Excitement, Look what I got! Four Ridgid Cordless Tools in one sack. It’s a pretty heavy sack at that and one that won’t zip closed with all the tools in it. A mega drill/driver, 6″ circular saw, reciprocating ‘saws all’ and a flashlight complete with two 24V LI batteries, charger and carry bag make up this 4-piece combo kit.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Tools included:

• R851150 1/2″ VSR Drill/Driver
• R855 6 1/2″ Circular Saw
• R854 Reciprocating Saw
• R859 Work Light
• 24v XLi Battery Charger
• (2) 24 volt Lithium-ion Batteries

Experience:

I like this tool combo so it’s ironic that while I’ve been putting off this lengthy review some of the tools are beginning to fail.

This Ridgid combo replaced my long-dead Dewalt combo. that was offered well before a “cordless” sawzall was available so the Ridgid would be my first cordless reciprocating saw. I have used it extensively along with all the tools in the bag over the past year.

I’m carrying the Ridgid Combo with me unless a job calls for more and I’ve gotten away with quite a few tasks without electricity.

• Cordless Drill/Driver
• Cordless Circular Saw
• Cordless Reciprocating Saw
• Cordless Illumination!

Plus, I’ve added Ridgid’s

• Cordless Planer
• Cordless Jigsaw

I keep a power inverter in the truck for battery charging.

Comments:

I’d like to say the Drill/Driver is as good as my little 15v Panasonic. Hahah, why do I like that wimpy panasonic?

I’d like to say the sawzall is as tough as my corded model. I’d like to say the Circular saw even comes close to a Saw Boss or that the flashlight is bright. Hmm… What can I say?

I can say that Ridgid makes tools that feel good in my hand. They are simple to adjust, with nice thick nobs and levers that operate smoothly. They are user-friendly and orange.

The Drill/Driver is heavy as hell with the 24V battery and it’s not small either. This is a framing, exterior heavy duty drill driver and I like it. It’s a little sloppy on fit and finish but it’s a brute and lasts long on the 24V… provided it’s not cold – more on that in a sec. I recently used this driver on slow speed hammer drill setting to drive in 1/4″ lags and an hour before to install #6 brass screws into fancy cabinet hinges. This is not a gentle driver.

The cordless circular saw is ok. At first I was excited because it outperforms my retired Dewalt but it’s really not all that impressive. A few sheets of plywood or a bunch of 2x and even the 24V battery is shot. It’s not the one for ripping 2x material unless it’s just one length and the other battery is charging but it is fantastic to have. I use it all the time for things like working on fence, out buildings, attics or basements without power and anywhere a couple of cuts will do.

The reciprocating saw got a lot of use over the year. That’s likely why three parts on mine are broken .. with an important pin lost. It still works. I know I should order the part before it doesn’t exist, since Ridgid has already replaced this model. The sawzall is important on my job. I’ve gotten away with a lot from this saw but let’s just say my opinion matches it’s strength.

The flashlight is outdated in this age of much brighter and more efficient LEDs. Imagine what we should have attached to those huge 24V batteries.

Ahh.. the Ridgid 24V Batteries: First I have say, I noticed that one battery costs $100. The combo kit came with two. That’s $200… so I got a charger, drill, flashlight and two saws for $200? I’ll say that a charging indicator on the battery and super-fast charging are fantastic!

The batteries hate the cold winters in New England. Mine did anyway. The both of my batteries couldn’t figure out whether they were charged or not. Sometimes a single cut would set the battery to dead but setting on the charger shows full after 10 seconds. Nothing I can do about the cold and never had this problem with the Porter-Cable drill/driver battery.

Summary:

Having all these tools cordless is liberating. Do I feel forced to stick with Ridgid’s cordless line since I’m already in this deep with 4 batteries and 6 tools? How do we end up with one over the other… My friend had this one, the tools were smooth. I liked the charge indicator and the tools seemed to last a long time on a single charge. I bought it and I’ve been happy to own a kit such as this. My suggestion would be to read up on these combos, consider what it means to have a half-dozen tools relying on a battery system. Research the batteries and if Ridgid batteries have the best record, go for it.

Links:
Ridgid X3 R963 5 Piece 18v Lithium-ion Combo Kit
Ridgid R964- 4 piece 18 volt Lithium Ion Combo Kit

Ridgid 24V 1-Hour Lithium-Ion Battery Charger 140315001
RIDGID 24V/18V Max Select XLi Lithium-Ion Hammer Drill

Adding another Ridgid cordless tool to my discontinued 24V combo kit, this cordless jigsaw is the fourth in my current collection but is my only ‘cordless’ jigsaw. Featuring Dual Select, this tool is capable of either the Ridgid 18 volt or 24 volt batteries.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Features:

	Works with both 24 volt and 18 volt battery systems
	Variable speed switch – for easier speed control and precise starts
	Dual bevel cutting – base allows both right and left bevel cutting
	Tool free blade clamp – makes blade changes faster and easier
	Tool free shoe adjustment – allows adjustment of shoe with one hand

Experience:

I have a lot of comments about this new tool of mine so I will keep the experience comments to a minimum. I’ve taken this new jigsaw on a few jobs. These pictures are mostly from a cabinet job. A jigsaw is put to use fabricating cabinets, making the various cuts and cut-outs necessary to fit things together. I haven’t had the chance to cut arches from 12/4 oak yet but I cut a few 2x pieces and a bunch of poplar wood and birch ply so far. Here’s what I found out:

Comments:

I have a few comments about this saw.

The plastic pieces around the blade are for what? Cheap crap that doesn’t belong on a contractors tool, that’s the first thing I noticed. A good shake and they both fall off. I read the lower piece is a blade guide? Seems to me it’s all part of a dust collection system that doesn’t exist. I actually put them in my glove compartment because they’d break in my toolbox.

In my opinion the plate sucks. Why? It’s got eased edges. Precisely the reason I went with the Porter-Cable 7549 over the Bosch long long ago. Talk about blade guides, the P-C 7549 has the best I know of. Anyway, the Ridgid R883 has a weird plate as you can see in the picture. Maybe half of the time a jigsaw cut is in the middle of material allowing you full use of the base. Most of my cuts start at an edge – often I’m just trimming a bit off.. so what happens with rounded edges and these long 1/2″ wide arms protruding on either side of the blade? You have just half an inch of plate resting on wood… and of that 1/2 is beveled so you really don’t know what 90º to the material is. I don’t always get to use the whole plate flat on the material. Today there were cuts when only the first inch of the 1/2″ wide plate was resting on wood.

I don’t like the soft plastic plate and don’t trust it to be a durable surface or precise. I’d prefer a flat steel plate with the mechanics above. The very first thing I did when I took this out of the box was look at the base and then take the formed plastic wrapping off to see if it would lie flat without it. Sorry, that’s what’s between this tool and the material. Trying to get me to believe it’s not a piece of crap is going to be hard.

Battery life is not really an issue with these 24V batteries that last a long time and charge in minutes… but weight is. With a 24V battery the Ridgid R883 is by no means lightweight. Nor is it easily manuevered inside a cabinet.

It’s ironic that I both love the batteries soft no-slip rubber coating; really handy for setting down these tools, but when sliding this jigsaw along a vertical surface I noticed the battery was sticking to the wall.

My last comment regards a real bugger I experience all day today. Most of the time I don’t have the luxury of moving a nice flat piece of material onto saw horses and cutting freely. Most of the time it’s trying to get a tool up in a joist bay or inside a cabinet and wedging my arms around pipes, blocking, bracing whatever.. to get a grip on the tool so you can pull the trigger. WTF!! It’s not working! Well with corded tools the bitch is getting all situated to go and finding it’s not plugged in but with this cordless jigsaw there is a trigger safety and I can tell you that almost all day today when I couldn’t choose which hand held the jigsaw and I had to reach around to hold it, that button was not easy to push. (On the plus side, once you’ve got the trigger started you can let go of the lock.) …but it sucks dealing with a locked trigger. I used two hands, one holding the handle and trigger and one to reach in and push the unlock-please button.

That’s a bunch of negatives but I’ll say that I’m glad to own this tool. It’s great having cordless with the 24V power. It’s great having a cordless jigsaw as this one moves freely from the outside tool station to the indoor task location throughout the day. I trust it’s pretty decent, I bought one. That in part is due to the fact I have and thoroughly like my Ridgid 24V Cordless Combo Pack and already have the batteries.

Although I’m guessing you can buy this with a case, the Ridgid R883 may be the first cordless power tool I’ve bought that didn’t come with battery or carrying case. Just a saw in a cardboard wrapper.

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Links:

The Ridgid 883 Cordless Jigsaw at Ridgid.com

I have to be very careful not to swear while writing about my Paslode Cordless Finish Nailer. I have a serious love-hate relationship with this tool. For certain applications the Paslode Cordless Nailer is indispensable but that’s highly conditional upon it actually working. It’s truly unfortunate, my Paslode Cordless 16-gauge nailer is the most unreliable and unpredictable tool I have ever owned.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Specifications:

• 1-1/4-inch to 2-1/2-inch cordless 16-gauge gas angled finish nailer with non-mar tip and sight lines
• Depth-of-drive wheel with probe position-indicator; locks tool at 10 nails to prevent blank firing
• Comfortable in sure grip-inch and soft trigger
• Includes nailer, battery, 2-hour charger
• 11-1/2 by 10-3/4 by 3-1/4-inches; 4.9-pounds with battery; 5-year warranty

Experience:

Ok, Imagine this: You’ve wrapped up a huge job, the crew is gone and the painters are doing their thing. The special-order crown moulding finally arrives for the kids bedroom. You throw your cordless nailer in the truck and head over for a simple install. Only six cuts and you will collect your final payment!

What a great invention; a finish nailer without a heavy compressor in tow: the “cordless” nailer. Too bad it doesn’t work. Well, that’s not entirely true since my nailer works sometimes. I’ve used this nail gun for it’s appropriate task; nailing trim without a compressor on site. Look at the photo above; my case is filled with nails and fuel cells. The batteries and fuel cells last a long time! I’ve used my Paslode Cordless Angled Finish Nailer in basements and attics and second floor closets, on bathroom remodels where a hose would have had to come from 3 floors away and snake through a fancy home, on sites without electricity and on my own home. It’s ideal for those last few pieces you have to go back and fasten.

The best thing about this gun is you don’t even have to own a compressor, let alone bring it to your job, set it up and pull cords all the way to your work. I love it for exterior trim when I’m perched high on a ladder. I have put this gun to the test but not too often, because betting on this tool to operate is a bet with very poor odds.

Comments:

It’s a liberating tool but it jams so often that you will spend more time opening it, pulling out the half-fired nail and shoving the firing pin back into place. I’ve learned to use a nailset to retract the pin. I can clear a jam in under a minute. WHAT HAPPENS: You place the gun against your material, you pull the trigger and POP! the nail shoots into the material. How often is impossible to say. I think my best run of nails without a jam is about 20-30 shots. However, standard experience with the Paslode Cordless Finish Nailer is 1 out of 3 will jam. If I get five shots in a row, I’m happy. If I get 10 shots I’m lucky. If I get more than 10 shots I’m totally shocked and amazed.

A jam happens in one of two ways. Either two nails come out and one doesn’t fully penetrate or 2) the nail shoots but the nail-head sticks inside the gun, basically nailing the gun to the board. There is a very easy to operate latch which opens the front so you can extract the nail.

• Unjamming this gun is not easy.
• It will jam ALL THE TIME
• It’s awesome to have a cordless nailer!
• It really sucks when it jams every 3rd or 4th nail all day long.

I don’t know what more to say. I absolutely love the idea, but f-ing hate this tool. I actually forget I own this one until a job absolutely requires a cordless, then I bring my Paslode 16 gauge nailer and fight and curse with it’s piss-poor operation. Please comment on this tool if you own one because I’m curious to hear your experience.

Links:

Paslode Cordless 16-gauge Angled Finish Nailer at Amazon.com

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Paslode-Cordless.com

The Porter-Cable 878? That’s what’s printed on the side of my drill/driver despite the fact several searches at Porter-Cable come up: “No pages were found.” Still, this 14.4v Porter-Cable Cordless Drill/Driver continues to serve me well.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

FEATURES

• 14.4 Volt, 1.3 Amp-hour batteries
• 1/2″ keyless chuck with 310 in./lbs. maximum torque
• 21 position clutch plus solid lock-up/drill mode
• 2-speed gear box (0-475 & 0-1,450 RPM)
• Standard Equipment: Drill, two battery packs, diagnostic charger, carrying case, double-ended bit tip, and operating manual

Experience:
I received this Porter-Cable Drill/Driver as a gift and immediately put it to use as my ‘work’ screwgun. For a few years I operated exclusively with this 14.4v driver. I’ve left it under a house for 6 months, left it out in the rain, worked in sub-zero temps and 100ºF sweat-drenching days and it’s none-the-worse.

I have 14.4v, 15.6v, 18v and 24v cordless drill/drivers. I prefer the smaller lighter tools like this 14.4v Porter-Cable to the weighty 24v Rigid I’ve added to my box.

Comments:
On the positive side, This screwgun still seems to give 100% and it’s still using the original batteries. (I’ve been through three Apple Powerbook batteries in less time.) The chuck on the Porter-Cable 878 is outdated by current standards, being the kind requiring two hands to adjust. There’s nothing super special about this Porter-Cable drill except that it’s been through so much and it’s still driving in decking screws. It beats my Dewalt hands down for durability and performance but it’s not as smooth or precise as my Panasonic.

DeltaPorterCable.com (Manufacturer’s website)
Porter-Cable 9824 14.4-Volt Cordless Drill/Driver

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Features
3.0 Amp-hr Ni-MH N battery pack delivers 50% longer run time.
Self-diagnostic 45-minute universal charger for both Ni-Cd and Ni-MH battery packs.
Feed-back circuit delivers maximum torque at all speeds.
New duralumin heavy duty 1/2″ keyless chuck.
Variable speed control.
18-stage clutch for more precise torque setting.

Experience:
I have always admired the Panasonic screw guns I’ve used so I bought one of my own. This thing is a beauty. It’s small size and smooth workings set it apart from my regular heavy-duty drill drivers. I’ve kept the Panasonic in my workshop, preferring to enjoy it’s quality on my home projects than subject it to the abuse of my workplace.

Comments:
Probably because I liked tool so much did it suffer the highest fall of any screw gun I’ve dropped. About 16′ above my solid oak flooring is where I let go off this one as my ladder slid out from under me. Once upon my feet, I noticed the my prized Panasonic made a decent dent in the floor before bouncing into an antique, gouging it’s mahogany face. I re-inserted the battery and it worked fine and has for years since.

Wow, The Panasonic cordless drills are expensive! I’ve used one for a few years now and have used many other brands. I have recommended a Panasonic to co-workers, friends and homeowners over any other brand. Whether it’s your first or another drill in your collection, I doubt you’ll be disappointed with this one. It’s one smooth operating tool. It’s not a 32v killer but it is indicative of the smooth workings of a Panasonic cordless drill/driver and it’s not a wimp, touting up to 390 in.lbs. of torque. I love it.

Links:
The EY6432GQKW at Panasonic.com (Product Data)

Panasonic EY6432GQKW 15.6-Volt NiMH 1/2-Inch Cordless Drill/Driver Kit at Amazon.

I’m going to have to speak frankly about my foray into owning Festool because the tools are incredibly expensive. Until recently, I’d answer questions of ‘switching over’ with a barrage of expletives. An $800 router? A $625 circular saw? A cordless screwgun for $500. Who the F is going to pay $500 for a screwgun? My Panasonic drives screws and it was expensive to me at $230. Is there sanity behind the maddening prices of Festools? 

Further frustration will arise when you’ve got $2k+ into your complicated new matching table, fence, saw and vacuum system and some little screw keeps coming loose on every pass. You’d figure if you’re going to pay for the absolute ‘best’ then it had better be absolutely perfect! I will attest that very few tools are “perfect” and you may still face demons after paying for Festool quality.

It’s still just moving a tool over your material; same old, same old, right? Can’t I clamp a 4′ level to a sheet of ply, score the line and pass my crappy little Porter-Cable Saw Boss cross-grain to achieve the same cut in a fraction of the time it takes to set up a Festool plywood cutting system and all for less than $200? Almost.

In my direct experience the process is usually defined by the desired result.

As a carpenter of 20 years, my level of perfection hasn’t suffered for lack of Festool. Through hundreds of built-ins, shelving, end panels and more panels, I have provided consistent quality woodwork using ‘contractor grade’ tools. A bit of care, the proper blade and a little know-how will get fine results.

As a cabinet maker though, the ability to produce and reproduce precision is a feat of craftsmanship. Festool takes some of the manship out of the craft. You pay, you set it up and you cut; the result is damn near perfect every time. (and dust-free!)

I used a Festool system to cut custom, sequence-matched, 3/4″ plywood. I was making reproduction Frank Lloyd Wright furniture with exposed edges. The cuts were all beveled and the pieces were trapezoidal. The plywood was very expensive leaving little room for error. Each cut with the TS 55 EQ was finish quality; crisp, clean, smooth and straight. (and dust-free!)

Recently there was the cabinet I built to house an LCD TV on a remote-controlled lift. It was tall and thin and open at the top. Installing fixtures, switches and components later on required an unusually short screw driver OR the incredibly flexible $500 Festool C12 kit which is $300 more than a DEWALT DW960K or Makita DA312DWD for the same task but If I can start and screw in 20 screws by hand with a 4″ screw driver in about 20 minutes, then how much does the Festool C12 really cost if I can put in the same 20 screws in less than 5 minutes? The C12 is more versatile than both my Makita right-angle and any of my drill/drivers combined for cabinet work. I’m not going to drive decking screws with some fancy pants $500 drill. Application specific.

How many times have I taped off a portion of someone’s living quarters to rout a dado, cut a board, sand a panel or complete some dusty task with minimal invasion?

I guess what I’m getting at is: It’s not everyday that I need a Festool’s inherit qualities. But like I said, The process is usually defined by the desired result. If it’s a shelf in a shed, use a Skilsaw but if you fortunately find yourself restoring the plywood kitchen counters in Philip Johnson’s Glass House then you are going to need to come up with a not-so-simple arrangement or buy Festool.

If it costs me $100 to in labor and materials to protect a client’s master bedroom from my router, then how much does the $800 Festool router really cost?

I don’t know if I can charge more because my tools are connected to a HEPA Vac. but I am hoping that my future clients will pass on the good word that my work reflects the precision machinery I use, I left no dust and I finished in remarkable time. There is a lot to be said in favor of Festool’s effective dust control and therefore, my first Festool step toward my future woodworking begins with the CT33 Dust Extractor.

Who the F would pay $500 for a screwgun? I guess I will. I am contently hoping to own the C12 one day soon but I currently have 5 drill/drivers so my next Festool will be a sander, then their rabbeting planer with near total chip extraction. Can you imagine planing a slab without 4″ of sawdust on the floor afterward? I’m waiting on choosing a guided saw due to recent competition costing considerably less.

Cost of the Festool ETS 150/5 R.O. Sander – $285
Cost of the Festool TF 75 EQ Circular Saw – $625
Cost of the Festool OF 2200 Router – $800
Health benefits of Dust Extraction in the small home woodshop. priceless.

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