Ridgid has been upsetting my expectations, for lack of a better way of saying it.
Coming out with tools like their cordless trim router, a cordless 1-gallon air compressor, and now a belt sander?
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This is the Ridgid R86065B, an 18V Li-ion cordless brushless belt sander. Surprise!
It features an 18″ x 3″ belt size, variable speed dial, a 1-1/4″ dust extractor hose adapter, and an included dust bag that they say collects up to 90% of dust created, for cleaner work. There’s automatic belt tracking, and adjustable pommel handle, and flat face that allows for flush sanding.
Belt changes are done tool-free.
Price: $149
Buy Now(via HD)
First Thoughts
In a not-too-long-ago post, I asked whether you would go completely cordless.
In the post, I said this:
Then there are the heavy use and continuous duty tools that are not great candidates to go cordless, such as air compressors, routers, dust extractors, belt sanders, hand sanders, and things like that.
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It’s almost as if Ridgid cordless power tool engineers saw that and took it up as a challenge. What comes next, a cordless dust extractor?
I wonder if we’ll see a Milwaukee version, seeing as how Ryobi, Ridgid, and Milwaukee have occasionally coordinated their new tool designs in recent years.
This seems like nothing but good news. There are some users who could benefit from a cordless belt sander, and at the least this’ll keep competing brands on their toes.
Have you ever looked at your belt sander and wished you could “cut the cord?”
I wonder what the runtime specs are like.
Phi Nguyen says
Talk about disruptive innovation! 😉
Doug says
This is a game changer for belt sander races.
pete says
how would you turn it off? lol
BonPacific says
Belt sander version of 24hr at Le Mans?
Rman says
Should have hade my sander yesterday but due to Mother Nature and our 14 inches of heart attack snow special The UPS truck did not deliver and should be here by freezing days end. Will post a report on its capabilities going cordless. Burn some wood.
Jay says
Can’t remember the last time I had to breakout the old snow shovel. Since we moved to the southwest haven’t had much frozen precipitation to deal with. They were spraying us today however so there were chemtrails aloft causing a slight haze but otherwise we had mostly sunny skies, light and variable winds with a high temperature of 86°.
Jim Felt says
Stuart. If I may refer to you personally as tool source “Google” isn’t Ridgid at least partly owned or nearly exclusively marketed through HD?
I know the brand way predates HD but I’m just curious. And who is likely doing their R&D?
Thx.
Stuart says
TTI has an arrangement with Ridgid and Home Depot to develop and market Ridgid power tools to be sold exclusively at the retailer.
TTI owns the power tool business for Ryobi in North America and Australia, perhaps elsewhere too but I haven’t checked in a while. And there’s a similar distribution arrangement with Home Depot.
There might be subtleties that I’m missing, but hopefully this gives you the gist of it.
Ryobi and Ridgid tools are both developed and supported by TTI North America, with Milwaukee being completely independent outside for this.
But in recent years there has been increasing coordination between Milwaukee, Ridgid, and Ryobi, at least that’s what it looks like.
fred says
Somewhere – probably in the reptilian part of my brain – I recall that Emerson Electric – bought the Ridge Tool Company (originally from Ridgeville Ohio) in 1966. The Ridge Tool Company famous for their line of plumbing tools – once a year promoted on their pin-up calendar used the trademarked name “RIDGID”. At one time Emerson produced many of the stationary power tools for Sears to be sold under the Craftsman label. It came to pass that Sears decided to go with a different OEM – and Emerson seems to have cut a deal with Home Depot to sell some of their power tools under the RIDGID name. It appears that Emerson may have also licensed Home Depot to use the RIDGID name on other tools not associated with the Plumbing and HVAC trades. You can thus find RIDGID branded Shovels at Home Depot made by Ames-USI Industries, RIDGID hole saws – made by RAF Industries (Blu-Mol and Disston) and RIDGID extension cords from Cerro Wire (Berkshire Hathaway) – just as a few examples. At some point Emerson probably decided to get out of some if not all of the power tool manufacturing business – and went with the emerging TTI as their OEM for their power tools – still mostly (except for some third party resellers) sold through Home Depot
Cr8ondt says
I have an Emerson built Craftsman radial arm saw, it’s under open recall by Emerson…. I think I’m going to keep it tho.
Phi Nguyen says
I believe Ridgid started out making piping/plumbing hand tools. They licensed their name to TTI to make power tools.
Ryan Price says
As I understand it, Ridgid is owned by TTi. HD doesn’t own Ridgid, but have exclusive contractual agreements that make them effectively the semi-pro house brand of HD. There are similar contracts with Milwaukee and Ryobi (also TTi owned), which is why you don’t see those products at Lowe’s or Menards.
Phi Nguyen says
Ryobi Tools is wholly owned by TTI, but Ridgid power tools are just developed and produced by TTI for Ridgid’s parent company, Emerson Electric.
Stuart says
No, Ridgid is their own brand.
There are some tools developed outside TTI, such as the Keter-made tool storage boxes.
Ridgid develops and markets their own plumbing tools and some other tools for tradesmen. Power tools in these areas are not compatible with the TTI-developed 18V system.
Milwaukee has contract arrangements with Home Depot, but that’s far different than the arrangements that Ryobi and Ridgid have with Home Depot.
It’s a complex situation, but I tried to simplify it to the best or my ability and understanding.
Milwaukee is their own company, owned by TTI.
Ridgid power tools are made for HD by TTI under a licensing agreement.
TTI owns Ryobi, but only in some parts of the world. Here, it’s essentially another HD private label brand.
The yeti says
Far as I know . In Japan ryobi is still blue . As well they in Japan still make professional quality tools . Rigid seems to be the north American AEG version of power tools . No idea where the neon ryobi line came from . I suspect it was created out of licensing .
processwrench says
Just to add fuel to the TTI coordination fire, ryobi has one too and kinda similar looking. Note the area around the belt track and the dust collection bag system
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ONE-18-Volt-Cordless-Brushless-Belt-Sander-P450/206955207
pete says
I wanted to say that there is no way that i’d buy a cordless belt sander, UNTIL…… you posted that ryobi belt sander lol…. Now i’m gonna have to find an excuse to buy it lol
Jeff says
Great to see Ridgid finally expanding their cordless line-up. I love my drill and reciprocating saw from them and the battery warranty sold me, but their lacking a huge line of things compatible with their batteries in comparison to other brands was certainly disappointing. Hope they keep them coming.
Mike McFalls says
I hope Rigid and Ryobi for that matter continue to push beyond conventional thoughts on cordless tools. I am down to three corded tools, router, finish sander and miter saw- soon I will be cutting the cord and moving to the flex volt saw and while I am too heavily invested in ‘teal’ cordless platform; I’ve had so much success and too many positive experiences to ever regret Makita. I would however like to see them follow suit with a cordless router and belt sander- also a glue gun (I’ve seen the Ryobi in store) and heat gun (unlikely but one can hope) and then I’ll be completely cordless on 46 power tools
Nathan says
I’d like to see the runtime also – is that a speed wheel I see on the handle?
for my occasional uses – to be fair an hour run time would be fine – as long as I had another battery to slot in whilst charging. Once again Team Yellow and Red – check this out – maybe make a bigger belt sized version – but this is a fantastic idea.
I don’t know I’d want a cordless palm sander – what with battery pack balance and the like – but larger base – like this – and yes it makes sense with a 5AH or more pack on board.
Mike McFalls says
Nathan, I felt the same about balance and the overall size of a small palm sander- but after owning the 18v random orbital sander- I think they can strike an appropriate balance (pun intended) between size and the position of the battery
mattd says
Workshop adict did a hands on review and is ts a 5-10min runtime with a 5ah battery depending on what u r sanding. As an asside ryobi also has an 18v belt sander. They are on the shelf at my local hd.
Allen says
Of all the power tools balance is most important for belt sanders.
Kent says
I also seen on Ridgids forum today a hybrid 18v propane heater, apparently it’s on the HD website.
Lynyrd says
Intersting as DeWalt adds more Automotive/Electrictrian/Mechanical cordless tools to go after Milwaukee, Ridgid appears to be strengthening theirCarpentry/Contractor/Woodworking line. Understanding that DeWalt will always offer cordless for all trades.
goddardpool says
If this thing is anything like their corded offering, it’s junk.
William Butler says
The only time I wish I could cut the cord on a belt sander is when I ran over it with 80grit paper on the tool. This would be good for scribing cabinets.
Roger says
Look up AEG tools. Looks very familiar. You can see the future there… Still wish they’d make a small woodworking cordless (2Batt) bandsaw. Very much considering getting this tool though.
Tim says
Aeg is ridgid power tools.
Tim says
I am brutally excited for this.
msergiob says
this needs to be in the ” cordless section” , right ?
Stuart says
Yes, thank you!
Oleg K says
And Ryobi sells one that’s Green, otherwise identical in every way for $130, also, the Ryobi one is available in stores, meaning easy exchange/return but, thanks to Home Depot’s dumb sales strategy designed to promote Ryobi and HD X, I can almost guarantee that Ridgid’s sander is an online exclusive purchase already or soon will be, just like all other tools in a similar price range with Ryobi.
Also, the customer that these tools were given a Brushless makeover, who is he? The runtime on these sanders is way too short and the additional batteries are expensive, so as an upgrade to a corded model that gets mostly stationary use its automatically a non-starter, in other words the only crowd this tool might entice is the DIY and hobbyists, but then there is the issue with the tool itself – most hobbyists I know have never even seen a belt sander and if they needed one I’m sure they’d opt for the cheapest one.
I think that the strategy for both of these companies was to try and capitalize on the brushless hype and while it has worked at least partially for many different brands with tools like drills and reciprocating saws but because of how limited the usability and how narrow the area potentially is for a cordless belt sander, brushless or brushed, I cant really see a single one of these types of tools ever becoming popular with anyone.
fred says
Not likely to replace my Porter Cable 503 with this – but it may appeal to some for small punch-list jobs or for small jobs off of staging or at elevation where a cord would be a nuisance. The 5 reviews posted for it the HD site all give it 5 stars – and its Ryobi cousin also had 6 reviews – all 5 stars – very curious
Bolt says
Yeah most of the time I bring out the belt sander it’s for big jobs that would eat through even a big stash bf batteries.
Steve says
Cordless dust extractor :
https://www.makita.co.nz/products/model/DVC350
Matt says
Stuart, when you say that here, Ryobi is essentially another HD private label brand, does that mean it’s only sold at HD? I guess I’ve honestly never paid attention… I’ve looked at many Ryobi tools but when I thought about it, they were indeed at HD. I haven’t noticed them elsewhere. I always knew much of the Craftsman C3 line was Ryobi based or indentical (C3 brad nailer). If that’s the case that they’re both HD brands here, it seems to me a little redundant to have Ryobi and Rigid essentially competing against each other for shelf space.
I also agree there must indeed be some coordination between Ryobi and Rigid. I see the same character traits in the plastic moldings, handles, motor housings and rubber grips in Rigid, Ryobi and Craftsman battery tools. Either way, I had the same thoughts as most here. TTI/HD/Rigid really seems out to make Rigid a more serious player in power tools. This sander is fantastic, I loved the air compressor in the post below as well. Ideal to take on a camping trip! I know my father in law will like this. He’s been a Rigid guy for awhile now. Most of his older stuff is Milwaukee, DeWalt or Hitachi. Everything newer is Rigid. He swears it’s better and won’t buy anything else.. It’s best not to argue.
Jon says
Yes Ryobi and Ridgid tools are only sold at Home Depot.
You can think of the TTI brand umbrella as being just like the GM brand umbrella. GM produces GMC, Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and more. Why sell vehicles under all those brands instead of just one? Simple – to capture more market share and to cater to different budgets and tastes.
The average shopper doesn’t know or care that all those makes come from the same head company.
The company gets the benefit of being able to share many basic parts and components between the in house brands, and also to share engineering and r&d developments that apply accross the board, which improves their economy of scale. Many engines are shared, many drive train components are shared. Meanwhile exterior and interior styling & design language, feature sets and price points are what actually define the difference between the separate “badges” the cars are sold under.
When parts (for tools or cars or otherwise) are mass produced some turn out better than others for various reasons. Tools/dies/machines wear out over time produce less accurate or lower quality parts even though they are still useful parts. Companies know this and “bin” parts accordingly. Often times the premium brand(s) under the umbrella will use the best parts and the budget brand(s) will use the worst parts.
Sometimes even worse parts yet are sold off to a junk home gamer brand. Then eventually the actual worn out tools/dies/machines themselves are sold for cheap and some company like harbor freight makes one last run of tools.
Stuart says
Yes. Ryobi power tools and Ridgid power tools, excluding professional plumbing tools, are exclusive to The Home Depot. The same is true for certain power tool accessories and Ridgid tool boxes, nailers, and vacuums.
Ryobi and Ridgid don’t really overlap.
There was only 1 occasion of cross-branding (an air compressor in the 2014 holiday season).
https://toolguyd.com/ridgid-ryobi-vertical-pancake-air-compressor/
Generally, Ryobi is the more value and DIY-oriented brand, Ridgid is the slightly more higher tier brand.
TTI manufactures some cordless tools for Craftsman’s C3 lineup, which is why some Ryobi and Craftsman tools might be similar. But as far as I am aware, there are enough differences to avoid too similar of an appearance. You often have to look at finer details, such as auxiliary handle attachment designs, to see the resemblances.
Chervon also makes cordless tools for Craftsman, and Stanley Black & Decker makes the Bolt-On tools.
Processwrench says
The real question is how do cordless belt Sanders change belt sander racing ? I’d say most readers have at least one story of a racing them in shop class. Not dragging the cord has to provide a big advantage, however often cordless tools run slower rpm than their corded counter parts.