www.slashgear.com: Founded in Ohio in 1923, the Ridge Tool Company has been making tools for over a century. Starting as a manufacturer of pipe wrenches, the company soon added more products to its catalog and ultimately became one of the world's major tool manufacturers. Now owned by Emerson Electric, Ridgid's cordless power tools are produced under license by TTI, which also owns Milwaukee Tool.
7 comments:
These tools all look super useful, and I'm sure many people will be out buying them. I have never heard of this particular brand, but I do like a lot of the Milwaukee Tools, so I am optimistic about these ones. Unfortunately, the tools are all out of my budget, and probably the budgets of most other college students who are looking for tools. If I were able to buy some of the tools on this list, I would immediately go for the Ridgid 18V Nuke brushless oscillating multi-tool. I love a multi tool because it is so versatile, and can perform a variety of jobs using only one instrument. I like that this one in particular is pretty compact, and that the vibration that would be felt when using it has been reduced so much from the previous model. This makes it a useful tool for working long hours.
Always fun to ideate about some new tools. I appreciate that the light talked about in this article is 360 degrees, more like a lantern than a flashlight, because I have found that often it's annoying to have to try and direct a focused beam somewhere while trying to use a light to illuminate work in a cramped dark space. I like that this light just shoots in every direction rather than one. I also believe that as a society we should be using mini circ saws more often. They are adorable, and at least in my opinion, way better for on site modifications than almost any other tool. I am not the hugest fan of portable band saws, but if you need to cut a pipe somewhere they are one of the best bets. I also like how small and compact this one is. It's also nice that someone thought through how the blade changes could be made easier for on site swaps.
Yay! Another tool post! After reading about one of these tool articles a week, I think it’s interesting how frequently oscillating multi-tools are mentioned. They can serve a lot of different uses in the shop, but I’m surprised at how consistently it’s made it to these lists. I think the most interesting tool on this list to me is the subcompact portable bandsaw. When it comes to striking and disassembling steel frames in theatre, I much prefer a portable bandsaw over a reciprocating saw or an angle grinder with a cut-off wheel, because they can give a cleaner cut making reusing the steel easier, doesn’t make your hands numb from vibrations, and it avoids the sparks that could be problematic when disassembling large scenic pieces with a lot of generated sawdust, small scraps, and muslin. That being said, lugging around the often large portable band saws can be annoying, so seeing a smaller version like this is really exciting!
I mean, tools are tools and there is never a boring one, but a couple particularly interest me. First off, and most interesting because I do think it is often the most overlooked, the work light. This could be particularly useful in both theater and live entertainment as a whole. Backstage, on, or under the stage, this seems very useful for those times when the electricians are fiddling with the work lights, yet you still need to work--this is much more practical then having your own personal flashlight that blinds anyone you look at, and also dies half way through. For live entertainment, this seems extremely nice for shows running on temporary power without external lighting, because there is always a dilemma: how late to turn off the power while still keeping work lights. Having that light would be a critical tool to create faster and safter load-ins and outs. The other tool that most interested me was the 4 1/2" circular saw: the form factor seems very different from other versions of those I've seen. The small and comfortable form factor seems nice, although I wonder if it reduces stability; additionally, the blade size seems like both an advantage (it is small, light, and less of a pain if you don't set the depth) but the reality is you are probably often going to want to have a larger sized circular saw available anyway in the case that you need it. Overall, these are interesting tools, although I would certainly be interested to see what a working professional in theater (read, Ben Carter) has to say about them.
I've never used Ridgid tools myself, but I've used plenty of power tools over the years, both for theatre and personally. With that experience and a little research, my read is that these are aimed more at amateur handymen and DIYers than at professionals. The lifetime service agreement and a shared battery across the whole lineup are great for someone building up a home toolbox. For precise, high-quality battery-powered hand tools in a professional setting, I'd still point people to a known great like DeWalt or Milwaukee, etc. That said, the article mentions that TTI, the company that makes Ridgid's cordless tools under license, also owns Milwaukee. I'm curious how much of that Milwaukee quality carries over, though I can't say without actually using one.
My favorite of the five is the 360° area light. I haven't seen a battery-operated flood light before, and it seems like a great idea. 2,000 lumens, a hanging hook, tripod compatible, and dust and water resistant, and the USB ports for charging a phone are a nice bonus. The 18-hour runtime is only on the low setting with a 6Ah battery, so I wouldn't expect that every time. At $139 for the tool only, it's not the cheapest, but I can easily see something like this being useful in a dark workspace, or in a theatre where there's always some corner of the shop.
These all look very useful for the applications, as other people have mentioned the 360 Degree lantern and the extremely compact tools are very nice innovations, especially on cheaper lines than Milwaukee and DeWalt that may have similar innovations. It's also interesting to see the emphasis on how compact a tool is rather than the raw power and features of a tool. Tools, especially the 4 1/2 inch saw and the compact bandsaw, are small even in the world of compact tools. Personally, for the work I do, I don't see this compactness being a huge advantage except for maybe the multi-tool, as I feel most people in theatre need a versatile tool able to cut a lot and aren't really concerned about the compactness or weight of the tool as much as its power and usefulness. As well as the fact that they're known for being a semi-professional brand I feel that they wouldn't live up to the "worse than felons" conditions that theatre people put their tools through.
Personally I do not have any much knowledge when it comes to power tools but I wanted to read this article to see if anything was listed that a beginner may want to try. Personally I loved the area light tool. It is a portable charger as well so I think something like this would be great if an emergency occurred, like the power going out. It also seems to be on wheels and has handles to easily carry out. I wasn’t able to follow along with the tools as well but the inflator kit seems super handy to have in the back of your car and all times, you never know what might happen. It also can be used for air mattresses which seems to be good for outdoor activities and camping. The other two saws had lights and locks on them which would personally make me feel more comfortable using them.
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