The Ridgid R86014 Drill/Driver features 18 Volt Lithium-Ion batteries and an AutoShift transmission. The automatic gear transmission provides for faster drilling and driving without having to change gears manually. A new variable-speed motor gives you complete control over what you can do with this drill. What’s more, the lithium-ion batteries reform this tool into something new, stronger, and better than its NiCd battery predecessors.
Editorial Note: Check out the Ridgid Gen5X 18V Cordless Power Tools
Build Quality
The Drill/Driver features a die-cast metal gear box for durability with the rest of the exterior drill body made of orange colored plastic. The grips are made of over molded grey rubber that provides a sure grip, even with sweaty hands. The 1/2″ diameter single sleeve keyless chuck is a Jacobs 500 Series – a nice chuck but not as heavy duty as an all-metal model like you’ll find on some hammer drills. Compared to other cordless drills, it has a good feel and provided positive locking on all bits we tried. Fitted into the bottom of the handle, above the battery are two LED lights for illumination of the work space. The LED work lights built into the handle are a very handy feature when working in a dark place like a crawlspace or an attic. The light is directed right at the point where your bit is making contact with your work piece.
Ergonomics and Use
Ridgid’s R86014 Drill/Driver came with a heavy duty nylon contractor’s bag, 2 lithium-ion battery packs, and a charger, bit and users manual. The drill feels nice in the hand with pretty good balance. With the new light-weight lithium-ion batteries, this drill can feel a little top heavy depending on what position you are using the drill in. To give an example of the difference in battery weights, the DeWalt 18 volt XRP Ni-Cd battery weighs 2 lbs 6 oz. Now the new 18 volt lithium-ion Rigid batteries weigh just over 1 lb and are about half the size. The result is a new balance for the cordless drill to which you’ll simply have to get acclimated.
The over molded rubber grips are great and make it feel very secure in the hand. The trigger is very heavy feeling when you squeeze it. The trigger has to be squeezed to nearly the 1/2 position before the motor starts to turn, which makes the range of variable speed happen in a pretty short area of the trigger pull. The transmission forward and reverse switch is in the usual position above the trigger. There is a switch on the top of the drill that controls how the drill functions with the transmission speed, the settings are either “high” or “auto shift.” Behind the chuck is the adjusting collar that gives the user the ability to manually change the drill clutch settings. The maximum torque developed with the drill is 450 in-lb which, in my opinion, makes this drill a very good fastener driver.
In the Field
We used the Ridgid R86014 drill to hang a bunch of cement board in a master bath. Alternating between this drill and an 18V Makita drill we quickly discovered that the Ridgid offered a ton more torque and higher drilling speed. The automatic speed system engaged smoothly and did an excellent job of driving even the toughest screws into 2×4 walls and even the dense plywood decking for the floor. Overall, we were up and running with very little in the way of hiccups – the drill accepted screws quickly and the weight of the unit was helpful in driving the screws vertically into the floor. We never felt as if the tool was off-balance. To the contrary, it felt good in the hands and made short work of our rather intensive job.
Conclusion
The Ridgid R86014 Drill/Driver is a great combination of quality and features. From its very solid construction to the automatic transmission, this drill is a sure performer. It’s speed and torque are excellent and driving in screws is both quick and sure, with minimal slipping. The only draw back on this drill is that the overall length of the drill body is pretty long and is more on par with many cordless hammer drills. If you are looking to get this in a tight space, it could pose a slight challenge.
