Lifetime Warranty Returning?

[jim e]

I recently had several HD tool salespeople tell me that they expect the Ridgid cordless Lifetime Warranty deal to return again - probably over Christmas 2004.

Is this likely?

[BadgerDave]

If you heard it from a HD employee than it probably isn't going to happen.

[K.M. Delano]

:D

[imported_kahootz]

I bet it will return.

I laugh everytime I hear people talk about the "lifetime warranty". I'm not trying to group all Ridgid users into one category, but there is a large group of power tool users who are buying solely on warranty. It makes me wonder if they are all driving Kia's or Hyundai's or whatever car has the best "warranty".

Buy your tools based on performance, track record, and (dare I say it) personal preferrence. Don't follow the crowd. f you dig Ridgid, great! But don't buy Ridgid just because a smile crosses your lips when you think about how many batteries Home Depot is going to have to eat over the lifetime warranty on your tools.

I posted this earlier but it applies here:

Just to touch on the Ridgid "lifetime" warranty on the power tools: it's a gimmick, it's marketing, it's designed to get sales, and worry about what happens later. The tools will not last forever and if you get more than 2 years of good use out of a battery, count yourself lucky. Free batteries for life? Yeah Home Depot is going to eat that one, but you know what?? They sold a lot of tools last year. Hold on and wait for the 4th quarter Ridgid promotion. Whatever it ends up being, it will have to be good because they have some big numbers to meet or beat and without the "lifetime" warranty, they just ain't that good.

[BadgerDave]

Originally posted by kahootz:
...........They sold a lot of tools last year. Hold on and wait for the 4th quarter Ridgid promotion. Whatever it ends up being, it will have to be good because they have some big numbers to meet or beat...................You made this exact claim in another post. Care to explain exactly what it is you mean by "big numbers to meet or beat"?

You're also incorrect, or at the very least premature, in claiming that batteries purchased with tools during the lifetime warranty promotion won't be replaced free of charge when they fail. RIDGID has stated many time, on this very forum, that they indeed will be replaced free of charge when they fail.

[imported_kahootz]

Home Depot and TTI are public companies. This means they need to continue to grow. They need about 10% growth every year or else people will pull their money from the companies and invest it somewhere else. If they do not show growth, they have people to answer to.

That being said, they sold a lot of tools last year SOLELY ON THE LIFETIME WARRANTY. Anyone who disputes this is in denial. Free batteries for life? It's an easy sell. Everyone know batteries do not last forever.

I never said that Ridgid would not replace their batteries. They will. I was stating that for the users who only have the three year warranty.

These tools are not 'lifetime warranty' good. They are good, but that's it. The lifetime warranty is not some badge that only Ridgid can place on their tools because they are something special. Anyone can do a lifetime warranty and eat it afterwards (like Ridgid will do on batteries for example). Lifetime warranty is a sales and marketing ploy to get end users locked into the Ridgid system.

One last note about RIDGID has stated many time, on this very forum, that they indeed will be replaced free of charge when they fail.
again, it's not that these tools are so much better than the competition. Ridgid is just going to eat it on many occasions. Your wording is perfect. Not IF they fail, WHEN they fail.

[BrandMan]

Power Tools is not the only place where TTi and Home Depot have places to meet your 10% growth expectations. Neither one has all their eggs in just this one basket. There is more to it than that alone that drives something like a change or extension of a warranty. Part of it is staying on par with the competition that moved their warranty and promotional offers.

RIDGID will support and stand behind the Lifetime Warranty initially offered on the power tools and we will stand behind those who purchase under the 3 Year Service Warranty. Everyone else moved their warranty in the industry as a result of our launch. That is not a sign of us, or them having a bad tool in and of itself. People do not buy tools solely on price - its a question of the total package and warranty is a strong part of it. Especially when you are launching into a strong market like power tools. Yes its marketing, but it is also standing behind a good tool that is designed to be the best in its class, product for product.

Batteries are not designed nor intended to last forever, unless you are a casual user of tools. We understand, and look forward to RIDGID users coming back to us for replacement batteries under the terms of our warranties or promotions.

[daveferg]

I have to agree with Kahootz, at least to a lifetime warranty being a main factor in your decission making. A warranty is always low on my list of reasons to buy, simply because even with the best customer service, a broken tool is unusable and means down time or buying a duplicate. I'd much rather pick a tool with a good reputation for not needing repairs.

From what I've seen on this board, Ridgid's service is improving, but, while we may not know the proportional sales, it sure seems ironic the HD rumor was about the cordless tools, which on this forum, sure do seem to have many more problems than the new corded power tools.

[imported_kahootz]

Well, I posted the reasons why the cordless give headaches and the corded do not but it was DELETED. Funny, I'm not sure why. Nothing in it was a secret. It really makes you wonder how long they think they can keep this up. PM me for details. No yawning allowed.

[imported_RS]

BrandMan stated that batteries wont last forever unless used by a casual user. It does not matter if you are using your batteries every day, all day or leave them sitting on a shelf, they will go bad, usually in 2-3 years. Hard use will cause them to fail more quickly, though.

[daveferg]

RS----think you're underestimating good battery performance. I have two Makita products---drill and impact driver---the impact driver (used infrequently) is 13 years old and still holds effective charge---the drill is 8 years old and used on just about every home improvement and ww'ing project---still going strong, though the charger failed----new charger---top notch battery life. Now, if this was a HF or other cheapo less reliable brand, you're 2-3 years might have validity.

[imported_wbrooks]

Dave I have to agree. I have a Craftsman ( made by skill) 12 V that gets used when my other 3 drills are in some other part of the house IE very very rearly, it is about 15 years old and still holds an effective charge. Funny thing is the guy that came to install my windows has the same skill 15 year old drill that he uses every day all day and it just wont give up, not sure how old hois battery is but I have not seen them on the shelves for several years

[Rafael]

Batteries are strange things. I have rechargeables that are 15 years old, get alot of use and still work well. I had a 6 month old rechargeable that just died. I had a flashlight with disposables that I used maybe twice a year where the batteries were about 10 years old before they died.They are not predictable.

[jip]

I always look at Warranty when I buy anything. I would love to see the lifetime warranty come back on the Ridgid tools.

All tools will break eventually. If I pony up a substantial of change on a product and know that I can replace/fix it anytime it breaks, then I am a happy customer. I have used the extended warranty service on many products in many occassions. I don't care too much about the downtime as long as I don't lose my initial investment. Some may argue time is money, but for a weekend hobbiest like myself, money is money. Time is less significant for me since I don't rely on these tools to make a living.

- J

[imported_ang]

What I have seen, is that the batteries in most products are the same, no matter who makes them. In drills, Sanyo batteries are used quite often. To a large part, its the charger, and how you take care of the batteries that determine how long they live. Most claim 500 - 1000 charge cycles, which is pretty good, if they actually lived that long. From my experience, NiCad batteries almost never fail from too many charge cycles, but rather cells short out one by one. if 2 or 3 short, the charger will say that the battery is "bad." In many cases, I've actually taked the battery packs apart, "fixed" the bad cells, and the battery pack has given me many more years of life.

The good news is that newer "fast" chargers seem to be better at preventing these shorts than previous "slow" chargers. The bad new is that if you charge a batter in 30 minutes, the charge doesn't last as long as a slow charge does in the same battery.

You can also help with good NiCad care. Store and charge cells where its 50 - 80 degrees. Store cells charged. Wear down the device before you recharge the batteries, and if you don't use batteries for a month, recharge them so they don't stay discharged.

[paul v.]

Ang- I have to respectfully disagree with you on batteries. Cycles or how they discharge or big corporate secrets among big tool makers. Just log on to Milwaukeetool.com or Boschtool.com and you can ask a live representative(chat)that question. They will tell you its not disclosed due to competitive advantage

Battery life is a big deal if your an everyday user like me. If that were true, I would keep on buying $29 18vlt cordlesses that have no brand.

Don't tell it too the guys who swear by battery life with NI-Mh with Panasonic or Makita.

Though I do believe batteries are marked up 1000% to make enough more to research and develop more tools.

Kudos to the guy who still likes corded tools....Your're right on target.

[imported_ang]

Batteries are probably not any different than any other product. Manufacturers make them to last long so they don't get a bad reputation for poor quality, but not so long where you don't have to replace them. For the Ridgid 3-piece combo, they give you two batteries, and they are adding a third free one. At $79 each, these three batteries would cost alone what the charger and drill and saw almost cost combined, so you know there is some good profit in those $79 batteries.

As for NI-Mh, I don't think they are the best choice for a drill or saw. They cost more, don't last any longer, and have a higher internal resistance, which limits their peak power. If they were better everyone would use them, and they don't.

[imported_ByteButcher]

ang's observations are spot on with my experience (tools and radio control cars). I've had drills that came with 2 batteries where one pack died within a year and the other lasted several years. In a lot of 4 R/C car batteries I bought once, the best pack had over twice the performance of the worst. I'm not surprised that tool makers are as reluctant to specify battery life as auto makers are about oil consumption. Everyone knows a new vehicle should burn less than 1 quart in 3000 mi. But you would have to be spewing wet oil out of your tailpipe for them to even consider replacing your engine. Tools are no different. The battery will probably need to be unchargeable or less than 1/2 minimum capacity before you'll get a replacement.

Its easy to understand how batttery performance can be so variable. It only takes one weak cell to drag down the whole pack. Elementary statistics says that even with a failure/low performance rate of only 1% per cell, a 15 cell 18V pack would be .99^15 or 86% reliable. That's a 14% chance a pack will perform significantly below average. You could use higher reliability cells or 100% testing to improve confidence, but that's just not going to happen in a consumer priced tool.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't use cordless tools. For me the benefits are worth the risk of gettin a low performing battery. Besides, quality extension cords are just as much a rip-off as batteries. They also have a pretty high risk of being trashed. Not to mention the cord wars you can get with multiple subs on a job.

[michael stephen]

heres a tip: drain and recharge your batteries from time to time, even if you dont get to use your unit that often.. it will prolong the life of the batteries substantially. but i still have to see a battery that never fails..

[imported_messmaker]

Ridgid is a "new"player in the power tool market. Some of the brands have been around for over 50 years. You have a lot of brand only shopping going on. A lifetime warranty does not say much but is is a way to show comitment. Hundai was a pretty lame car when it firt arrived. They stood behind it and improved their product. Guess what? The Sonata just moved ahead of Toyota Camry in inital quality per. J.D.Power.This is how to build a product name. You support your product with a premium warranty until your brand can stand on it's own.

[Rafael]

I'd still never buy a hyndai. If a manufacturer wants to be known for quality products they should make them right from day one. Not offer bad products with good warranties and hope to get their act together years down the line. There is plenty of competition in every business where you don't have to buy poor quality. If people wouldn't buy garbage, then manufacturers will stop making garbage.

[BadgerDave]

Originally posted by Rafael:
If people wouldn't buy garbage, then manufacturers will stop making garbage. Here, here, I totally agree. Rafael for President! :cool: :D

[Bo_hamrick]

rafeal:

I agree with you as well but the hard part that manufactures have is exactly what Ridgid is running into. They have had some glitches in their tools that simply come from not having years of experaince. Things like chuck wobble, battery life, chargers malfunction, drills smoking and what not that have littered this forum. Now buy offering the lifetime Warrenty when they did they get people to buy the tools worry free and get to find out where they made their mistakes and from there they can hopefully make improvements....it is not that they are making crap it is just that they need these tools in the hands of contractors and the only two ways is to give it away free or with a sick warrenty.

[Rafael]

ridgid is not making these new tools, they are being made by a manufacturer that has years of experience making tools under many other labels. Chuck wobble means a cheap chuck, drills smoking means a cheap motor, but these problems, and many of the others, are possibly bad quality control. 3 major reasons for a bad product: bad components,bad design, bad quality control. Which is it with ridgid new cordless tools?
And yes, a good way to test these tools before selling them is giving them away to people who will use them daily.

[Mike3206]

Wow, away from the forum for two months, and still the same stuff being talked about.

First, the Ridgid stuff is of good quality. We have some contractors in here now who swear that these are the nicest drills they have used. I have a 12v model and the clutch and drill have worked perfectly.

Second, anyone who claims that warranty is last on their list is nuts. Sure, product quality is tops for most people, bet when it comes right down to it, who would be buying Milwaukee products if they only offered a 90 day warranty? I'm sure a lot less people would. Remember, cervice centers service all the major brands because all the major brands break down and need servicing. they all have bad products. It's unavoidable to not have QC problems slip through.

Personally, I'm glad that Ridgid has great waranties. IMO, because of Ridgid, Delta now has 5 year on many tools. (also costs more) Jet has lifetime on many, as do others now. Even DeWalt has gotten into the mix by offering 2 year warranties on new batteries purchased. As a consumer, we are better off. Tools will not be made cheaper because of warranties, as the cost to warranty will eat up savings.

[gator]

Originally posted by jip:
I always look at Warranty when I buy anything. I would love to see the lifetime warranty come back on the Ridgid tools.

All tools will break eventually. If I pony up a substantial of change on a product and know that I can replace/fix it anytime it breaks, then I am a happy customer.
- J Even the original "Lifetime" warranty on Ridgid DID NOT cover normal wear and tear over the lifetime of the tool, ONLY manufacturing or material defects. If you use your tool (tablesaw, jointer, drill press, whatever) heavy for five years and a bearing gives up the ghost due to use, heat and sawdust then it is not covered and you will pay for the replacement and/or the repair cost.

gator