tools, again

[heehaw]

ok, i know i have said this before, an i will say it again: i cannot figure out why anyone buying tools, especially battery powered tools, would buy anything other than Ridgid tools: i carried a 18v nicad and a 18v lithium battery to the repair shop this week, an they handed me new ones: there was a guy picking up a dewalt while i was there, an i asked the guy that runs the place, how ridgid tools were holding up: he said the same as bosch an others in that range: then he said, "if i was going to buy a new tool now, it would definitely be a ridgid" then went on to explain its because of the warranty: lifetime replacement of the batteries, an tool repair: plus if they change models an quit making parts for the tool i take in for repair, they give you a new replacement: i have had the nicad set for about 6 years, this was the 3rd battery they have replaced: the litium set i have had about 3 years an this was the first battery to be replaced: he said panasonic is making the batteries for ridgid now, an should be a lot better than before.
just my 2cents worth: i am giving my dewalt and makita drills away: they have been good, but battery hogs: the other thing i found out, keep your batteries in a warm area, freezing weather will cause both the nicad and litium to fail sooner.
heehaw

 

[Thomas]

At work mostly Ridgid..pipe threader to wrenches etc.even women on calendar..may pay tad more be dependable.
I will say Dewalt 18V drill and power pack has held up darn well over the years,only draw back drill tight areas do to type of style..hand grip w/battery.

 

[forgeblast]

love my craftsman tools. have the lithium batterys and they hold a great charge.

 

[scgargoyle]

I bought a set of Milwaukee 18V tools off ebay- so cheap it scared me, but it was a legit dealer. They are amazing! I rarely use the corded tools anymore. I have some Ridgid tools, too, and I'm impressed with them. Sadly, ALL of the tools come out of China these days (including Milwaukee), so I guess it doesn't much matter what the brand is.

 

[jinman]

I have had good luck with my 18V lithium powered Hitachi drill I bought from Reconditioned Sales with two batteries, a charger, and case for around $80. I bought a second drill and gave it to my stepson for his birthday. Recently they offered a set with 6-1/2" circular saw, reciprocating saw, drill driver, flashlight, two Lithium-ion batteries, charger, and nylon carry bag for about $200. I bought it and have been impressed with how heavy-duty the tools are.

 

[Oliver1655]

I have had Makita, Craftsman, Dewalt, Skil, Zip Tool, and Black and Decker cordless tools in the past.
- I currently have Ryobi 18 volt tools. I really like the wide range of tools available from Ryobi. The ones I have I like are: 2 different types of pistol grip drills, 2 different types of hammer drills, right angle drill, 4" angle grinder, trim router, spiral cutter, orbital sander, orbital buffer, circular saws, reciprocal saws, and jig saws. I also have 4 of the flashlights, 12 volt battery charger, a dual charger, and 6 single chargers.
- However there are two I would not recommend: Chain saw (Spins too slow and grabs/jumps as a result) and the stapler (Has to be held perfectly parallel and has a very slow recycle time.
- I have not tried the lithium series.

For the money and versatility, the Ryobi line is great!

I had not realized the Rigid line has free battery replacement. that sound great! Do they also have a wide range of tool options?

 

[kenmac]

At work mostly Ridgid..pipe threader to wrenches etc.even women on calendar..may pay tad more be dependable.
I will say Dewalt 18V drill and power pack has held up darn well over the years,only draw back drill tight areas do to type of style..hand grip w/battery.

Ridgid drirr isn't the same co. as ridgid pipe tools. Ridgid is a hd line of drills tool that is made in china. I bought 1 to build my deck. Burned it up b-4 completing the joc.took it back. Bought a makita to finish that job & alot of others

 

[Thomas]

Kenmac.
"Ridgid drirr isn't the same co. as ridgid pipe tools."

Thanks for info,I'll have little fun pointing this fact out to our purchasing agent also Rid. sales rep.

 

[RobertN]

Guess they are not in any way related to a rigid frame vtwin either

Kenmac.
"Ridgid drirr isn't the same co. as ridgid pipe tools."

Thanks for info,I'll have little fun pointing this fact out to our purchasing agent also Rid. sales rep.

 

[buck12]

I have had Makita, Craftsman, Dewalt, Skil, Zip Tool, and Black and Decker cordless tools in the past.
- I currently have Ryobi 18 volt tools. I really like the wide range of tools available from Ryobi. The ones I have I like are: 2 different types of pistol grip drills, 2 different types of hammer drills, right angle drill, 4" angle grinder, trim router, spiral cutter, orbital sander, orbital buffer, circular saws, reciprocal saws, and jig saws. I also have 4 of the flashlights, 12 volt battery charger, a dual charger, and 6 single chargers.
- However there are two I would not recommend: Chain saw (Spins too slow and grabs/jumps as a result) and the stapler (Has to be held perfectly parallel and has a very slow recycle time.
- I have not tried the lithium series.

For the money and versatility, the Ryobi line is great!

I had not realized the Rigid line has free battery replacement. that sound great! Do they also have a wide range of tool options?

I have a set of Ryobi (drill, flash light, recp saw, circular saw) that is about ten years old. For a home owners set they are a good value.

 

[heehaw]

like many of you, i have had many different brands: an have had to replace batteries in all of them: the only actual equipment failure, is a dewalt drill, it hasn't actually failed, but it makes all sorts of wierd noises: but still works: tool repair co said it wasn't worth the cost to repair, so i kept using it. the difference in all the tools: now i don't have to fork out $$$$ for battery replacements.
heehaw

 

[jpm]

many years a go i bought a ryobi a it work great.in the years i've had all the choices .i've ended up with ryobi lith.

 

[bigtiller]

Thanks to this thread I just bought an 18 volt Ridgid impact driver. It's pretty light and lots of power, 1400 inch pounds.

Now watch, in 3 weeks it will be marked down 20 percent.

 

[mostly_gas]

When I was in college, my brother and I went have each for a TI calculator. 3 months later it was half the price. That was after price had been cut 2 or 3 times :laughing:

 

[SARG]

I have been told by a friend who favors Ridgid tools .... that Ridgid actually will replace bad batteries as part of their warranty. He stated it is necessary to register the tool to obtain a "warranty card" from Ridgid. He also said he has gotten two replacement batteries free so far.

I haven't checked this out yet ...... but we all know that cordless tools are great ... but the battery replacement costs are prohibitive.

 

[bigtiller]

When I was in college, my brother and I went have each for a TI calculator. 3 months later it was half the price. That was after price had been cut 2 or 3 times :laughing:

When I bought my first calculator in the mid 70's, I traveled 23 miles to the closest Sears and paid $20 for it.

That was half a days take home pay!