Porter-Cable & Ridgid both are renowned tool makers in the U.S. market for a long time. Those companies offer varieties of power tools, and quality, durability, the effectiveness of those tools is best of the class.
But which one is better? If you are looking for the best tools between two brands, you have to compare many aspects between those two tool makers.
If I have to choose only one of them, which one should it be?
Here in this article, we will compare Porter Cable vs Ridgid to find out which brand satisfies our needs. We did some quality research & it will save you time & money when choosing products between those two brands.
Let’s Check out an in-depth comparison!
● Porter-Cable
Porter-Cable tool company was founded in 1906 & it started in Syracuse, New York. The founders were G.G. Porter, R.E. Porter & F.E. Cable, and those three founders’ surnames named the company. Later they relocated the headquarters to Jackson, Tennessee.
Power tools, accessories & mechanical tools are this brand’s specialty. They introduced into the market the portable band saw, portable belt sander & helical drive circular saw.
Pentair Tools Group owned a large portion of Porter-Cable’s existence. Later, World’s largest toolmaker group Stanley Black & Decker purchased Porter-Cable’s significant part in 2004.
Nowadays, This brand generates roughly 100 million dollars of annual revenue & employs around 3000 persons in the neighborhood.
● Ridgid
This brand started its journey in 1923 in Ridgeville, Ohio. Later in 1943, Ridgid transferred its headquarters to Elyria, Ohio.
In 1966, Emerson Electric entirely purchased Ridgid Brand of tools alongside Tool company & this major tool maker company still the owner of Ridgid Brand today.
In the first half of the 20th century, Ridgid invented the first modern pipe wrenches & some other heavy-duty plumbing tools like pipe cutters & pliers. They produce a variety of construction tools & many other heavy-duty tools for the HVAC trade.
They offer 300+ power tools for consumers.
Nowadays, This brand generates around 400 million dollars of annual revenue & employs approximately 1500 persons.
Differences (Porter Cable vs Ridgid)
● Porter-Cable vs Ridgid: Variety of Products
Ridgid provides 18V 30 types of products, including nailers, dry & wet vacuums, grinders, circular saws, ridgid worm drive saw, rotary hammers, impact drives, fans & radios, blowers.
Porter-Cable offers 20V 14 types of products, including cordless random orbital sander, corded circular saw, impact drivers, jigsaws, hammer drills, chop saws & other collections.
In short, both Porter Cable & Ridgid offer a variety of products.
In case you are searching for plumbing tools, then Ridgid is the brand to go with. Ridgid has a fine collection of electronic tools.
When you search for reliable daily use tools, then Porter-Cable you can depend on even if their collection is lower than Ridgid.
Winner –Ridgid owns more varieties in the collection.
● Quality of Tools
Porter-Cable manufactures its tools in the USA & Germany. Also, the majority of their products are now manufactured in China. Although a majority of their products are from China, still the quality of tools seems pretty decent.
Those tools are functional, lightweight & comfortable to use. Their product quality is above average & some of those tools don’t seem long-lasting & durable.
Porter-Cable products are ideal for lightweight works, repair jobs & small DIY tasks. They aren’t suitable for a worksite where fast paced jobs are done. Lowe’s Home Improvement stores are the exclusive seller of Porter-Cable tools, both Online & In-Store.
On the other hand, most of the Ridgid tools are manufactured in China under Emerson Electronics’ name. The advantage of Ridgid tools is they are high quality, durable & rugged, also long-lasting. In general, these tools are not much lightweight but well rigid.
These tools rock at workplaces, especially daily use for professionals. Because of their uncompromising build quality, accidentally dropping several times wouldn’t impact those tools.
As Ridgid power tools are manufactured in China, they come at a reasonable price & offer pretty decent quality tools.
Winner – Again, Ridgid tools produce better quality tools than Porter-Cable.
● Warranty of Tools
Porter-Cable gives One Year limited Warranty the most of its products. There are exceptional Three Years limited warranty available too on some of the tools. Porter-Cable warranty period is much more limited in scope.
On the other hand, Ridgid offers a lifetime warranty on some of its tools with a Lifetime Service Agreement. This limited agreement includes free servicing, battery replacement & parts, etc. This brand offers a Three-Year warranty on their other tools that don’t have a lifetime service agreement.
Winner – Ridgid offers a better warranty period than Porter-Cable on some tools.
● Impact Drivers, Sanders & Drills Collection
Porter-Cable currently has four available models of impact drivers on their website for purchase. In contrast, Ridgid has only one available model to purchase.
In terms of Drills, Porter-Cable lists Four Cordless drills & Two Corded models on their website. And Ridgid offers One Cordless & Two Corded models listed to purchase.
In terms of Sanders, Porter-Cable offers a total of Eleven Sanders to purchase listed on their website. In comparison, Ridgid has a capacity of Nine Sanders available to buy.
Winner – Porter-Cable has a better collection in comparison to Ridgid tools, especially general-use drills.
● Weight of Power Tools
Ridgid Power tools are pretty heavy. Tools in this category of compact ones weigh around 11 lbs. These tools are pretty sturdy.
Meanwhile, Porter-Cable power tools are lighter in terms of weight. These power tools weigh around 5.75 pounds. The power tool weighs approximately 14.19 pounds.
Winner – It clearly shows that Porter-Cable tools are easy to manipulate.
● Porter-Cable vs RIDGID Air Compressor
Porter-Cable Air compressor is one of the most durable air compressors in the market today. With 1 gallon of air capacity, this compressor can quickly pressure up to 125 PSI.
This compressor’s advantage is its casing is tough & durable, easy to start with fast recovery in just 2 minutes. With 5 gallons of tank capacity & oil-free operation, this compressor is easy to maintain, but it’s pretty heavy too.
Meanwhile, Ridgid electric pancake compressor is lightweight, easy portability, solidly built quality & better hose connections, give an impressive edge over other compressors out there.
A sizable 6-gallon tank capacity with a maximum of 150 PSI reduces cycle frequency & gives an advantage for the most challenging applications. A disadvantage of this compressor is it’s pretty loud & not ideal for outdoor usage.
Winner – Overall, Porter-Cable is a sure winner based on different aspects of the air compressor.
Similarities (Porter Cable vs Ridgid)
● Price
Both Porter-Cable tools & Ridgid tools offer affordable prices in their tool selection. Nailer, Corded, Cordless Drills, sanders, compressors & other tools provide budget-friendly prices.
● Safety
The second similarities between those two brands are a safety feature. In daily usage, both of those tools companies ensure the safety of the user.
● User-Friendly
Every tool of these companies comes with a user manual & easy to operate. There is no complaint about tough to use or tiring for long time usage.
Overall Winner between Porter Cable vs Ridgid
The main difference between those tool companies is their product selection. As both brands offer a variety of valuable tools, overall winner selection is not possible.
To simply put, if you need plumbing tools or electrician tools, go for the Ridgid brand. Ridgid is the winner in this category over Porter-Cable.
But when you need power tools, Porter-Cable offering is much better than Ridgid, making Porter-Cable the Winner here.
Frequently Asked Question’s (F.A.Q’s)
● Is Ridgid better than Porter Cable?
Ans – Ridgid is better than porter cable in cable kit. But Brushless tools of Porter-Cable are far better than Ridgid’s one.
You might also be interested: Makita vs Ridgid , Ryobi vs Porter Cable ,
● Is Porter Cable a good brand?
Ans – Porter-Cable offers an affordable price, decently built quality & owned by Stanley. Porter-Cable is indeed a good brand but not the best in the industry.
● Does Home Depot own Ridgid?
Ans – Home Depot develops, produces & sells the Ridgid power tools exclusively. But other plumbing & hand tools are not owned by Home Depot.
● Is Porter Cable Made in the USA?
Ans – Porter-Cable started manufacturing in Jackson, Tennessee. But now most of their tools are manufactured in China & some tools in Mexico.
Wrap up conclusion
After reading the article, you got the idea of which brand you should go with based on your requirements.
Both Porter-Cable & Ridgid are well-known & established fine brands you can rely on. They win in terms of reliability, functionality & affordability.
We hope our article on Porter Cable vs Ridgid gave you an excellent insight into letting the tool selection factor affect your need. Just don’t sweat too much & choose any one of them based on our experience shared here in this article.
Good luck with doing household chores!
