Lifetime Warranty ???

[brianss]

I'm just curious as to how the 24V lithium combit kit is holding up for users who have purchased this product? I'm asking because I stopped by at one of the local Ridgid service centers today and they strongly advised against this product. They said they are averaging 25-30 battery returns every couple of days. They also said they have hundreds of Ridgid tools waiting to be repaired, more than any other manufacturer. Also, they said the general durability of their power tools are simply not standing up to everyday use. I like the idea of a liftetime warranty, but if these tools are junk, what's the point.

By the way, the service center also carries Makita, Milwaukee, etc., which they strongly suggest, instead of Ridgid. I'm sure they might be making more profit on selling their other lines. But, I also don't think they are over-exaggerating any issues they are seeing with the Ridgid tools, especially since I saw a stack of batteries and tools that were just dropped off this morning. Also, for what it's worth, I spoke to Ridgid Support about their warranty details and it was like talking to a wall. I thought the Support person didn't have a clue about their tools or what is actually covered in the warranty. Maybe this a reflection of their tool quality... Any thoughts?

[Disaster]

This is most likely because of the way the 24V tools handle overload. The protection circuit, which seems to be a bit conservative, disengages the battery. The only way to reset the battery, and use the tool again, is to place the battery back in the charger. Ridgid should have put an overload indicator on the battery and a reset switch.

The first time it happened to me I freaked out too. Of course, like most owners I had only skimmed the manual. I went bad and read it more completely and found the part about resetting the battery.

[roadrashray]

There are a number of threads on this Power Tool section with people reporting problems with 24LI batteries. Many have reported exchanging the tools with the problem batteries and having no further problems. I emailed Ridgid several weeks ago inquiring if they had determined a problem and they replied that there was non they knew of. I recently exchanged my R932 combo set at HD due to battery problems. I was encouraged when the batteries on the new set tool 45 minutes to charge compared to the 15 for the old set. Another post claimed he talked to the Ridgid rep and was told that they had a problem with a batch of batteries that had a bad cell. Maybe Josh could help us with the latest input from Ridgid.
I'll post how the batteries on my new set are working as soon as I have some running time.

[Josh]

This might be better directed at ProBrand. I learn a lot of whats going on with the power tools on this forum :o I am just a web guy.

There are a number of threads on this Power Tool section with people reporting problems with 24LI batteries. Many have reported exchanging the tools with the problem batteries and having no further problems. I emailed Ridgid several weeks ago inquiring if they had determined a problem and they replied that there was non they knew of. I recently exchanged my R932 combo set at HD due to battery problems. I was encouraged when the batteries on the new set tool 45 minutes to charge compared to the 15 for the old set. Another post claimed he talked to the Ridgid rep and was told that they had a problem with a batch of batteries that had a bad cell. Maybe Josh could help us with the latest input from Ridgid.
I'll post how the batteries on my new set are working as soon as I have some running time.

[roadrashray]

What, who is ProBrand?