Cordless Power Tools for working on boats, trailers, and everything else.
 

I've been meaning to post this for a while.

I dumped my old set of tools (Ryobi) last year, and started anew with Ridgid 18V Tools from Home Depot.
I did a LOT of research before I bought. DeWalt advertises a "20V" kit, but it's really only 18V; found that out when I was comparing and investigating.

I bought this kit:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-18...5yc1vZc2ecZ18g
[ATTACH=CONFIG]523369[/ATTACH]

And I've since invested in their 18V Cordless 1/2 impact.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-1-...010B/203930523
I don't care what the specs say, but this 18V Ridgid is STRONGER THAN THE DEWALT in the real world. I tested with DeWalt and Ridgid. The Ridgid takes off lug nuts that the DeWalt would not.

And I bought their 18V Jig Saw.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded...831B/203930501

The entire Ridgid set is TOUGH AS NAILS...
and...

... IT HAS A LIFETIME SERVICE AGREEMENT!

It's not a lifetime guarantee, but after doing some digging, it's pretty close. They will either fix or replace any tool, period; INCLUDING BATTERIES. as long as you buy it from an authorized dealer (Home Depot) and you REGISTER them online.

I've used most of the brands, Milwaukee, DeWalt, Bosch, etc. I am VERY impressed by these Ridgid tools over the other brands; and I am a picky SOB when it comes to my tools.

The other thread on the waterproof boombox prompted me to post. I don't have the Ridgid boombox/radio; but I'll probably pick it up one day.

This thread will probably get moved, but those little 12v Milwaukee hackzall saws are great for cutting speaker holes and that sort of thing. they are small and fit into tight spaces. And you can't beat a Festool sander hooked up to one of the vacuum systems for dustless work, nice around fiberglass!

Is that a SRW or DRW kit???????

I can attest to what you are saying about the Ridgid tools. All of my power tools are now Ridgid and I have not been disappointed. I don't really see myself ever buying another brand since having numerous issues with both Dewalt and Milwaukee. These things are rock solid and you can't go wrong with the service agreement either.

It goes both ways.
I once had a GF that did the same.
:evilb:

After years of Dewalt kits I will never go back after owning Ridgid. Far superior in my opinion.

Truth behind DeWalt "20V" line:

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item...why-go-20v-max

i use both rigid and milwaukee..both tuff as nails.. as for the impact end of it i have snapon 3/8 and 1/2'' and their electric 1/4'' ratchet..but i will be buting milwaukee's 3/8 electric ratchet and multi tool..

I used to buy Ryobi junk for work (most of my stuff gets water damage/underground use) so it was cheap and if you buy the stuff on sale the combo kits are cheaper than just buying two batteries.

I used a Dewalt sawzall and damn near cut my hand off, I couldn't believe how much better it was. I put 20 pieces of Ryobi crap on Craigslist for $200 ($10 each but you had to buy it all at once). Sold it in a couple days and took the $200 to Home Depot and bought the Dewalt kit and have never looked back!

Good to hear there is something to upgrade to next time around!

Im thinking of changing it up to, have been a milwaukee user for a while 2 years ago I bought their 12v combo and im not happy at all 2 batteries needed to be replaced and my other 2 are toast now.was just walking through home depot loking at the 18 v from mil and dewalt , never even considered the rigid stuff ...but will now thanks for the info

Dagnabit...I'm happy with my 18v Dewalt cordless drill. Just bought new batts yesterday after 8+ years. (gotta love Chase reward points= Lowes gift cards)
My only comparison prior; were old 9v Makita(s) that dated back to mid-80's, so, that doesnt say much.
Someone mentioned speaker holes.....new Rotozip is awesome for it. Granted its not cordless, but its sheer awesomeness makes up for it. Done many a speaker & dash holes with it.

I keep one of these on the boat. Impact driver for sockets and screws. Simply amazing and small, incredible powerful for it's size. It prob won't break a lug but loose, but it will break loose any bolt in your engine bay. With this little guy I can change my impeller in about 3 mins, no joke. And for around the house it will drive 4 inch screws into wood with no pre-drilling

Best tool I own all around. I have the 18v snap on 1/2 for lug nuts

http://www.diamondtool.net/sites/def...807_0_orig.jpg

Dewalt = Black & Decker.. Go Makita!!

I love all my Hilti tools and they back up there tools.

On a construction site that I'm on, it's all hilti, wondered about their quality / durability etc

+1 On Ryobi sucking now.

I had ALL the tools and eventually after all the batteries went dead I bought some new batteries and some new LiPo tools and they all SUCKED. The old ones lasted 5 years thru tough projects.

I actually bought a tool box for the inside of my truck at Sears last week has anybody weighed their new 18V lineup. They look pretty robust.

http://www.craftsman.com/search=18v%20cordless%20drill

Just wondering, I always liked their replacement policy...

I have the exact same thing only it is the drill. I was doing some work on my wife's co workers house for her and forgot my drill so I went down to one of the stores and picked up one of these. I have had it for probably 3 or 4 years and only used it maybe 4 times in that amount of time. It has been kept in it's box with no battery installed I went to charge the batteries this past weekend and neither one of them would charge. Now if was a Ridgid I would just send them the batteries and or charger and they would fix or replace, I do not have that option with the Milwaukee.

A while back I picked up a new in box Rigid 18 volt impact driver and drill kit. After doing some research I read a ton of horror stories about the "lifetime service agreement". Some people had good luck, others took months to get new batteries. I ended up swapping for a Milwaukee Fuel 18V impact driver. I'm a light duty user and could get by with anything but the new brushless stuff from Milwaukee and Makita is amazing. Was really suprised when doing research how crappy dewault is now. On the message boards that catered to pro's (construction, mechanics, etc) they're considered crap.

I have a bunch of 18V craftsman tools and the tools have held up exceptionally well.....but the damn Ni-cad batteries do not last 2 years anymore. Last fall I bought a couple Lithium Ion batteries so we'll see how long they last. Even my 12-14 year old drill still works fine so no idea what the replacement policy is on those tools but the batteries aren't warrantied for very long.

Techtronic Industries manufactures power tools for Ryobi, Ridgid, Milwaukee, and Craftsman. The service agreement seems like a good deal though if you ever have to replace or repair anything.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Techtronic_Industries

I switches everything over to Milwaukee , they have a lot of HVAC specific tools that are amazing! Their drills and sawzalls are excellent. Batteries are great and last much longer that the other brands I`ve used

Milwaukee bar none is the best we have run through our shop but a lot of my duct monkeys use hitachi and to be honest they are on par with Milwaukee in terms of durability. For brute force you won't beat the red brand. Makita has let me down a lot, they were great until a fe years ago. Another good light duty is Bosch. Their mini impact is nice and the little driver will spin a 1" uni bit through 18 gauge metal with ease.

LC

ive got a pretty extensive collection of the Makita 18V tools and i love them. the half inch impact takes the lug nuts off my ctd and crawler 1 ton lugs with ease. cordless grinder always comes in handy too. the batterys are still going strong 4+ years later

I own a lot of the multi powered ridgid stuff. Just warning you the Warranty registration sucks. Like a 10 step process.

Years ago I sucked into the Ryobi + one system. They're OK for the occasional home use. I just have sooooo many of them that I didn't want to start over. I've recently played with the Rigid stuff and damn, I want them. It was about number 850 on the wish list. This thread may have moved it up quite a bit!

they have a 5 yr warranty..call milwaukee and see if they can send you new ones..

Thought I'd throw an update in here:

I still love these tools. I destroyed a lantern light by letting it fall off the back of my truck at 70mph. I didn't find enough of it to try and send it in for "warranty replacement". So I bought a used one on eBay. That one lasted about a year before something shorted inside of it. I just bought another one, cheap on eBay.

But I've been a bit jealous of some of the box store brands that have a cordless battery powered leaf blower. Well, Ridgid just came out with it! I just bought it on eBay for cheap, and we'll see how it does when it gets here. I have 2 Stihl gas blowers (one I won in a silent auction at Powerboating for a Cure Poker Run). But they are a bit of a PITA to prime, choke, warm, and use just for 30 seconds to blow the leaves and dust out of the front of the barn. That's why I wanted a battery powered leaf blower. I look forward to this Ridged blower when it shows up.

So far I have all of these in the lineup:
18V Hammer Drill
18V Impact Driver (small, household construction & garage mechanical; a bit stronger than a scewgun)
18V Impact Wrench (large, 1/2" drive, for changing tires and props)
18V Circular Saw
18V Sawsall
18V Orbital Jig Saw
18V Right Angle Grinder
18V Compact Light console (lantern that I destroyed once, broke once)
18V LED flashlight
18V Leaf Blower (on the way)

Now, if they would just come out with a rotary tool like the RotoZip, I'd be happy.

https://cdn2.ridgid.com/resources/me...=US&type=image

https://www.ridgid.com/us/en/bare-tools

When I buy them on eBay, I don't get the warranty like I did if bought at a dealer (Home Depot), but I'm not too worried about it since they are such a great set of tools.

I've had very good luck with Dewalt 18v tools. I buy $1000's every year for my guys at work and they have held up very well. It's nice having them all have the same brand to share batteries when needed.

I know that Hilti cost more,but if you try them I think you will make the switch over to Hilti. The only one you can compare Hilti too is Bosh.

Have pretty much all of that in craftsman + a chainsaw and a hedge trimmer, both are priceless for clearing atv trails. I was ready to ditch all my stuff but they came out with the 19.2 lithium batteries. What a difference. The chainsaw can cut a couple of 8"+ or - trees on one large battery.

Now have 2 large and 6 small lithium batteries, All my ni-cad ones and their chargers went to recycling. I have not had one lithium battery fail and it's been nearly three years
[ATTACH=CONFIG]553640[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]553641[/ATTACH]

I didn't like the chucks on the craftsman drills, but now you can buy excellent after-market ones for less than $20 on amazon

Unbelievably, the Ridgid blower showed up at my door in LESS THAN 24 HOURS, It's perfect for what I was looking for.

Strange, I build...all day every day in blazing hot or brutal cold and we're NOT kind to our tools, the Makita is top notch in precision, weight, and durability. And that pretty much goes for their corded tools also. However I have two vans full of every brand and for the most part they're all quality products.

Since we use our tools so much I generally go for the lightest model I can get from the professional lines. I find that they're every bit as durable as the heavier units and don't wear me out as the day gets long. If they do break I just chuck them and get some new stuff, none of this stuff is that expensive.