Made in Germany

[Mark IV]

How many of you have noticed that some of the new Ridgid tools are made in Germany?

The ROS, angle grinders, and heavy corded drill are all marked as Made in Germany. The battery drill/drivers and recip are made in China as expected. One World, indeed!

Ridgid guys, can you drop some more tidbits and insider info on this relationship?

Are we going to see any cutaways of the new drivers?

[coli8]

Well i have a little bit of info on this one. The corded hammer drill, 6" random orbit sander, angle grinder, and jig saw, are all basically metabo knock offs which is definitely not a bad thing...metabo makes some of the most advanced longest lasting power tools in the industry, and now so does ridgid!

[Dan Case]

Originally posted by coli8:
metabo makes some of the most advanced longest lasting power tools in the industry, and now so does ridgid! Perhaps the more precise statement would be that "OWT, the folks that manufacture the new Ridgid power tools, also manufactures Metabo, some of the longest lasting power tools in the industry."

So much for the "these are just orange Ryobis" argument. :D

D.

[i4adodge]

I work at a HD here in Duluth, MN, selling the power tools, and one of the most frequent comments is "Wow, that looks like an orange Ryobi!" That is, until I have the customer hold a Ryobi tool in one hand, and the "similar" Ridgid in the other. 'Nuff said.

[coli8]

That is true about owt...but one thing that i thought was kind of funny was that for the ridgid tool line they didn't even bother to change the housing design from the metabo's....maybe they want people to know?

[Bo_hamrick]

Ryobi=ridigd...guy a made some phone calls to the ridgid hotline and after being on hold for what seemed like forever...they told me they come out the same plant as ryobi and even have the same motors. I have seen Ryobi in action...and there was very little action to talk about. what is the deal? are they good quality or are they repainted ryobi...I would like to know

[steb]

Hey Bo, I called Dewalt just now and after being placed on hold what seemed like forever,they said the same thing about Dewalt and Black and Decker

[BrandMan]

They are not same tools. They do orininate in the same plants as other tools sold under the Ryobi brand, amongst others. The motors come from manufacturers that make a wide array of motor packages.

General Motors and Ford make more than one engine with multiple variation of performance.

[Bo_hamrick]

I called Black and Decker and DeWalt myself as well and also went to a HD today and if you look all Black and Decker is made in china...obviously so that they can be low cost for home owners but you look at the DeWalt and some are in the USA..by Americans (which btw i like that) others are made in Germany and some in China. I was told that they are completly different plants with completely different manufacturing process and componets. I asked the person on the other line where you may have gotten your information from and their guess was that the person thought you meant are they the same company..which they are...but not made at the same plants

[steb]

I believe the Ridgid is every bit as well made as the dewalt. If you don't, then don't buy one. I just hope that the one year warranty on the dewalt serves you well. My only concern about the ridgid is battery life between charges. If over the next 90 days I'm not satified with battery life, I'll return it.

[john hand]

A reply to steb!! rigid Made as well dewault is not saying a heck of alot for rigid In my shop I got a bucket full of dead dewaults.

Long live the red tool

[exUsairwaysmech]

IMHO,if it says,"made in China" it had better be a less expensive tool,not within the price range of a Milwaukee,or the same price as a DeWalt.

I can buy a made in China Hitachi cordless drill 14.4V with hard case,2 batteries,and a soft bag for $89.00.Hitachi's Chinese 12v cordless drill sells for $69.00 at Lowe's.

I think that the German made Ridgid tools are worth a look,but they need to get a real warranty program (warranty card-registration) if they are going to price point in the established brand's territory.

[mr man]

The Hitachi 14v drills in Lowes are not contractor grade tools; in fact, the 14v has HALF the power of even a comparable Ryobi drill at the same price point in HD. Its Rated at 202in/lbs of torque, Ridgid is at either 400 or 415 depending on if its a X2 or the compact. The Ridgid drills have much better chucks, 20 or 30-minute chargers and are built much tougher.

Hitachi is a great name, however the only decent Hitachi cordless drill in Lowes is the 18v, and its combo kit (and even its lacking) and the 12-volt impact driver, which is pretty sweet. However, the 18v Hitachi is only has 300in/lbs of torque compared to Ridgid's 450 or 485 depending on which Ridgid drill your looking at, and a 2 piece all plastic 3/8" chuck.


Originally posted by exUsairwaysmech:

I can buy a made in China Hitachi cordless drill 14.4V with hard case,2 batteries,and a soft bag for $89.00.Hitachi's Chinese 12v cordless drill sells for $69.00 at Lowe's.

[exUsairwaysmech]

mr man,

Good points regarding the lesser power of the Hitachi products.But the Hitachi products are less than half the price of the Ridgid products.

I think that a more realistic price point of the Ridgid cordless drills are about 25-30% lower than the DeWalt or Milwaukee comparative product,don't you?

[mr man]

No I don't, because its not only the power, its everything else.

By going off of what your saying, I could expect a Corvette from Chevy to be the same price as a Camaro, I mean, they both were made in the USA right?

The pricing is still competitive with Dewalt, and Milw for the features your getting for your money. Maybe if the duel fast chargers, and auxillery handles were stripped away, to be on the same level as Dewalt, they would be cheaper? One year Warranty? Again, you have to look at what your getting for your money.

Everyone talks about the Bosch and Milw being made in Europe, its cheaper to make tools in Europe than it is in the United States.

Back to Hitachi Cordless though, didn't they, in the past make a much better product? As it sits now, the drills save for the batterys seem to be under the Ryobis, and above the B and D drills, at least the 14 and 18v models anyway. The the 18v cordless saw and recip seem to be pretty nice though.

[mr man]

Forgot to add, all of the Dewalt cordless will be made in China soon. I think as it sits now, the Compact line already is, but I could be wrong.

[Cuj0HD]

I would never buy all my tools just because of the name. I shop around and do some research before buying anything. I have a 14.4 Milwaukee drill that has been great for me on the job. But I don't just buy all Milwaukee. For my shop I went with The Ryobi 13" planer, because it has all the features I need and for a good price. As far as dewalt goes, I think you pay for the name nore than anything else. I have their Biscuit jointer, and a very old circ saw. but I don't think I would spend the extra money on anything else. The Ridgid stuff made in Germany is very good stuff(I have used them in demo's I give at Home Depot). But You have to look at all the aspects of the tool you are buying. Almost every tool review I read the Ryobi products do well for the low end tools. And for most people that is all they need. But the Ridgid 12v drill will be my next purchase for my shop. It will replace my PC 14.4 because it is lighter and does everything that the PC will do.
Anyway enough rambling. I just want to say that you can't just pick a tool by name, you have to actually comepare and use them to get the best for your application.

[BH626Pro]

The idea that a company that makes a cheap brand cannot make a high end brand is ridiculous. DeWalt/B&W, Ryobi/Ridgid/Metabo, etc.

As an engineer I can tell you that is more difficult to produce a cheap tool than an expensive one. Marketing that can dictate a superior price is hard.

Take Hilti for example. How hard is it for them to make great tools when they are able, through marketing, to charge twice as much as DeWalt and Ridgid? How hard is it for GM to build Cadillac when they command a high. Much easier than Cavaliers.

Now look at the other end of the spectrum. Mass marketing is predicated on tools selling on price as the main factor. So cheap parts are the order of the day. But they cannot be so cheap that the tool breaks in a few weeks.

So there is the challenge. Make a tool using cheap components (not too cheap) that will allow you to sell large numbers at a low price. Pretty tricky business...

[ 11-30-2003, 11:01 PM: Message edited by: BH626Pro ]

[exUsairwaysmech]

BH626Pro,

"How hard is it for GM to build Cadillac when they command a high. Much easier than Cavaliers"

Do you remember the Cadillac Cimarron?I think that it was based on the Chevrolet equivalent of the Cavalier at the time.

[MoJoRisen]

Wow all these are really good points. I love this board, even though it is suppossed to be for rigid tools, it gives a lot of opions on great topics. I was in the market for a new drill and took a look at the rigid, dewalt, milwaukee, and bosch. I wanted a rigid x2 14v but could not beleive the weight. I use my drill all day and stay away from the 18v models because of the same reason. Not only do the Milwaukee and Bosch 14v drills offer more tourqe they also weigh less. I really like the Bosch because it weighs a little less and has 450lbs of torque and the Milwaukee has 460. Also as far a Hitachi goes there drills are weak. They feel cheap when you hold them. I have a Hitachi miter saw and it is great. It will miter up to 60 Degrees to the right. I also have a rigid sander and it is really good too. Just like cujOHD said try the tool before you buy.

[MoJoRisen]

Oh and by the way. As far as price. The Milwaukee 14v is $189 at Lowes and the Bosch Brute 14v at Amazon is also $189. I do believe that since the Rigid is made in china where the workers work for little to nothing and both the Milwaukee and Bosch are made in europe where they pay their workers a decent wage then the Rigid should be much less than the other brands.

[BH626Pro]

"...the Rigid should be much less than the other brands... "

Not when you compare X2 apples to apples:

metal chuck with carbide inserts
dual charger, air cooled
fast charge batteries
quality components
nice fit and finish
Lifetime Warranty...

Does anyone really think that the American made DeWalt's etc. are assembled with no Asian/Chinese parts in the drill or battery?

[MoJoRisen]

Taken Directly from the Bosch website. I think you'll find that Milwaukee will say similar:
Tool performs after repeated 1-story drops when all other competitors fail
Steel reinforced collar - Enhances durability and protects tool when dropped on the chuck
Unibody powertrain - Maintains alignment between clutch, gearbox, and motor for the most durable drivetrain system on the market
Dura-shieldTM housing - Constructed to withstand real world conditions
Two speed gearbox optimized for two modes of operation - High torque mode produces more than 450 in./lbs. of torque, high speed mode generates 1,300 RPM
Externally changeable brushes - Can be replaced in as little as 2 minutes.
Ratcheting 1/2″ single sleeve chuck with carbide teeth - For one-handed operation and stronger bit grip
Built-in overload protection - To extend motor life under the toughest applications
Bosch designed powertrain with the largest metal gears - For increased life and durability
Fully adjustable auxiliary handle with extra bit storage
Yeah the charger is really nice but I worry about quick charging them. How long will the batteries last? I am not saying that the Rigid products aren't reliable and perform well but I said based on where they are made they should be cheaper. Given that other companies offer comparable features.

[jon]

To get back to bd and dewalt, when they turned to dewalt as there industrial brand for the first years of prodution the dewalt and black and decker tool were identical inside and out beside the color. now if you see any bd tools that are grey they are identical to dewalt inside and out. bd started targetting the home owner thats when they changed from grey to the firestorm red orange color and the quatum line.

[jon]

Like i said earlier the average joe never really used or saw a metabo so the ridge marketing crew did ther homework by designing them like the metabo as long as they run like the metabo then ridge can keep the price the way they have because they will do well.I personally think just the fill and hearing them run that they will probally be better than dewault as soon as they proove it.

[exUsairwaysmech]

Let's face it,the "made in China" designation is a negative feature of the Ridgid drill line.

Jon,

I have one of those B&D Industry & Construction black 12v driver drills.They are exactly the same as the DeWalt's,as you said.These drills took a pretty good beating at Usairways,removing and installing panel screws along with the occasional drilling off the head of a titanium screw with a cobalt drill bit.I believe that my Quantum plunge router is the same as the DeWalt.

When I go into a granite fab shop,I see mostly Metabo grinders there.

[jamiegisi]

I was recently at Farm & Fleet (local store in Iowa) and looked at the V18 Milwaukee hammer drill/driver and it looks identical to my Ridgid 24v XLI. Same curves everything, it is just orange instead of red. I further called Milwaukee to ask were their tools were made and I was told Germany, but the tag on the drill said Made in China.

[Woussko]

For what this is worth, some (very few and only older models) Ridgid tools were made in Germany under special contract with Metabo. Some (only a select few) Milwaukeee tools were made in Germany in the AEG factory. Today TTI owns what's left of AEG and Milwaukee along with many other companies.

[Arthur96]

for what its worth and if anybody cares to listen heres my 2 cents

if it looks like a duck , smells like a duck, and walks like a duck.......its a duck.

many many companies as specially the ones that contract out there manufacturing, oft times contract to even there competitors (in different markets) to manufacture there goods.

this takes place on a daily basis all over the world. so tomato -- tomato-- Metabo.

(BTW i have several metabo and AEG and Bosch tools that iv had working almost every day for the past 20 years and have never given me a seconds worth or trouble).

link for your pleasure : http://www.metabo.us/