Tool Haul pic

[Scratch]

I've been hanging onto an old Hilti cordless drill for at least 15 years and finally decided I wanted to get a small, lightweight impact driver. I decided I wanted to go with the Rigid brand and their lifetime service agreement, on the suggestion of my brother who switched over to them about 5 years ago for all of his pool company employees.

I decided to take advantage of the recent fathers day specials that Home Depot was running and ended up getting a few more things from the Rigid line. I went mostly with their subcompact line, but sprung a little more for their High torque 1/2" impact and their 3/8" ratchet. I used an impact driver for the first time today and was very happy with it!

[mccutter]

You still need a 4-1/2" grinder... Nice set!

[GWIZ]

Nice,
that's next on my list the High torque 1/2" impact and their 3/8" ratchet.

So far I like the Ridgid Line and have been picking up quite a few of their cordless tools I think I'm up to 8, I was thinking of posting a review I don't want to hijack your thread.
the main quirk don't over heat the battery's.

I over heated the 2A battery's with the big reciprocating saw and now the battery's seem to have lost some of their capacity.
In my case the battery's did shut down on their own but they were "HOT"!, in my opinion too hot, so switch them out when they get just above warm.

Keep the Box.
When you register you need the number off the "Box" so they know which deal you purchased.
Be careful purchasing from other than HD you may not get the lifetime service agreement (LSA) some people that purchased from Amazon were not able to get the LSA.

[toprecycler]

Nice set of new tools. I keep thinking that I really should do that myself. Get rid of all my old cordless tools that do not have good batteries anymore, and pick one brand to invest in. Just not sure what brand I want to go with. Every time I have used Milwaukee stuff, I like it, just not the prices.

Has anyone here have any experience with having Rigid warranty service? Do they do what they say?

I remember buying some grinders, and one of them wore the switch out or brushes. Either I didn’t register the tool when I bought it, or when I tried to get a replacement, I had to take the tool to a registered repair shop, which the closest one is hundred miles away, so I figured it’s not worth it. I should look back into this grinder repair someday.


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[dubby]

The little impacts are probably one of my biggest tool "joys" that have ever been created. I have 3 of them on my bench. Mine are the 12v Makita brand, but the design itself has been method-changing for my work. I'd tried the little cordless screwdrivers, multiple drill motor units, and such but the impacts just work. They have a short nose to get into spots well, the quick change keeps things simple, and they're quick.

I have 3 because I keep a philips, flat, and an allen head loaded. It's easier to find the tool than the tips after you lay them down on the bench. They're all in magnetic holders so I don't have to fumble with screws allowing one-handed use. I've added other tools to the collection from the series but nothing has been as great as these impacts.

[Scratch]

Originally Posted by mccutter

You still need a 4-1/2" grinder... Nice set!

I do a ton of metal fabrication work so you'd think so right, but no. I do all my fab work on the front side of a 4'x6' table with 4 outlets on each corner so I just leave my two grinders (one with a wire wheel and one with a flap disc) plugged in and sitting below the table top. They go bad every few years and I just buy the cheapest replacement. I'd hate to have to wait for it to be serviced by an authorized dealer.

Originally Posted by GWIZ

Nice,
I was thinking of posting a review I don't want to hijack your thread.
the main quirk don't over heat the battery's.
Keep the Box.

Thanks for the tip on the batteries and the box. I didn't know about either of those!
Feel free to hijack, or start another thread. I'd love to hear more reviews on more tools I may need. Plus you might find more tips I haven't heard like your two tips above!

Originally Posted by toprecycler

Has anyone here have any experience with having Rigid warranty service? Do they do what they say?

Of the probably 20 tools he has between him and his employees, my brother has had one drill, and one battery go bad since he's been using them. He brought them to a local small engine shop to be repaired. They repaired the drill and replaced the battery. It took about a week but he didn't care since he had others. He's still happy with the rigid line.

Originally Posted by dubby

The little impacts are probably one of my biggest tool "joys" that have ever been created.

I'm really liking it so far too! I'm still putting a bunch of pressure on the back of the tool to "keep the bit in the screw head" because I'm so used to having it pop out. I'm sure I'll get used to how much easier it is now. Plus I'm LOVING the small size and low weight of this compared to my Hilti which is what I was using for a screw gun before, and that was a 15 year old hammer drill so you know it's heavy!

My next tool might be their hammer drill because I find myself using that a lot. I'm not in a huge hurry though since my Hilti still works fine, but who doesn't love to buy new tools right! I also am interested in a flood light. I find myself wanting one of those every once in a while. The one that came in the kit is pretty bright, but it's a spot light and I'd like to be able to fan it out more.

[Scratch]

One complaint I have is that there aren't belt hooks on everything and that's how I plan to hang them on the wall. The 1/2" impact, ratchet, and the right angle drill have slots for them, but the instructions say they aren't included so I'll have to order them as my HD doesn't carry them in store. I guess I can see why the reciprocating saw doesn't have one, but I wish it was at least designed to have one attached like most of the others, even just for storage hanging purposes.

And there are 2 different styles of hooks. I like the non sub-compact style better. It looks like the hooks for Ryobi and others may work so I'll have to do some more research into that but I need to buy 3 more hooks to add to the ones that didn't already come with them.

I think I've figured out how I want to organize and store them but I wish they all had belt hooks.

[greywynd]

I have a lot of the older 18v nicad battery dewalt stuff. Some of which I’ll never wear out, like the rotozip and grease gun.

However, since there are adapters available to run almost any battery on any tool these days, and I also have some 18v Milwaukee stuff, there will be adapters added in someday soon, and the older dewalt batteries will be phased out.


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[mccutter]

I got my first Ryobi 18v set over 20 years ago. A big reason was because I'm convenient to HD and like Ridgid, Ryobi is a "house" brand. They had a deal on a set and I've been hooked ever since.

I've about a dozen batteries between 2 locations and usually get them during a BF sale. And yes, the (older) tools are heavy and so are the batteries. I was tightening my gutter brackets yesterday and could have appreciated a lighter tool when leaning off the ladder.

Speaking of 4-1/2" grinders, the 18v grinder with battery is 1-1/4lbs heavier than a Makita 120v.

[Scratch]

Originally Posted by mccutter

!

Speaking of 4-1/2" grinders, the 18v grinder with battery is 1-1/4lbs heavier than a Makita 120v.

Thanks for that reminder, good point. Yeah, I’ll probably stick with my 120v grinders.