Aquired from Ridgid.com

Review Of The Ridgid X4 5pc Lithium-Ion Combo Kit

For several years I have worked as a finishing carpenter installing custom closets, crown molding, doors, and trim. I love me a set of power tools and now that I am a stay at home dad, I was in search of an all around good set of power tools that have what it takes to to keep up. I have personally used DeWalt, and Mikita tools in the past and have found values in their price and durability however I believe I have found a new love in the Ridgid tool brand.  Here is my  Ridgid power toolset up for review.

The Ridgid X4 5pc Lithium-Ion Combo Kit

This Kit has a Hammer Drill, Reciprocating Saw, Circular Saw, Impact Driver and Flash Light. The kit I got came with 2 Hyper-Lithium-Ion high capacity batteries. I decided to do a bench test on the set to see if they actually perform as advertised. There are so many great things going on with this set it’s hard to know where to start. The Hammer Drill Driver has to be one of my favorite features. This is the first kit that I have come across that even includes a Drill Hammer. Each battery has a button you can push to show you how much charge is in the battery. A set of 4 LEDs that light up on the battery to show the amount of charge left in the battery.

Reciprocating Saw

The next item is the Reciprocating Saw. All the battery operated recip saw that I’ve had a chance to use have been pretty wimpy or the batteries discharged pretty quickly. Not this one. This saw operated as well as my corded Craftsman recip saw and did just as much work. Another great feature of this saw is the blade change. Instead of messing around with a allen wrench, they have a tool less system where you turn the end of the chuck and insert the blade. The blade stays in place until you are ready to change or remove it.

Circular Saw

The Circular Saw was another shocker. Again this saw acted like it was a corded unit. This time I used an 8’ Southern Pine 2×6. I did some cross cuts and some rip cuts and it preformed great. I actually ran this saw until the battery quit. I ended up getting about 90” of rip and 24 cross cuts. The saw is really easy to operate. Instead of having a button that you depress when you pull the trigger it has a square button that is located horizontally right where your thumb would rest. You simply depress the thumb switch and pull the trigger. I like this feature because it made repetitive cut so much quicker and I didn’t have to mess with trying to depress a little button and pull the trigger at the same time.

Impact Driver

If you are looking for a Impact Driver I recommend the one in this kit. It is a workhorse. I was able to put down the whole box of deck screws and took them back out. The really nice feature with the impact driver is the quick change bit holder. The bit simply slips in and locks. When you want to take the bit out you pull back on the retaining ring and the bit pops out. Quick and easy single handed operation.

The Flash Light

Every battery operated tool set comes with a flash light, right. Well this flash light also doubles as an area light. On one side you have a regular LED flash light. Turn the light housing 90 degrees and you have an area light. There’s even a clip that you can use to hang it on a nail or over a 2×4 to work hands free. The charger also has smart. It checks the condition of the battery and lets you know the condition of the battery. If the battery is over heated it will wait until the battery cools down before charging. The charger will also charge any Ridgid 9.6 to 18 volt battery of the same configuration.

All in all this is one great set of tools. In my opinion the  price is worth every penny you pay for it.  I know this set is going to be hanging around my shop for quite some time.