Tools & equipment that are fantastic.

[Hay Dude]

I like Ryobi for the VAST variety of 18v tools they have. You name it they have it. No they are not the best, but for lots of purposes they are completely adequate. I also have RIGID 18v tools and I have a battery adapter that allows me to use my Rigid batteries on my Ryobi tools.

Thats just a “discount line”. In other words, YOUR tools suck….
(sorry, just sarcasm. Your tools are perfectly fine)

 

[WinterDeere]

Some of my favorite tools are Rigid. They made one hell of a shop vac 20 years ago. Mine has been thru hell and back, and can still suck the grass off the lawn, not that I'm using it for that.

Same with their RO sander I bought ca.2001. I actually bought and brought home every RO Home Depot stocked, probably more than a half dozen of them, and dry-tested all of them before choosing the Rigid over some of the better brand names. That thing has some serious miles on it, I've been thru a few pads and it's had other minor repairs, but it's still going strong after 23 years. It has sanded miles upon miles of flooring and siding.

 

[Hay Dude]

Some of my favorite tools are Rigid. They made one hell of a shop vac 20 years ago. Mine has been thru hell and back, and can still suck the grass off the lawn, not that I'm using it for that.

Same with their RO sander I bought ca.2001. I actually bought and brought home every RO Home Depot stocked, probably more than a half dozen of them, and dry-tested all of them before choosing the Rigid over some of the better brand names. That thing has some serious miles on it, I've been thru a few pads and it's had other minor repairs, but it's still going strong after 23 years. It has sanded miles upon miles of flooring and siding.

Isn’t Rigid same as Hitachi? Or made by same company? I have a Rigid hammer drill that looks just like Hitachi and it a real powerful brute.

 

[WinterDeere]

Isn’t Rigid same as Hitachi? Or made by same company? I have a Rigid hammer drill that looks just like Hitachi and it a real powerful brute.

No idea. Maybe?

My grandfather owned a plumbing business when I was a kid, he had started it back in the 1930's with his father. From that, I inherited truck loads (not exaggerating) of Ridgid tools. Pipe threaders, pipe cutters, benders, etc. If you needed to borrow a 4" NPT threading die that weighed as much as a motorcycle, I was your best friend.

So, when the Ridgid name re-appeared at Home Depot, of course I was interested in checking it out. But I was told it had nothing to do with the original (independent?) Ridgid brand. Now I see Home Depot also carries Ridgid plumbing tools, so I'm not sure the two aren't merged at some level, even if only in branding.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Isn’t Rigid same as Hitachi? Or made by same company? I have a Rigid hammer drill that looks just like Hitachi and it a real powerful brute.

Rigid, Ryobi, Milwaukee, the Craftsman Portable Tools and even Walmart's Hart are all made by TTI.

Hitachi is now Metabo and made in both Germany and China.

 

[ArlyA]

Rigid, Ryobi, Milwaukee, the Craftsman Portable Tools and even Walmart's Hart are all made by TTI.

Hitachi is now Metabo and made in both Germany and China.

Manufacturers build varuis tools to different specs and qualities. This is not a new thing.

 

[Midniteoyl]

No idea. Maybe?

My grandfather owned a plumbing business when I was a kid, he had started it back in the 1930's with his father. From that, I inherited truck loads (not exaggerating) of Ridgid tools. Pipe threaders, pipe cutters, benders, etc. If you needed to borrow a 4" NPT threading die that weighed as much as a motorcycle, I was your best friend.

So, when the Ridgid name re-appeared at Home Depot, of course I was interested in checking it out. But I was told it had nothing to do with the original (independent?) Ridgid brand. Now I see Home Depot also carries Ridgid plumbing tools, so I'm not sure the two aren't merged at some level, even if only in branding.

Emerson owns Ridgid and licenses the name to TTI for the power tools. As a general rule, the Red Ridgid plumbing type tools are made by Emerson, and the Orange power tools are made by TTI.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Manufacturers build varuis tools to different specs and qualities. This is not a new thing.

Yes..? Didnt say they were the same tool..

 

[jyoutz]

Not sure what you mean by "discount line". Not pro grade to be sure, but I'd put them in the "premium homeowner" category, certainly better than dept store or HF brands. The ones I've got have stood up well.

Most of my tools are DeWalt, but I’ve had good service from both Ryobi and the newer and better line of HF tools.

 

[jyoutz]

Ryobi is cheap crap. But in almost all cases, it's better than all the other cheap crap brands.

One tool I've killed more than all others combined is angle grinders. I used to buy the DeWalt brand, and I'd kill them in no time flat. So, I started buying cheaper and cheaper brands, until eventually landing on Ryobi. The head casting split on the first one, but it was still in warranty, so the store gave me a second. I think I've had that second one about 20 years now, which is probably longer than the total combined lifetime of the half-dozen'ish Dewalts I burned out in my early- to mid-20's

I have a friend who has a steel fabrication business. He told me that angle grinders, don’t last that long for him, no matter what brand. He used to buy the better tools, but now buys HF angle grinders. He said that HF grinders last only half as long as his better tools, but he can buy 4 of them for the price of one better grinder.