Are Ridgid power tools any good?

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: Edmond
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Once you buy an impact driver (or wrench), you will never go back to regular drill for this type of jobs. You will be wondering why was I trying to use drill on screws or bolt!


So you think I can just get an impact and be done? I won't even have a need for the drill?

What do you guys think of Makita?



I'm a journeyman carpenter. Been self employed since I can remember,currently employ 40 men.
Once impacts came out my drills started collecting dust. Even for drilling an impact works better in my experience.
For fine cabinetry I still use a drill simply because it's more controlled however that's the only place I can think of a drill being better in service.
Makita makes a decent tool. Not class leading but decent.
Milwaukee is not only head of the class but so far beyond the rest in battery charge and power but the whole tool itself is better in every way than most everything out there,except rigid.
Rigid is very close in relation to quality and battery as Milwaukee but that's it.
Today I buy only red tools. Dollar for dollar they are the best money can buy.
But I'm a contractor.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Even though I am happy with DeWalt, if I were to buy anything going forward, it has to be M18 Fuel Brushless; nothing else will do!


+1 - yes they are more expensive, but I have bought some new ones on CraigsList and some bare tools off the internet. If you look around you need not spend a fortune on the best stuff available.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: Edmond
What do you guys think of Makita?

I have owned the battery eating Milwaukee stuff IMHO its not worth a pee hole in the snow. The tools themselves were okay but the batteries are not worth the powder to blow them to hades with.
I thew the cheap ones away or craigslisted them, i am happy to be rid of them.

Makita (the blue ones) have been great, battery life and longevity is fantastic.
Don't buy into the brushless craze and pay more for it, i haven't replaced brushes or a battery on any of them in 6+ years and i use them professionally.

Would i buy Makita again? You bet! In a heartbeat. Would i buy Milwaukee again? [censored] no! I don't want it if someone else bought it for me.

Edit: The Milwaukee were 12V with the rounded batteries the Makita is 18V
I got 3 uses out of 2 batteries and Milwaukee CS was terrible.
Thats okay their miserable CS cost them a customer that spends a lot of money on tools.

 

[EA82]

I have had the the dewalt 20v hammer drill - impact driver combo for two years, I'm very happy with it.
I do have several coworkers that own rigid and aren't happy with their cordless tools. Two separate cases where the probe light on the impact gun would either stay on constantly or constantly blink. Another case is the cordless sawzall would stop working without warning a week after the purchase, I'm not sure if it was the trigger or the battery, he returned them at HD for a refund. I'm not trying to stick up for dewalt here, they have dropped the ball in quality lately, I was somewhat of a dewalt brand loyal until a corded recip saw only lasted me a year with minor usage.
I have heard good things about Milwaukee tools, if I was in the market for cordless tools, I'd give them a try.

Just noticed that OP isn't a contractor, if you just need them for around the house work I think any of the brands mentioned will do, I'd go with the most cost effective.

 

[Merkava_4]

The first thing I check for in a power tool is sharp edges. You'd be surprised how stupid some of these educated engineers are. Where two halves of the plastic housing comes together, it'll make a sharp edge. Where they got the holes drilled for the screws, the edges of the holes will be sharp. Sometimes you'll find a trigger that pinches your finger when you squeeze it. The list goes on and on. ERGONOMICS is the most important thing in tools.

 

[jmb3675]

I bought a 24v Ridgid set years ago because of the lifetime warranty. The 24 volt batteries are junk. I need ho have both replaced again. The tools have been completely reliable. Even the ones that have fallen off ladders and roofs more than a few times. When I decided to add an impact and a smaller drill I got the Ridgid because I could use the 18 volt batteries in all of my 24 volt tools and the lifetime warranty. So far I am really happy with them. The battery life with the batteries is amazing. The batteries that came with my impact and drill kit made my 24 volt set enjoyable to use again and have almost the same power.

 

[threeputtpar]

Yes, Ridgid tools are just as good at the Milwaukees and Dewalts of the world. The are all manufactured under the same parent company, ITW I believe.

I have the 8 piece Ridgid combo pack powered by 18v NiCd batteries. The set is so old, Li powered tools were just coming out and were too expensive for my needs. I'm still on the original two 18v batteries, and the one 9.6V battery for the small screw gun. They are very enjoyable to use, and for bigger projects I have never experienced any fatigue.

Everything is covered under the Lifetime Warranty, but I have yet to need it. They just do their job and never complain.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: threeputtpar
Yes, Ridgid tools are just as good at the Milwaukees and Dewalts of the world. The are all manufactured under the same parent company, ITW I believe.

I have the 8 piece Ridgid combo pack powered by 18v NiCd batteries. The set is so old, Li powered tools were just coming out and were too expensive for my needs. I'm still on the original two 18v batteries, and the one 9.6V battery for the small screw gun. They are very enjoyable to use, and for bigger projects I have never experienced any fatigue.

Everything is covered under the Lifetime Warranty, but I have yet to need it. They just do their job and never complain.


Dewalt and Milwaukee are not even close in quality. I work with my tools. Dewalt is utter garbage.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Trav
Originally Posted By: Edmond
What do you guys think of Makita?

I have owned the battery eating Milwaukee stuff IMHO its not worth a pee hole in the snow. The tools themselves were okay but the batteries are not worth the powder to blow them to hades with.
I thew the cheap ones away or craigslisted them, i am happy to be rid of them.

Makita (the blue ones) have been great, battery life and longevity is fantastic.
Don't buy into the brushless craze and pay more for it, i haven't replaced brushes or a battery on any of them in 6+ years and i use them professionally.

Would i buy Makita again? You bet! In a heartbeat. Would i buy Milwaukee again? [censored] no! I don't want it if someone else bought it for me.

Edit: The Milwaukee were 12V with the rounded batteries the Makita is 18V
I got 3 uses out of 2 batteries and Milwaukee CS was terrible.
Thats okay their miserable CS cost them a customer that spends a lot of money on tools.


My experience is similar though I'm not sure we are necessarily being fair. I have a Milwaukee drill and I just picked up a Makita impact. The Makita will run all day without a charge like a champion, whilst the battery life on the Milwaukee is awful and wasn't great even when it was new. The one Milwaukee battery barely holds a charge now, but it has gotten up there in age.

Quality-wise I have zero complaints about the Milwaukee. It was a fantastically made drill and has held up incredibly well. It needs a better battery. The case finish on the Milwaukee is better than the Makita as well. Supposedly Makita's smart charging system works to keep batteries lasting longer too. We'll see how that pans out I guess.

I am aware I am comparing old battery tech to new and I believe you might be doing the same Trav. But that being the case, my sister's Canadian Tire (Mastercraft) drill with similar battery tech to the Milwaukee still had massively better battery life

 

[Trav]

The tools i had used the lithium-ion battery. I had the pipe cutter and inspection scope not a drill or impact. When i bought it no one else was making a cordless pipe cutter and the scope was a big $$ item.
I got 3 uses out of the batteries.

The Makita are about 6 yrs old 18v lithium-ion and some of the last Japan produced, the finish quality is equal to the Milwaukee IMHO although i had no problems with the Milwaukee tools themselves.
These are occasional use tools, i don't want to buy a $60 battery every 3 times i use it.
The Makita on the other hand are still on their original batteries, run time has not noticeably decreased. The charger is superior in every way.

I have Hilti also but that's another class of tool but even with them you have to be careful now.
For Europe they are still built in Liechtenstein but for the US and maybe for NA they produce them in China to compete with the lower priced tools.

 

[HangFire]

I'm not going to stand up for deWalt's current 18V or 20V (LiIon) systems because I own neither. I would just like to point out that I suspect some of the problem with deWalt is the $99 holiday special drill drivers and impacts... they are NOT the same quality as the professional tools. Of course, they look almost the same. The model numbers are different. So is the quality.

I haven't owned Milwaukee since they were US made with NiCad batteries, so I have nothing useful to say there.

For a serious homeowner/hobbyist, I recommend Bosch. I like the ergonomics, which as Merkava said is very important. The batteries are excellent and have a 3 year warranty, and Bosch really stands behind that warranty. Just register it online. There are 1 hr, 30 minute and 20 minute chargers, depending on the quality level you buy, and like the other brands, there are consumer and pro level tools that look very similar. The difference is the Bosch consumer level drills and impacts are still pretty good tools.

There are even wireless chargers, but that's only with matching batteries and is big money.