I and many others have had a lot of trouble with the Li-ion Battery packs of Ridgid power power tools. In fact recently, because of the bad rep that they have had, Ridgid has implemented a “Lifetime Service Agreement” When you buy a new Li-ion power tool, the batteries are guaranteed for life so long as you register them. (they have serial numbers)
Tonight I opened up a bad pack that was not guaranteed. Here is what I found.
Now what is probably the underlining problem!
Made in China, what does one expect.
I have opened the cheap Home Depot brand “Ryobi” and even they had Sanyo’s
Now for entertainment, a little instructional video by a couple of Ridgid tool owners.
I would like to add that the Ridgid power tools have the same lifetime warranty and are made by Milwaukee, the Ryobi line is too. Milwaukee’s good, better, best lineup. This info came from the mouth of two different Milwaukee reps that I knew while working at Home Depot over a years span.
+1, however I was also worried he was either going to end up with a sucking chest wound, or vapour lock, glad he didn’t succumb to either fate in the end.
Did anyone else see that he attacked the charger with it still plugged into the mains, and turned ON
Then he put that pick through what is presumably Lithium batterys :Sp
I have had just the opposite experience, I have owned 2 Ridgid cordless drills for years, a 12V and a 18V. They both get heavy use and the batteries last about 1 year, when they start to go I drive over to a service center and exchange them. Never been questioned or had a problem doing it, put the old ones on the counter and they exchange them.
As adolescents we used to peer into the windows of local small business to see the Ridgid calenders on the walls. I always associated the brand “Ridgid” with what would then happen at that age. :bigsmile:
Back then, me too, but not from laughing.
That would explain a lot. If you notice in both videos, they each have a tough time breaking the tool. I have a high regard for the quality of the actual tool. They are very rugged and powerful. What I think happened is that perhaps initially there were some instances of poor cells (China) or poor charging circuits. Supposedly that has been corrected and the lifetime service agreement is in place to restore the confidence of customers.
I have quite a few of the Ryobi 18V NiCad tools. Once again the tools are of good quality, but the NiCad packs are soooooooo bad.
I think he is right, see above
Tell me how that works, I also have 12V tools (JobMax and Drill) with LSA. I got them at HomeDepot. Is the counter that you speak of at HD or some local Ridgid service center?
BTW, I like my Ridgid tools. However my EDC is the Milwakee 12V drill and driver combo. It is lighter (probably not as robust at the Ridgid) and came with a nice aluminum carry case.
You are suppose to get it done st8 through Ridgid, just google ridgid service center and try to find the nearest one to you. Some Home Depot will do it but it depends on the store managers. The policy is for them to direct you to Ridgid.
Go to https://www.ridgid.com/us/en/service-centers, fill in your location (you can use your zip code) chose "power tools" and hit search. I have 6 centers within 19 miles of my house.
Two years ago I got a Rigid shop vac to suck the water out of the basement every spring when it experiences minor flooding. Since then, I have used it for vehicles and a fair bit of general vacum duty. So far it has not malfunctioned, but now I’m paranoid that it’s going to burn out next time my basement gets water in it, and then I’ll have to make a video with my ancient ice axe as well.
FWIW, Ridgid tools are made by Emerson Electric. Emerson is one of those conglomerate companies with many brand names. Like InSinkErator disposers, ClosetMaid storage stuff, etc. Mostly they sell to industrial customers.
David Farr, the CEO, has gotten in hot water a few years ago for publicly complaining about the 0bama economy and the high cost of manufacturing in the US. They have been aggressively moving their manufacturing out of the US to China and other less expensive countries over the last few years.
I don't know what they have done with Ridgid Tools, but this might explain a decline in quality.
