Ridgid has announced a new line of 18V SubCompact cordless power tools, with a focus on i) lightweight design, ii) heavyweight performance, and iii) brushless motor technology.
Ridgid says they designed this all-new line of 18V SubCompact cordless power tools to meet jobsite demands, and with tools of previously unattainable size.
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Users will experience tools with up to 30% less weight, allowing them to get more done with less fatigue.
The compact design decreases the tool size by up to 35%, allowing users to work in tight spaces.
The brushless motor delivers the power, performance, and runtime Ridgid users demand with increased durability.
These are Ridgid’s most compact 18V cordless tools ever, and with heavyweight performance they say punches above its weight class.
What all this means is that Ridgid has come out with new super-compact 18V power tools, and with an aim to keep them small but powerful.
The new line will launch with the following tools:
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- Ridgid R9780K Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit
- Ridgid R8701K Drill Kit
- Ridgid R8723 Impact Driver
- Ridgid R87207B Impact Wrench (Bare Tool)
- Ridgid R87547B 3″ Multi-Material Saw (Bare Tool)
- Compact Charger
- Updated 2.0Ah Battery
The new cordless power tool family is officially expected to launch in May 2020. At the time of this posting, the drill and impact driver combo kit, impact wrench, and multi-material saw are available for purchasing online.
As with other Ridgid cordless power tools, the new 18V SubCompact line will be available exclusively at Home Depot.
Ridgid 18V SubCompact Brushless Drill (R8701K)
The new Ridgid 18V SubCompact cordless drill/driver is said to be 30% more compact and 30% lighter in weight, presumably compared to their next-most compact drill/driver.
I reviewed a purchased copy of Ridgid’s 18V brushless cordless drill some time back, and not to mince words, it blew my mind how much power it was capable of delivering at its price point. With this new 18V SubCompact cordless drill, it looks like Ridgid dialed back the power a little but also the size and weight, creating a highly competitive compact offering.
- 1/2″ chuck
- Max Torque: 400 in.-lbs.
- 0-450 / 0-1,750 RPM (no-load speed)
- 6.17″ length
- All metal gears
- 24 positing clutch ring
- LED worklight
- Interchangeable belt hook and bit holder
The R8701K kit comes with the drill, a belt clip, bit clip, (2) 2.0Ah batteries, charger, and tool bag.
Price: $149
Ridgid 18V SubCompact Brushless Impact Driver (R8723)
At this time, it looks like the new Ridgid 18V SubCompact impact driver will only be available as part of the 2pc combo kit, but this could change down the road.
- 1/4″ quick-release hex chuck
- 4.67″ length
- 1,800 in-lbs max torque
- 0-2,900 RPM (no load speed)
- 0-4,200 IPM
- 35% More Compact
- 30% Lighter Weight
While you don’t get multiple speed or torque settings, you do get a teeny tiny impact driver head that can fit into tight spaces. The new SubCompact impact driver is said to be 35% more compact and 30% lighter in weight.
The new compact brushless impact driver looks pleasantly diminutive compared to their brushless Octane impact driver.
Ridgid 18V SubCompact Brushless Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit (R9780K)
To start things off, there will be a 2pc SubCompact drill and impact driver combo kit. The new cordless drill will also be available separately.
The R9780K kit comes with the R8701 drill, R8723 impact driver, (2) 2.0Ah batteries, charger, belt clips, bit clips, and a tool bag.
Price: $199
Ridgid 18V SubCompact Brushless 3/8″ Impact Wrench (R87207B)
This new Ridgid 18V SubCompact brushless impact wrench is sure to be popular. In addition to its small size, it does have 3 speed settings, plus an auto-tightening mode,
- 3/8″ drive with friction ring
- 4.31″ length
- 200 ft-lbs (2400 in-lbs) max fastening torque
- 225 ft-lbs (2700 in-lbs) max breakaway torque
- 3 speed settings + 1 special mode
- Low: 0-850 RPM (no-load)
- Medium: 0-2,000 RPM (no-load)
- High: 0-2,800 RPM (no-load)
- Auto-tightening mode: 0-2,800 RPM
- 0-3,800 IPM
- LED worklight
- All metal gears
- 25% More Compact
- 20% Lighter Weight
- Brushless motor
The speed and mode selection controls are at the rear of the handle.
The new impact wrench will be available as a bare tool, R87207B.
Price: $139 for the bare tool
Ridgid 18V SubCompact Brushless 3″ Multi-Material Saw (R87547B)
The new Ridgid R87547B 18V SubCompact multi-material saw will feature a 3″ cutting wheel size, and can cut through various types of construction and project materials, such as aluminum, PVC, tile, and drywall.
- 3″ cutting wheel diameter
- 7/16″ arbor size
- 0-19,000 RPM
- Variable speed trigger
- Forward/reverse switch
- Designed for one-handed use
- Brushless motor
- Adjustable wire guide
The saw comes with a removable wire guide for setting cutting depth.
It comes with 3 cutting wheels:
- Metal wheel (for cutting metal and stainless materials)
- Diamond tile wheel
- Carbide abrasive wheel (for cutting drywall, plastic, fiber cement materials)
Price: $99
Ridgid 18V SubCompact
There’s a brand new smaller-sized charger, which looks to match up nicely to the compact nature of the new tools.
Ridgid 18V 2.0Ah Battery
All of these new tools are compatible with all of Ridgid’s 18V Li-ion cordless power tool batteries, but there is also a new 2.0Ah battery that appears to have been redesigned with a shorter and flatter front section.
Discussion
I like the look of the new Ridgid 18V SubCompact cordless power tools, as they appear to be smaller in size without being tiny, and without compromising on power.
For example, 400 in-lbs for a compact brushless drill/driver seems about right for most of the types of applications you would expect to use a mid-level drill for.
I think the new drill, impact driver, and impact wrench might be nicely positioned as compact light and medium duty offerings.
I gave away my Ridgid 18V brushless high-torque drill/driver a couple of months ago, and with great reluctance. It was a powerful drill and capable of plowing through larger holes than any comparably-priced drills could handle, and it did so quite speedily too. But, that drill was a bit larger and heavier than what I like to use for the smaller and more delicate work I tend to work on much more often. I own a different premium drill for heavier duty tasks, complementing a compact 18V drill and 12V Max drill and drivers.
For me, these tools look to fill a hole in Ridgid’s lineup.
While the drill simply looks compact to me, which isn’t a bad thing as it would likely have to sacrifice power to shed any more size or weight, the impact driver and impact wrench look downright tiny.
Makita’s 18V SubCompact 3/8″ impact wrench is 5-5/8″ long. Their 18V SubCompact 1/2″ impact wrench is a tad bit longer t 5-15/16″ long. The new Ridgid 18V SubCompact impact wrench is 4.31 (less than 4-3/8″) in length. That’s just nuts, and for 200 ft lbs (2400 in-lbs) max fastening torque (this spec is sourced from the online user manual).
Milwaukee’s M12 3/8″ stubby impact wrench measures 4.8″ in length and delivers 250 ft-lbs of breakaway torque. I can’t find specs for its fastening torque, and comparing a SubCompact 18V tool to a 12V tool can confuse things really quickly, but right now I’m just amazed that Ridgid could manage designing their new impact to be a 1/2″ shorter.
So, we have a new compact Ridgid brushless drill/driver, a surprisingly compact impact driver, and an incredibly compact new 3/8″ impact wrench, plus a one-handed 3″ multi-material-cutting saw. The kits are bundled with a smaller charger and what looks to be a redesigned 2Ah battery.
It looks like Ridgid and TTI North America pulled out all the stops in developing these new tools. As excited I am about what we’re seeing, I also can’t wait to see what else they have in mind for this new 18V SubCompact Brushless cordless power tools family.
I am also loving the momentum of this class of tools right now. Compact, SubCompact, Xtreme SubCompact, Atomic… smaller and lighter tools that aren’t puny when it comes to power, speed, and features? Yes please, can we get some more?
Kizzle
The problem is Ridgid makes their tools unnecessarily beefy for design sake. It’s true form over function. They want the tools to look mean and bad ass with excessive overmolding. The batteries are much bigger than competitors as well. Unless, the extra meat is indeed for protection. That means they’re relying on extra material thickness instead of engineering them better against drop protection. I assume they TTI doesn’t want Ridgid to be good enough to step on Milwaukee’s toes, but if they were smaller tools they’d be really hard to beat because save for size, I really like Ridgid tools.
dstblj 52
Yep, thats one of those things that’s really hard to manage cause the brand managers want to grow there brand but its really easy to GM’ify if you let your brands step all over each other
Jared
These look great. My only Ridgid cordless tool is the brushless drill/driver (probably the same one you had Stuart) that has up to 750 in/lbs of torque. It’s very impressive, but often overkill for most of the work I do too. It’s powerful enough that I basically never use my Dewalt XR 7/16″ impact wrench for drilling tasks anymore (used to use it for fencing around the farm but the Ridgid drill can handle it and weighs much less).
That impact wrench in particular looks like it could fit a hole in my tool collection for automotive work. I have impact drivers that are usually too wimpy to be much use or the Dewalt impact wrench that can do everything I need – but is heavy, large and awkward.
fred
The compact saw looks like it might fill a niche. The Makita equivalents (3-3/8 inch) are part of their 12V lineup and split – one (SH02Z) being for wood and another (CC02Z) designed as a wet saw for tile and glass. I’ve read some mixed reviews about the SH02Z – some claiming it is wimpy. The Ridgid does not seem to have wood cutting capabilities (no lower blade guard) – perhaps they deemed kickback/safety an issue.
Frank D
Those batteries look like knock-offs, sad and cheap looking to make them minutely more compact … compared to existing models for > 12 years.
All for a gain of ~ 2 mm since it does not have the 2 mm raised lip. They already had a flat front with recessed LEDs and large tactile click button. I can’t imagine that sticker skin being as durable.
So the battery will be rounded on 4 corners now instead of two … with the loss also of the rubber molded bumpers above the release buttons.
Good on the compact tool versions.
Bad on the battery style and protection. That 2mm is not going to make a difference practically.
Hoser
Look at the first pic of all the tools, they look ridiculous. Disproportionate battery to body size by a large margin. The majority of the time it’s the battery that gets in the way, so why have a sub compact tool with a ungainly battery hanging off of it? This is why there are 12V tools.
Frank D
I have at least six 12v tools for a reason.
Having extensively used makita subcompacts … they certainly have their place, but they had small footprint stempacks.
My primary point with my comment regarding the batteries is that this battery redesign has zero real world practical improvements, it is not more compact, you are not getting tighter into spaces with 2mm shaved off, it looks like a cost cutting measure and beyond that just change for change sake.
Hoser
Hey Frank, sorry, I didn’t mean to reply to your comment, was just trying to post a new comment. But I agree with you there is no real work benefit to this new line of drills/drivers.
Frank D
No worries 🙂 It is all good.
Has happened to me as well.
I often tap the reply button while trying to scroll down on the left side … I’d tweak the layout some if it were me 😉
Kenneth Stephens
I wish they were 12v or that they would expand the 12v line. Make it slightly detuned compared to Milwaukee
Chris
I don’t really like the specs for this. I want to compare these to their “big brother” Milwaukee M18 tools, but…
The more I look, the less i’m impressed.
I’m now comparing it to the M12 lineup.
Why is an 18V 3/8″ impact wrench less powerful than a 12V counterpart (m12 stubby impact wrench) with maybe a negligible size difference being the positive?
Did they also take a page from Milwaukee’s advertising to say it weighs 20% lighter?
Lighter than what?
The cut off tool baffles me as well.
Why go with the bigger arbor size? Milwaukee’s uses the 3/8″ arbor and an adapter for 7/16″. I can’t use a 3/8″ arbor blade with the Ridgid.
Does it come with a dust boot or is this going to be another drywallers tool in their wide arsenal of ways to kill our lungs in the long run?
This seems like another step in the path for Ridgid to remain barely relevant.
Dewalt is barely any better (their only progress is to keep reiterating their core tools).
At this rate, I don’t consider these brands as innovators, and they definitely don’t want to step out of the box when it comes to trade tools.
JasonM
I was betting on FINALLY a large Ridgid Outdoor Power Equipment rollout…and I was wrong. Ridgid has to be the last major 18v platform left without a string trimmer and chain saw at a minimum. Both are available overseas on the AEG label.
I have the current brushless “full-size” 18V driver and drill and never once thought they could or should be smaller. Is this a “Me-Too” reaction to what other brands have done?
Doug in Post Falls
As a hot and cold Ridgid devotee, just last week it all went cold as I invested in a different battery platform for lack of a string trimmer.
Planegrain
If you click the link on Thursday’s HD sale, there’s some Rigid tools on sale today. All patio furniture, the tools are on the very bottom. Just one Rigid combo I think.
Kenneth Stephens
Workshop addict YouTube channel already has a review video up. And they don’t look too bad. The drill and impact driver
Gordon
If that cutoff wheel had dust collection I could see it being used for slicing installed drywall up. Set the guard to the thickness and slice away. Makita has a jigsaw like tool for that. But the cost is astronomical. Then again, it does seem to have pretty great dust collection so that might be where a lot of the cost comes from.
I think it’s interesting that many people made fun of Makita for making the sub-compact tools initially. Each tool seems to be liked better than the normal size tool it “replaced”. Looks like the same can be said about DeWalt’s sub-compact tools. Maybe weight and size are actually more important to more people than raw power specs.
Flotsam
i have the Milwaukee M12 version of this cutoff saw. I was originally thinking the same way you were. and the Milwaukee M12 had provisions for dust collection. I hate to break it to you but the dust collection on the Milwaukee was pretty disappointing. I ended not using it since it was a bit cumbersome and just made sure i was wearing a mask and glasses.
I’m sure the Ridgid will cut just fine, they designed it with a longer handle which may aid in its usefulness . i had to cut off a rusted bolt on an automotive suspension part. It was tight getting in there with the big head of 3 in cutter. It only got in part way then had to use a recip saw to finish it off. Maybe a grinder would have worked better if i had the correct blade
Bryanska
How could anything be chunky and subcompact? Really, nothing 18v is truly subcompact. So what, then, are the Milwaukee 12v?? Are they now “mini”?
Planegrain
I like the color scheme! I like bigger drills like Dewalt’s 60 volt Flexvolt Mixer drill & joist hole drill. Both have the electronic clutch.
Corey Moore
I’ve got the inline s&j drill, and I’m pretty sure it’s not an electric clutch. It’s got electric rotation shutoff, but I’ve bound it and it’ll slip the clutch if you don’t lose it.
Planegrain
They market as E-Clutch, if it binds it won’t rip your forearms off.
Toolfreak
These aren’t subcompact tools or even compact. They’re huge, and the battery is huge even if the business end is slightly shortened to call it ‘compact’.
You need a small battery to make a tool ‘subcompact’ and useful like the Bosch/Milwaukee 12V lines. The size of the entire tool with a battery in it allows for access you aren’t going to even come close to with these Ridgid 18V.
Even without the lying about the size, I also don’t want to deal with their dishonest ‘lifetime’ service agreement and all the hoops required, or the fact they are just AEG tools under a licensed rebadged brand name TTi doesn’t even own.
All I can guess is Home Depot wanted some subcompact orange 18V tools to try and compete with the new 24V Kobalt XTR stuff at Lowe’s that is more powerful but only slightly smaller than the existing 24V Kobalt tools.
xrh07
“These aren’t subcompact tools or even compact.”
A Dewalt 887, Milwaukee Gen 3 or Makita XDT16 are all considered compact class tools. The same way a Makita XPH12 and Dewalt 796 are considered compact class drills.
And these new Ridgids are already certainly smaller than those compact tools. (about as small as an XDT15 Makita subcompact, in the case of the driver, at least)
http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/aM1ubKshpGg/maxresdefault.jpg
And I’m pretty sure Ridgid came out with these because most of their tools have pretty bad size:power ratios. Their best impact drivers (which they rate at like 2,200 in/lbs) still get beaten by the smaller and much more nimble Makita XDT14, 12 and 16 which are only rated for ~1,600. Ridgid’s tools are pretty oversized across the board so it makes some sense for them to come out with an alternative for people who don’t like their larger tools.
Makita subcompact tools are also quite popular, so I’m sure they’re just trying to chase that market too, same as Dewalt did with Atomic.
+ Octane is their answer to Kobalt XTR and that stuff has already been out for over a year.
Justin V
They dropped the octane line. It is no more. They just have 12v, subcompact 18v, and 18v brushless that uses/comes with the new max output batteries. They had way too many different lineups so they slimmed it down getting rid of the octane and gen x5.
Rami
I just don’t see the benefit here due to the relatively big battery, tools this small really should use a 12v battery. I would buy that impact wrench immediately for tight spaces, if it had a 12v battery on it, the big 18v battery ruins it all. These will be a good choice for those who want to stay in the 18v Ridgid line only, but they would be most beneficial with a 12v battery.
Steve
I still don’t see the reason to buy Ridgid cordless tools. If you’re gonna go TTi spend a few bucks more and get Milwaukee and get more performance and availability at other retailers or save a few bucks and go Ryobi and get almost as much performance, either way you get a much bigger lineup. The midrange niche they are playing in just isn’t big enough.
Frank D
Lifetime Service Agreement free of charge, with free kit battery replacement.
Easier to do in some parts of the country with more authorized service centers … but with other companies, 1-2-3 yrs it is all on your dime.
Steve
In understand that might be a selling point for some but I’ve heard horror stories from others. I don’t know how much I’d actually use the warranty, probably only once or twice, not enough to make a bunch of a difference.
fred
When we were buying for our businesses – warranties on expense-item tools (generally costing less that $500) were pretty far down on our list of considerations. Warranties might imply quality – and say something about the manufacturer’s willingness to stand behind their product. But they might also just be part of a marketing strategy built into the cost of the tool – recognizing that many tool failures will not result in warranty claims – either because of the fine print, inconvenience or other reasons.
We much preferred to purchase small tools based on what we could discern about their overall quality, productivity-enhancing features, expected longevity, fitness-for-purpose etc. – with warranties perhaps a second or third order consideration. While we did use some different vendors for small tool repair – the loss of productivity of on-the-job tool failure was a much bigger consideration than the inconvenience/cost of needing to have a tool repaired. The prospect of tool failure informed our thoughts about what spares we kept in inventory and our strategies for life-cycle tool inspection, maintenance, repair and replacement.
Frank D
Fair points.
As an individual I have backup tools, due to sales, opportunity buys, and the mess when they quit the 24v line … but to me it has been a point over some other brands. Now, I had sworn off Ridgid when they would not honor replacing the defunct 24v system due to lack of 24v replacement batteries, csr mess, … but then two years later they did, when I called in for something else. Solid tools. Not much of a range. So I have other brands these days. But given the opportunity I grab ridgid.
fred
I can well see the possible appeal of the Ridgid warranty for the DIY owner. If the tool fails or the battery dies on a DIY project – maybe you have another tool – can borrow a neighbor’s tool or can just stop work until you can get a warranty repair/replacement. Unless your failure occurs in the middle of some critical step – it will probably just be an inconvenient nuisance not result in loss of income or added expense. A DIY user will also not likely have an employee who’s job description includes tool maintenance and the logistics of having tools repaired/replaced.
Planegrain
I think if they keep their quality high, they will gain respect. They have done a good job with their Vac lines.
fred
The last time I looked, Ridgid vacuums are made by Emerson (the primary owner of the Ridgid brand name) – not by TTI
Planegrain
wiki says that also, so I think your right.
Steve
Yeah, I have a Ridgid vac, it’s Emerson.
fred
When Sears was in their Heydays – Emerson produced lots of their stationary power tools and vacuums. Then Sears threw them over for Taiwanese manufacturers (next migrated to China).
So Emerson cut a deal with the then up and coming Home Depot.
The Ridgid name – once associated exclusively with plumbing tools produced by the Ridge Tool Company – was owned at that time by Emerson who had acquired them in 1966. Emerson licensed Home Depot to use the Ridgid brand name on some products (not plumbing tools or vacuums) that HD might source from other OEMs. So a Ridgid shovel might come from Ames, a Ridgid hole saw from Disston , a Ridgid extension cord from Cerro and a the Ridgid power tools (the subject of this post) from TTI.
Planegrain
Speaking of vacuums. Rigid has a 9 gallon 18 volt vacuum getting very good reviews. I wasn’t aware of this model, it will run with one or two battery’s for longer run times. I haven’t found any cfm specs yet though, reviews claim it has lots of suction. Perfect pairing for Flexvolt miter or table saws in remote places.
Planegrain
I guess it’s rated at 82 cfm.
OldDominionDIYer
Really like what they did here at Ridgid. Have am interested in the tiny impact driver, so small yet plenty of power, and coupled with the more reasonably sized 2.0Ah battery it seems like an excellent form factor, love it!
Zac D
It’s a shame Ridgid don’t bring all there gear over from AEG because I have an 18V AEG whipper snipper ( line trimmer here in Australia and it’s excellent. I believe it is all branded AEG in Europe as well. They have a line of 58V mowers etc as well.
The line trimmer has a removable “power head” which I use with a Victa hedge trimmer as well. I know it can be used with all of Ryobi’s ‘adapt-it’ pole saws etc also
That said I tend to agree with some of the comments here about battery size. They need a decent 12V lineup or something. I often find myself looking over the fence at Milwaukee and DeWalt 12V tools. Decent compact tools at AEG price and quality would be ideal.