries ($75 more), b ut was really put off by the size of the batteries. The batteries were big enough that it made the tools feel unbalanced, and hard to handle for fine r work. I am delighted at the power from the 2amp batteries, and pleased t hat they are included in the LSA.
I am pleased with these tools and have used them pretty hard for a couple o f days repairing a deck after the field test, and I think they will fill my needs just fine.
So for all you Dads out there looking for a practical gift, if you are look ing for a lifetime combo kit that really performs, look no farther!
Robert