Over at my local Home Depot, there’s a small tower of new “Limited Edition” Ridgid 18V Gen5X brushless cordless power tool combo kits.
At the time I first saw them, I didn’t realize what was so special about this new promo bundle. It was when Ridgid posted an image on one of their social media accounts that the allure became clear to me.
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Update: This kit will be $299 for Black Friday.
Ridgid power tools are normally very orange, or orange and grey. The tools in this new combo kit are mostly black and grey, with very small orange accents.
As far as I can tell, the tools in this kit are “limited edition” by way of sporting a completely different color scheme.
Here’s a quick side by side image of the limited edition brushless impact driver, and Ridgid’s regular brushless impact driver. The differences are quite obvious.
What do you think – should this be Ridgid’s new color scheme, or would it be better for them to stick to orange and grey?
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The kit comes with:
- Hammer drill R86116
- 3-speed impact driver R86037
- Angle grinder (4-1/2″) R86041
- Circular saw (7-1/4″) R8653
- (2)
2.0Ah4.0Ah battery packs (R840087) - Charger (R840095)
- Carrying bag
Here’s a snapshot of the specs, based on details for the like-SKUed orange and grey version tools. The regular model R86116 hammer drill features 700 in-lbs max torque delivery, carbide chuck jaws, and 100 setting micro clutch. The R86037 impact features 2250 in-lbs of max torque, 3 speed and torque settings, and “tri-beam” LED worklight. There’s only one version each of the angle grinder and circular saw, sized for 4-1/2″ wheels and 7-1/4″ blades, respectively.
The combo price of $399 is good, but it’s uncertain if this is the final sale price.
The regular version of these tools are priced at $119 for the bare tools ($139 for the circular saw), or $199 for a 2-battery kit. So based on that, the approximate retail cost of buying all the components in this combo kit would be around $559 ($199 + ($119 x3 )).
There’s a “brushless automotive kit” special buy, that comes with an impact driver, impact wrench, and angle grinder, for $229 $299. There’s also a brushless hammer drill with impact driver combo, for $279.
Ridgid prices their combo kits very aggressively. $399 seems to be a good price, and the data suggests that this is as good a price as we’ll see. But I’m not 100% confident that this is the lowest price we’ll see. My certainty is at maybe 95%.
It’s good then, that Home Depot has a 90-day return policy and low price guarantee. I think I was once told that they can do price adjustments for 30 days.
Price: $399
Buy Now(via Home Depot)
The yeti
I think the orange is so people confuse the brand with the Ridgid pipe wrench brand .
Now that the power tool line is well established . Why dont they try to get a new colour scheme .
i dont think the power tools have anything to do with the pipe wrenches . As far as i have read on here. The power tools are tti based and a house brand for HD.
While the plumbing stuff is mostly american made high quality best in class stuff
fred
Different companies. I believe that Emerson owns the trademark – and licensed it to HD and TTI. Emerson bought the Ridge Tool Co. in 1966. At one time, Emerson produced a lot of the power tools for Sears. When Sears threw them over, they cut a deal with HD. I believe that Emerson still makes the Ridgid vacuums – and their Ridge Tool company makes the plumbing tools. The other power tools are from TTI. HD also applies the brand name to garden tools from Ames and quite a number of other tools from various OEMs. Many times the UPC (6 number prefix) on the tool will give you who the OEM is.
Jeremiah
I know the ridgid, HD, cordless are somewhat different than Ridgid plumbing hand tools. There is another class of ridgid power tools including propress, seesnakes/ sewer cameras, threaded and sewer snakes, rodders, etc. I wonder who makes these and where? I know they are distributed through (HD and) pro channels, like suppliers who Also carry the hand tools. I’m pretty sure the power tools that take 18v batteries use The same ones as the ridged power tools. I’m not sure which hand tools are currently US made. Pipe wrenches, basin wrenches, pipe cutters, “pro tools” i believe. I’m pretty sure ridge had an Irish factory at one point not sure about now.
fred
I’m not sure – but the Ridgid ProPress tools and SeeSnake cameras bear UPC’s starting with 095691. That would seem to say that they are Emerson – Ridge Tool Company Products. Ridgid vacuums I’ve seen bear UPC’s starting with 648846 possibly denoting Emerson’s Special Products Division – but that also seems to be the UPC prefix on UPC’s associated with TTI-made Ridgid power tools.
The yeti
Either way . I agree with most on here. The new black get up . Looks good .
Farid
You are correct, Fred. Emerson makes the Ridgid Vacuums, electric motors and other electric tools. A friend , who works for Emerson, made me aware of it a few years back.
Jason. W
If I was planning on buying ridged tools, I’d opt for these over the standered set. They look pretty freaking nice
Chris S
Being already in the Ridgid ecosystem, I prefer the orange & gray. I don’t want a blacked-out tool that is harder to find in a dimly lit space.
Shawn
Thanks for this info Stuart. Near the end, you stated; “There’s a ‘brushless automotive kit’ special buy, that comes with an impact driver, impact wrench, and angle grinder, for $229.” I see Set/Model # R9215N for $299 at the link below. Did you actually see $229 or was this a typo? Thanks again.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-Brushless-Automotive-Kit-3-Piece-R9215N/302859910
CJ
At $229, I’m off to the store for the 4ah batteries alone on lsa
Stuart
Thanks! I would swear I saw $229, but I’m only seeing $299 at the moment.
Shawn
I see your “Update: This kit will be $299 for Black Friday.” Will that be in-store only or also online? Do you know if the Brushless Automotive Kit will likewise be offered at a lower price on Black Friday?
Stuart
If I had to guess, I would say in stores and online.
I’m sorry, I didn’t see anything about the automotive kit.
Shawn
Thanks for your feedback Stuart. One other kit that is new (to me) is the $200 Ridgid Brushless Reciprocating Saw with two 4Ah batteries. This is Ridgid Model # R864304SB. To the best of my knowledge Ridgid has not released a *Brushless* Reciprocating Saw until now. Strange that it is not available as a bare tool. This might be worthy of a future post. Here’s the link:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-18-Volt-Brushless-Reciprocating-Saw-Kit-with-2-4-0Ah-Batteries-R864304SB/302966673
Shawn
Also, something is wrong with the HD comments for this tool. The reviewers seem to be discussing a double battery pack, rather than the reciprocating saw. When I first looked at this tool, there were no reviews. Then, overnight, there were 356 reviews, so something is amiss at HD.
Stuart
It’s so new that the description seems to be fore the brushed motor model.
As for the reviews, https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/syndicated-aggregated-user-reviews/%3C/a%3E .
Ridgid has released new tools this time of year in the past, and only in select configurations because of supply constraints.
2 years ago, there was a drill and circular saw special buy (https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/ridgid-brushless-hammer-drill-circular-saw-combo-kit-black-friday-2015/%3C/a%3E%29. It was released like that for the holiday season, and the saw didn’t appear in any other manner until a few months later.
Shawn
Nov 12, 2017
Thanks for your article on Syndicated/Aggregated User Reviews. That is not a smart way to go about getting sales. In this case, even the Q&A for the tool is copied verbatim, and there are many questions regarding the Lifetime Service Agreement (LSA) within the Q&A. As you know, Ridgid does not offer an LSA on batteries purchased separately, but they do offer an LSA on batteries purchased within kits. If someone didn’t know any better, they would think that Ridgid will not offer the LSA for the batteries in this kit, because most of the Q&A responses to the former two-battery-pack state that no LSA is available. It is very disappointing that HD and Ridgid are condoning this practice.
Joe H
I prefer my tools to be bright colored to be easily seen, especially if they fall into a dark place. This is why many of my dark colored tools become limited edition colored after they enter my collection.
Shawn
Sorry, but I think I found one more typo. The batteries in the limited edition black/grey set are 4 Amp-Hour batteries (not 2Ah as mentioned in this post). The Home Depot description states that they are “(2) R840087 4Ah hyper-lithium ion batteries”. Having 4Ah batteries makes the set much more worthwhile.
Stuart
*fixed*, thanks!
Chris
How does ridgid’s batteries compare to Dewalt, Mawaukee, Makita, and Bosch? Is ridgid’s warranty really any good?
Tim
So long as you register them asap.
Batteries in kits are covered under lifetime warranty.
Batteries bought alone are not.
Shawn
If you want real world experiences with Ridgid’s replacement of their lifetime service agreement (LSA), search the Ridgid power tool forum:
https://www.ridgidforum.com/forum/power-tools/power-tool-discussion-forum
In terms of signing up for their registration, remember that you can only get their LSA if you buy from Home Depot (not Amazon). Some forget to register them within the 90-day period and then they get mad. Others are frustrated by the registration process itself.
In some cases the online registration works fine and you’re done.
In other cases, you can register asap (like Tim says) but you sometimes get a response via email saying “ACTION REQUIRED: Your Lifetime Service Agreement Registration”. The email reads, “Unfortunately, we encountered an issue when cross referencing your product and/or proof of purchase information with our records and were unable to upgrade your products to Lifetime Service Agreement (LSA) status. … Within 90 days of purchase, mail the following to RIDGID for process and approval.
1. Original receipt
2. Print out this email showing your customer ID number (#########)”
I have had this happen a number of times, and in every case I was able to resolve it with a phone call and an email. While this is a pain, I have found that If you call the phone number given in the email, and ask for the representatives email, they will allow you to send the same info electronically. This entails sending an electronic copy of your Home Depot receipt. I also clearly state my name, my Ridgid Customer ID number given in the email, the Ridgid Tool I’m trying to register, and the Home Depot Order number. In all of my cases, I have received a positive confirmation of my tool registration, sent back on the same day or the next day.
ktash
Yes, I’ve had this happen twice. I don’t own many Ridgid tools. Eventually it got worked out, but a bit of a pain.
Chris
Good to know!
Chris
Looks slick!
RC WARD
The black with a hint of orange is the way to go, made me want one and I have a ton of drills so that says it all right there
Joe J
I prefer the toned down colors. The styling of modern tools is getting a little out of hand.
ca
Stealth black? But how will I see them in the dark?
ktash
I do like the new look. But locating bright colored tools is an advantage. Probably enough orange to do that. I could never find my new ear muff protectors. I finally put orange duct tape on them. Problem solved.
fred
At one time most corded power tools were cased in steel or aluminum housings. Many were just dull-polished “silvertone” in color. I remember when Porter Cable (and others too) started painting them light grey – and advertising that they were now non-reflective and easier on your eyes. Once plastic cases and double-insulated tools started to appear – color schemes changed. B&D was Orange (sometime orange and black), Makita tools started appearing in their signature teal. Milwaukee picked red, some Skil tools remained as shades of grey, Porter Cable chose black and grey.
ktash
And Ryobi lime green (subtle reminder of Festool? 😉 ) Ryobi used to be a Bosch-like blue. Hitachi green.
The only downside to the black and orange of Ridgid is that it reminds many of us of Black and Decker.
I’m trying to think if there was ever a Craftsman color. None comes to mind. I don’t have any recent Craftsman power tools.
fred
Many craftsman corded tools had black/dark grey plastic, sometimes orange or red trim and shiny metal. Stanley had their own line of power tools – mostly shiny metal housings. Dewalt – once B&D introduced the brand in the small power tool arena – was always yellow as far as I can recall. Early blue Ryobi tools were not all made by TTI – and the blue color may have pre-dated the big influx of Bosch tools into the US market. Skil was another full-line maker at on time – mostly light grey -once they switched to plastic double insulated tools. Rockwell International (not the current Rockwell Tools) had a lower end line in pale green tools with the Rockwell name – not to compete with their flagship Porter Cable line (before it got sold to Pentair and then to B&D). Wen tools also tried to compete with the lower end market – and they often seemed to adopt color schemes to make them look l a bit like others. I recall orange, red and black. I think Wen may have been more successful selling soldering guns – as I recall seeing more of them than their saws, sanders and planers.
fred
BTW – I think that B&D may have reserved their orange plastic more for tools sold at home centers than one sold to pros. My 3064 Super Sawcat is steel grey with a black plastic handle.
Curtis
So long as they don’t look like a “wild thing” chainsaw, I don’t care what color my tools are.
fred
One of our readings in the MBA program that I did, was a book that discussed and traced the evolution of advertising, development of brand identity and awareness etc. Logo design and selection of color schemes may be chosen to fit the message you want to convey. Similarly – longtime use of a color scheme (yellow and black) for Dewalt is said to help build brand awareness and loyalty. B&D trademarked this coloring and has sued others (and won) over its being copied.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-dewalt-verdict-1007-biz-20151006-story.html
Ariel
I’d like to comment on the earlier portion of the discussion regarding Ridgids LSA policy. To start, I have a LOT of tools registered. My experience mirrors most, once you have the knack of it, you can register a tool online in 5 minutes. However, probably 1 of 10 has given me the motice that I need to send a receipt, etc. I gotten all but one worked out. However, what many haven’t gotten into is the service you receive when you use your LSA. You have to drop your tool at a HD store. Plan to be without it for 4-6 weeks. You pay approx $22 upfront, which will be refunded if they determine your tool is under warranty. What’s that, you say? “Of course the tool is under warranty, it’s LSA!” Right, they’re taking the $22 anyway, and you get it back with the tool in 4-6 weeks. Of the tools I’ve had “fixed”, a number of them have come back with small problems that they didn’t leave with. Ex. Stealth force impact secondary trigger no longer works, brushless hammer drill came back with a trigger that has to pushed just right, etc, etc. Batteries however, call in the serial #, and they send you a new one. Unbelievable. Couldn’t be better or easier. So, overall, given it’s a lifetime warranty, it’s a bit of a pain, but worth it.
Michaelhammer
It doesn’t sound like it’s worth it. There’s no way I could go 4-6 weeks without a tool. Then, to exacerbate the situation, it comes back malfunctioning at which point I would send it back out for another 4-6 weeks. What a nightmare!
Shawn
Good to know about unexpected problems with tools that were under the LSA. Have they ever flat out replaced the tool? Batteries are going to fail regardless on a cordless tool, so that makes the LSA worth it–especially for home owners who are not going to stress/utilize the tool as quickly as a contractor. Thanks for sharing.
Ariel
I got back my one of my drivers, I can’t remember exactly which, and I swear they had replaced damn near everything on it except for the lower handle. I noticed and scratched my head, thinking at that point, wouldn’t it have been easier to swap it? In reply Michaelhammer, I understand your sentiment. I have doubles of most things, but when they had my grinder, which I couldn’t go without, it was a good excuse for me to go get the new brushless version. Maybe those long lead times are calculated! Haha.
Austin
I wish more companies did special editions and had fun with some of the designs and colors. Like malitas jdm impacts you can get one whatever color you want.
Aaron
TTI companies really enjoy copying Makita, don’t they? They look sharp, but not enough to get me to part with my Makita and Milwaukee.
A W
I like the more subtle color scheme. Their main color scheme had always stuck me as somewhat toy-ish.
Raoul
Same with Ryobi. I like the toned down Ridgid and especially like the anodized orange accents. Ryobi should do the same, sort of like the Seattle Seahawks uniforms.
Curtis
I’m a huge fan of Ryobi, but I gotta admit their color scheme is awful. Their old blue tools weren’t very good, but at least they weren’t neon green. What they really ought to do is launch a new color scheme for their higher end tools to differentiate them from their lower end products.
johnny bright light
I’m ah wait till black Friday or later, to get any Ridged tools. Which by the way are fantastic tools. As for the lifetime warranty I’ve never had a problem registering any tool by ridged. But I never had to replace any in a diy environment………..So I don’t know how good the warranty is.
glenn
AEG recently had a limited edition kit in Australia and although different from the Ridgid tools, they too, were mainly black with orange accents and I think they looked great. As do these tools above.
Here is a link to a pic.
https://www.good-design.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/AEG-Powertools-Limited-Edition-Kit-_Page-01-1200×849.jpg
Nathan
It’s OK. Wouldn’t make me go buy them though. I mean the kits a good price and all so if I was in the market – price would get me there. Not the color scheme.
If they do something new – I sort of wish they would keep more of the orange. Easier to see/find.
Stuart
Update: This kit will be $299 for Black Friday.
Tim Huff
It is not in their black Friday ad that I have seen
Stuart
Yes, it is. Look closer. Look for the page that says “#1 Power Tool & Accessory Retailer” at the top.
Tim Huff
I think they changed it on you. Page 11 on top #1 RETAILER OF POWER TOOLS & ACCESSORIES has a Rigid 3 piece in bottom right for $399 and get 2 of 3 choices free. Maybe the leak that I m looking at on 2 websites is wrong. who knows, but will find out in a week
Tim Huff
You were right, hey did not scan that part. Thank you very much
Stuart
You’re very welcome!
Nate
I bought this set and I’m in love the black and burnt orange color is slick and the power from the impact plus the 4.0/battery’s is better then any dewalt or other brand ive owned or used got a steal for 300$ in my opinion ive been remodeling an apartment building and have used this set ever day sense ive Bought it and nothing but good review’s on it didnt intended on buying any tools that day till I seen this set and the price couldn’t pass it up