Ridgid router - what a difference vs Triton

[twistsol]

I'm adding a router table to my table saw so I can use my Incra TS/LS with the Incra joinery package. I needed a new router for it and discovered that Triton routers are difficult to obtain so I went with the Ridgid R29303 combo set fixed and plunge base 2HP router. I chose it because it has above the table adjustment built in and the lifetime service agreement.

Here is what I have found so far.

• The motor wouldn't come out of the plunge base. I eventually got it out but there were multiple burrs on the machining of the base that caused it to stick. I filed those down and it is workable, but that base will sit on a shelf since the router will be in a table.
• If you attach the dust port to it, the tool to adjust height from above the table can't reach the adjustment nut because the mounting screw for the port is in the way. I had planned to use it with just the port until I can add an enclosure, now I need to up the priority of the dust enclosure.
• The spring that held the motor into the fixed base was so weak that as soon as you turned the height adjustment screw counterclockwise, the motor would drop out of the base. Replaced the spring with a much more robust one from a clothes pin.
• The one handle screw on the fixed base was loose and the screw cover seemed to be glued in. The other handle's screw cover was missing. I removed both handles to mount the base in the router table since the router wouldn't fit through the base plate hole with the handles on it..

I think the one I received was manufactured at 4:59 on a Friday before a long weekend or Ridgid's quality control is non existent.

This one is totally my fault, but I also failed to take into account I'll need to modify my home built outfeed table to accommodate the TS/LS positioner.

[Black walnut]

That sounds like a huge double disappointment Chr's.

[LCHIEN]

Triton's gone, apparently for good. THough the name has been sold.

Bosch routers have been my go to. Not been disappointed but its been 20 years or so since I bought mine.
I have a 1617 (single speed) with an external speed controller in my router table and a 1617 EVS for handheld use with both bases.

the only disappointing thing was I tried to use the 1617 with the fixed base or RA1165 table base (the RA1165 is just the fixed base with the wood handles removed. I mean it has two naked sockets where the handles would have gone). It allows adjustment of the fine position screw from above the table if your plate has a matching hole for the allen wrench. What I didn't like was that you had to reach below the table to unlock the motor, adjust the height, then remember to relock the motor. It was easy to forget to relock it and if you forgot the height could change while routing. If you did lock the motor, then that changed the height by a few thousandths, enough to annoy me and have to reposition the height again.

I eventually solved this with the Jessem Rout-R-lift - it has a more substantial allen wrench adjustment and best of all, does not require locking and unlocking the motor to adjust. SOmetimes I make a tiny adjustment while the motor is still running.

That said, once you have put a router motor in a router lift, most of the advantages of the router and its bases are gone.
For example the things I like about the Bosch 1617 are

1. height adjustment is vertical with no rotation/twist
2. Handsome wood handles
3. Fine and coarse height adjustments
4. smooth operating fixed and plunge bases
5. quick connect bayonet templet guides (accessory)
6. "standardized 3-hole mounting pattern"

are all lost once you put it in a table router lift. Its really just a motor. Only the collet remains.

[dbhost]

For me I have yet to have a bad power tool from Hitachi / Metabo HPT. LOVE my Hitach Routers, and Sliding Miter Saw.

Rigid USED to be top notch stuff, or at least second to top shelf... My EB4424 sander has been an absolute workhorse for many years now.

I know a LOT of changes have happend over the years with ownership and producion facilities, hoping your experience with Rigid was a fluke...

I am actually pretty shocked by how smooth my Bauer trim router from Harbor Freight works... MUCH better fit and finish than I would expect from them... Would be sad to see Harbor Freight tools outdoing Rigid...

[LCHIEN]

Frankly I see HF tool brands attempting to upgrade their image (and also their prices, as well). HF has more than a hundred brand names and they are using low tier names such as Chicago Electric, central machinery, pittsburgh for low tier tools and using names like Bauer, Icon, Quinn for upper tier tools with better fit and finish to command higher prices. These are trademarks owned by HF, according to HF website.


Admiral
Ames Instruments
Apache
Armstrong
Atlas
Avanti
Badland
Banks
Bauer
Baxter
Berger
Braun
Bremen
Bunker Hill Security
Cen-Tech
Central Forge
Central Hydraulics
Central Machinery
Central Pneumatic
Chicago Electric
Chief
Cobra
CoverPro
Creekstone
Daytona
Diamondback
Doyle
Drill Master
Drummond
Earthquake
FastenPro
FastenStrong
Fischer
Fortress
Franklin
Gordon
Grant’s
Greenwood
Hardy
Haul-Master
Hercules
Holt Industries
Hydrostar
ICON
Jupiter
Kenway
Laguna
Luminar
Maddox
McGraw
Merlin
Olsen
One Stop Gardens
Pierce
Pittsburgh
Portland
Predator
Quantum
Quinn
Roadshock
Schneider
Smith + Jones
Spectrum
StikTek
Storehouse
Thunderbolt
Titanium
U.S. General
Union Safe Company
Vanguard
Viking
Voyager
Vulcan
Warrior
Western Safety
Windsor Design
Yukon
Zurich

[LCHIEN]

OTOH, Ridgid has a Lifetime service Agreement, for registered tools Apparently it has a 3 year warranty that is extended lifetime if you register it within 90 days of purchase. It seems to include normal wear items like rechargeable batteries, brushes, gears, switches and chucks

What is Covered? (applies to the 3-Year Limited Warranty, the Lifetime Service Agreement, and the Recon Limited Warranty)

The 3 Year Limited Warranty, The Recon Limited Warranty and the Lifetime Service Agreement covers all worn parts in properly maintained tools. This includes normal wear items such as brushes, chucks, motors, switches, gears and even cordless batteries in your qualifying RIDGIDŽ Brand hand held and select stationary power tools. These programs also cover replacement rings, driver blades and bumpers on RIDGIDŽ Brand pneumatic tools. This service coverage does not apply to other ineligible RIDGIDŽ Brand products.

[twistsol]

After Festool, Ridgid is my go to brand for tools for exactly that reason. This is the first time I've ever had an issue with a new Ridgid tool. They've replaced some of the batteries for my drills over the years (I have 4 drills one of which is a hammer drill), replaced the switch on my 5" sander twice, and repaired the height adjustment on my wet tile saw. The service isn't the fastest, so it would be a pain if I were a professional and depended on the tools, but for me, being without one for a couple of weeks or a month isn't an issue.