Hi all…just a quick note but I just noticed on the box of my 6″ r.o. Ridgid sander that this tool is made in Germany?! Could it be so? Could it explain the hefty price tag? So far I love the sander and it look and feels like a well-made tool. I didn’t realize many tools were ‘not’ made in Japan/China/Taiwan.
Mike
Listeners write in about haunted pipes and building-science tomes, and they ask questions about roof venting and roof leaks.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
Yup, that particular sander is made in Germany. Metabo has been making and selling it under their own name for several years -- in a different color scheme. Metabo has close ties with TTI, the Hong Kong conglomerate which suppplies HD with the Rigid line of tools. It seems that it was less expensive to source this existing tool from Germany than to produce a new model in China, which is where most of the Rigid tools are built.
And actually the HD price is pretty good. It is less than Metabo charges, and much much less than Festool (another German company) charges for their 6" sanders.
Have you used the sander yet? What do you think of it?
Well, this might be the amateur in me but I tried using it to sand down some 2X4's for a workbench I'm building and found it a little awkward to use. I went to my PC 5" orbital palm sander and found it much easier to control on the narrow pieces. The options are nice however I need larger material to try it on.
Mike
NEWS FLASH!!!
6" R.O. Ridgid Sanders Sell Out Across America Due to Sudden Unknown Causes!
Manufacturers state no surplus in inventory due to surprise sudden demand.
"It's the strangest thing." said Ridgid CEO Mr. Iwill Seluonetoo as he scratched his head. "One day they just flew off the shelves across the continent. Same thing happened to our portable saw stands."
"It's just the strangest thing."
Edited 10/29/2004 6:50 pm ET by rez
I bought one this summer after a long consideration and reading the review in FHB. It is an excellent tool. I was a little skeptical about the dual orbit, but it does make a big difference, and makes this toll, or one like it, very useful in my eyes.
The jigsaw which sells under the Rigid name is also a Metabo, and I believe the small grinder they sell is as well. These three are top quality tools.
-KitTechnique is proof of your seriousness. - Wallace Stevens
When Home Depot first began selling the Ridgid line they offered a lifetime warranty .AND as a selling point they ALL said " Made in USA"...dont see that much anuymore...sigh.
I havea hefty investment in DeWalt ...and I have several Bosch tools also...The Bosch sanders are JUNK ...and you can add some 4 letter words to that too...but the other Bosch stuff I have has held up well ...oh yeah...the 12 V coedless drill was crap and their fast charger is a one year wonder ....as in " I wonder why it burned up so fast?"..
Staudman
Don't hear may negative comments on Bosch.............
Interesting
"I will never surrender or retreat. " Col. Wm. B. Travis, The Alamo, Feb. 1835