New Brushless Ridgid 18V Compact Hammer Drill & Impact Driver & 5.0 Battery

Earlier this year when Ridgid introduced their new GenX5 18V line, users assumed these would be Ridgid’s entry into cordless brushless power tools. Although the new cordless 18V power tools were impressive, they still ran on brushed motors. Then a little while later Ridgid released their first set of brushless 18V power tools the with their HyperDrive brushless nailers that offered impressive runtimes for cordless nailers. Now Ridgid is pushing brushless technology onto a new compact hammer drill and a new impact driver. This is great because Ridgid users can now have a brushless hammer drill and 3 speed impact driver for increased runtime and tool life. Ridgid claims you can get up to 50% more runtime with the new brushless GenX5 motors, I’m assuming compared with their own GenX5 brushed motors.

Besides the brushless motors, I’m sure the power ratings for each tool will also turn heads as the compact hammer drill is claimed to have 700 in-lbs torque and the impact driver is rated to have an unbelievable  2,250 in-lbs of torque with 3 speeds. The 3 speeds will let users dial down the power to suit the task at hand, full power (high), control (medium), and precision (low). 700 in-lbs is very high for a “compact” drill, it’s power rating is more in line with larger bulkier high performance 18V drills. This is coming from a drill with a very short length of only 7-1/2 inches and only 3.75 lbs weight. Because of the power rating, Ridgid opted to include a side handle to “restrain” the extra torque when operating. The impact driver has even more torque than the brushed GenX5 impact driver which at the time was king of the hill with rated torque numbers for an 18V 1/4″ impact driver. The new and improved impressive torque numbers bring it right there into 18V compact impact WRENCH territory. Compact 18V impact wrenches always squeeze out a few hundred more in-lbs of torque but this hex impact driver is right there with them and also has a very compact form factor of 5-3/4 inches in length with an anorexic 2.5 lbs weight. Most impact drivers are light when paired with compact batteries but this Ridgid impact driver might be the lightest at the moment. The lighter the tool the better making it more comfortable to hold during long work shifts and wont exhaust users as quickly as heavier tools, especially when working overhead. It’s impressive to see a compact size and extremely low weight on an impact driver while still keeping power at a maximum.

They both feature the grip light that was introduced with the first GenX5 power tools in which they have an additional button located on the handle grip and is naturally pressed when the tool is held in your hand. This turns on the LED light while the tool is held. The impact driver has triple LED’s surrounding the hex chuck for shadow free illumination, while Ridgid ditched the 3 ring LED light ring from the original GenX5 hammer drill and instead opted for a more traditional single LED at the base of the handle right above the battery compartment for the compact hammer drill. The hammer drill also has what Ridgid calls a “micro clutch” which is a clutch with over 100 torque settings and lets you dial down the torque with pinpoint accuracy. I’m sure woodworkers and those casually installing drywall will appreciate the added clutch settings when driving screws. It wont replace a drywall gun but the added clutch settings should help greatly if a traditional drill such as this one is used for installing drywall. I really like where Ridgid is headed with impressive power in such compact power tools. Seems like they’re milking as much as they can out of brushless technology.
Also new to the Ridgid 18V lineup is the addition of new higher capacity 5.0 ah batteries. These will help your cordless power tools run longer than ever before with around 25% increase in runtime compared to 4.0 ah batteries. These new batteries offer triple protection from overheating, overloading and overcharging. According to Ridgid their chemistry allows for maximum performance in temperatures as low as -4° and up to 120°F. Also interesting to note is that the new 5ah batteries also include a makeover with a new outer design housing. The new design is a bit tank-like which I think makes them look a bit “tougher”.

The new 5ah ( AC840089 ) battery is coming out late October 2015 with a sticker price of $119. The new brushless compact hammer drill will come out as a kit ( R86116K ) that includes two 2.0 ah batteries, charger, and bag for $179 and will be available in November 2015. The brushless 3 speed impact driver wont come out by itself but comes in a combo kit ( R9205 ) with the brushless compact hammer drill and two 4.0 ah batteries, charger, and bag for $279 and it will be available in November 2015.

Specifications:

Hammer Drill/Driver R86116

• Volts: 18
• Torque: 700 in-lbs.
• No Load Speeds: 0-550/0-2,100 RPM
• 0-7,150/0-27,300 BPM
• Chuck Capacity: ½”
• Length 7-1/2″
• Weight 3.75 lbs
• Mode Selector – Quickly transition between driving, drilling or hammer modes without changing the micro-clutch setting.
• Micro Clutch – Premium clutch design allows pin-point accuracy with over 100 torque settings
• Grip Light – Engages light independently of trigger to illuminate work space
• Hex Grip™ – Enhanced micro-texture for secure grip and maximum user comfort

3-Speed Impact Driver R86037

• Volts: 18V
• Coupler ¼” Hex Shank
• Torque: 2,250
• High Speed 0-2750 RPM / 2250 in-lbs.
• Medium Speed 0-2100 RPM / 1100 in-lbs.
• Low Speed 0-1100 RPM / 500 in-lbs.
• Length 5-3/4″
• Weight 2.5 lbs
• Tri-Beam LED – Three LED lights around the front housing to eliminate shadows
• One Handed Quick-Load Bit Holder – Makes bit changes quicker and easier with a snap load collet and simple ejecting bit release which accepts bits as small as 1 inch
• Grip Light – Engages light independently of trigger to illuminate work space
• Hex Grip™ – Enhanced micro-texture for secure grip and maximum user comfort