Ridgid Tools

[RichZ]

I was at Home Depot today, and there was a sales rep from Ridgid Tools today. He was giving out 10% rebate forms, and he claims that Ridgid powertools have a lifetime warranty if you register them on-line. He claimed that if you have problems with the tools, all you have to do is bring it to a service center to be replaced.

Does anyone have any experience with Ridgid Tools? I'm paritcularly interested in their 18 volt cordless drill. The batteries for my cordless drills usually last no more than 2 years, and it's never worth getting new batteries, so I generally buy a new drill every 2 years. If Ridgid replaces the batteries when they die, the drill would be well worth the $189 minus the 10%.

Thanks for any opinions!!

[CJDave]

[img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] Emerson Tool Co. made Craftsman tools for Sears for years and years, until the bean counters at Sears decided to go offshore and buy el-cheapo and suddenly after more than forty years, Emerson was out. The family name of Emerson's tool line included Rigid and Western Forge. HOME DEPOT talked Emerson into concentrating on building and expanding the Rigid line and marketing it through Home Depot. They are superb tools, I have historically used all Rigid Pipe fitting tools and now I am planning to buy their other power tools as well as I do replacements and so forth. Emerson is in Paris Tennessee and employs about 650 people. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[slapshot]

FYI - The Emerson Power tools are now made under license for Emerson by OWT Industries a division of Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd (China) (http://www.ttigroup.com/). This other Techtronic Industries' divisions make Ryobi, Milwaukee, Homelite and the Royal Dirt Devil products.

-dave

[GaryM]

Who'd a thunk it! [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

[RichZ]

I also e-mailed Ridgid, asking them about their warranty. This is the answer I got from them...

The warranty is for repair, not automatic replacement because of a failure. If a tool is determined by an authorized Ridgid warranty service dealer to be non-repairable, then the service dealer can submit a replacement request form under warranty. Miss-use or abuse is a judgement call the authorized service dealer has to make, and your closest Ridgid authorized service dealer can be determined from the dealer locator at the link below.

RIDGID Service and Repair Centers

The Ridgid rep was correct in regards to replacing the batteries under the warranty.

There is nothing else to say other than, yes, the batteries are covered under the warranty. I have attached a PDF file of the lifetime service agreement statement to this message. It is also listed on the Ridgid web site at www.ridgid.com


....So, it seems the Ridgid sales rep who implied that I'd never have to buy new batteries again, was stretching it just a tad. Sounds like their warranty isn't any better than anyone else's.

[Michael]

I have the Ridgid 12 volt right angle impact wrench and have had zero problems. Also, make sure that you are not allowing your batteries to develop a "memory" over time.

[Pat]

I have a set of Ridgid pipe wrenches (the heavy ones.) These wrenches seem to be virtually indestructable and last for decades. As a young lad I was "entertained" by the Ridgid calendars hanging on the wall in various shops. A real piece of Americana!

I also have a Rigid brand jointer purchased from Home Depot in the 90's. I suspected it was a "label it with a good name to sell it" deal and seems it was BUT it works fine and has never given a lick of trouble other than being pretty darned heavy with all that cast iron. Of course it is much better to be heavy than light with a tool like this.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[egon]

I am not sure but I beleive the source of Rigid Tools has changed within the past few years.

Pat; you just need a longer snipe! [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Egon

[Pat]

Egon, Are you refering to the common snipe (bird) or possibly the "class" sailboat? I know you aren't refering to a woodworking defect!

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[egon]

No it's not a small sailboat or a product of my planer nor does it wander the shorelines in search of food.

It is a tool that makes the short and weak equal to the mightiest of the mighty. A well know person of the past, name forgotten at the moment, suggestted moving the earth with one. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

It usually takes the shape of a long piece of pipe that will slip over the end of a pipe wrench. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]