Ridgid 18V 9.0 Amp Hour Bluetooth Battery

Ridgid has just unveiled the latest in their battery technology – and they’re not backing down from the latest innovation. The Ridgid 18V 9.0 amp hour Bluetooth battery and smaller 6.0 amp hour Bluetooth battery pack are set to compete with the likes of Milwaukee and DeWalt. Both maintain Ridgid’s commitment to their 18V platform and will work in any of their 18V lithium-ion tools.

Moving up to 9.0 amp hours is no easy task. It takes a 3P system (3 parallel sets of cells, each one has 5 cells) to make it happen, What’s difficult about that is keeping the middle set of cells from overheating. Ridgid clearly tamed that beast and their new battery is now holding 162 watt hours of lithium-ion energy.

On the other side of the announcement, the new Ridgid 18V 6.0 amp hour Bluetooth battery is also on the loose. The challenge here is to get enough density within each cell to create a 2P pack that can push a full 6.0 amp hours and 108 watt hours of capacity.

Bluetooth Benefits

Adding Bluetooth functions to the battery has some benefits. In its most basic function – as if there’s anything basic about a smart battery – it can communicate battery diagnostics such as charge level, temperature, and overall health.

Like other Bluetooth-enabled tools, it can also advertise its location to the owner and can be locked out – just as long as it’s in range of your device. The obvious downside is that the signal doesn’t come from the tool itself, which can still walk off.

But Wait, There’s More

What’s really exciting is the upcoming line of Ridgid Octane tools to pair these batteries with. Ridgid is claiming that the combination of an Octane battery and Octane tool will give you a 65% performance boost. There are several new tools coming, but here’s a teaser – one of them is a cordless drill with 1300 inch pounds of torque. That’s 100 inch pounds more than Milwaukee’s current class-leader.

Be on the lookout for more information as it becomes available!

The Bottom Line

Ridgid has been on the cutting edge in several cordless tool classes recently and the Ridgid 18V 9.0 amp hour Bluetooth battery gives it the capacity to go after more power hungry tools. Their 18V SDS-Plus Rotary Hammer has quietly been received well so far, is there a brushless SDS-Max in the works?

Time will tell. What we do know is tools like their 18V Brushless Handheld Vac and 18V Brushless Belt Sander will see significantly more runtime with it or the Ridgid 6.0 amp hour Bluetooth battery.

Bluetooth connectivity will likely have its greatest benefits in the communication of battery diagnostics and act as at least a minor security advantage in its ability to locate it when in range. But it’s in the new Ridgid Octane tools that we’ll see how they plan to use the batteries to their fullest advantage. At the end of the day, Ridgid is making it clear that they’re here to compete at a high level and stay true to their aim of meaningful innovation.