At the rate I work, that would last me quite a while. Ridgid claims you can shoot up to 1,200 trim nails per battery charge. For me, the trade-off is well worth it given the excellent portability. This is simply a function of the tiny tank. I generally got 8 to 10 staples shot before the motor had to run again. While framing nails kick this unit’s butt, shooting 1.5” crown staples into oak was not a problem. I didn’t feel compelled to wear ear protection, even in the same room as the tool. While most compressors kick on with the subtlety of a thermonuclear blast, the Ridgid 18 volt air compressor was reasonably well-behaved in the noise generation department. Evil water, COME OUT!Īnother item in the “plus” column is the relatively quiet operation of the compressor motor. Even with the 2 batteries installed the compressor is light enough to move easily. Because of its extreme portability it is super convenient to drag this tool with you pretty much anywhere you need to go. I’ve used the Ridgid 18 volt Air compressor often to top off a leaky tire on the family car, to remove water from the chain on my freshly-bathed mountain bike (lubing a wet chain being a Cardinal sin in my religious sect), running a crown stapler in oak, and blowing tools clean after usage. I found lots of uses for this baby ever since it arrived. Tire Top-off What Is The Ridgid Cordless Compressor Good For? So the little powerhouse actually kind of saved the day by keeping us on track with the installation of a large, multi-tiered shelving unit. It also kept the work flowing for several employees who otherwise would have had to find something else to do or simply shut down for several hours (new electrical service was being installed by the power company). It shocked me that the Ridgid 18 volt air compressor was that tenacious, to be honest. The first nail pretty much always kicked on the compressor, and it ran nearly continuously for the duration of the “test.” We got about 120 nails driven before battery failure. It did kick up the reality quotient on the test however. It didn’t help that the air hose was leaking (don’t most of them?). Actually a power supply interruption on a remodel job caused me to investigate its usefulness in shooting 16d nails. That didn’t stop me from using it that way, of course. With only a 1-gallon tank, the Ridgid Cordless Compressor is not made for powering a framing nailer. If you’re in the market for a small air compressor, you will want to hear more! Let’s Get Realistic This review will discuss the strong and not-so-strong points of this little “cutie” in some detail.
This pint-sized Ridgid Cordless Compressor is an awesome unit in many respects, though it has some limitations. It has proven to be a valuable addition to the tool stable. It’s so cute I like to call it the cute brute! Ridgid sent us one of the latest innovations, the Ridgid 18 Volt Brushless Air Compressor, and I spent about a month using it so far.