Ridgid 18V Brushless Impact Driver Review R862311

April 28, 2021

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Ridgid 18V Brushless Impact Driver Takes Over For Octane

The Ridgid 18V Brushless Impact Driver is part of the new generation of brushless tools showing up at The Home Depot. The updated Ridgid brushless hammer drill had a big weight and size reduction, but also a power drop compared to Octane. This time, the trade-off isn’t as significant.

Pros

Smaller and lighter than Octane
Higher torque rating than Octane
Big improvement in our performance testing

Cons

LED lights move away from the chuck to the foot

Wait, Wasn’t Octane Already Brushless?

The Ridgid 18V Brushless Impact Driver name may cause a little confusion. After all, there was a Gen5x brushless impact and the Octane model had a brushless motor as well.

The way this updated generation of tools is named, there are three basic tiers. 18V is a brushed line representing the entry-level tools, 18V Brushless SubCompact gets into the middle range with compact sizing, and 18V Brushless gives you the best performance.

Ridgid 18V Brushless Impact Driver Performance

On paper, the Ridgid R862311 matches Octane’s speed at 2900 RPM. It’s a touch lower in torque with 2300 in-lbs but with a higher impact rate of 4200 IPM.

Octane controlled its speed with three standard modes and three assist modes. The 18V Brushless model goes back to just three standard speeds. One interesting change is that the control is on the back of the foot instead of the front. That actually makes it easier to see what mode you’re in on the fly.

We ran a couple of benchmark tests to see how the Ridgid 18V Brushless Impact Driver compares to Octane in performance. Starting with the PTR Impact Driver Test Track, it was looking to overcome Octane’s 2 minute, 25-second performance and climb up the overall rankings from 12th place.

Here’s what the Test Track entails:

20 x 1 1/2-inch drywall screws in 2×4 stud
10 x 3/4-inch self-tapping screws fastening steel stud to a 2×4 stud
10 x 1/4-inch twist bit in 2×4 stud
10 x 1/4-inch x 3 -inch ledger screws fastening two 3/4-inch OSB subfloor layers to a 2×4 stud

Not only did it improve by 25 seconds, but it also finished in 2 minutes flat to climb all the way to third place right behind Flex and Makita.

We ran our GRK Fasteners RSS speed test as well. For this one, we find out the average time it takes an impact driver to drive an 8-inch RSS screw flush into stacked OSB subfloor.

Octane averaged 9.74 seconds and the 18V Brushless needed just 7.04 seconds, beating Octane by an impressive 28%.

Ridgid 18V Brushless Impact Driver Design Notes

Size and Weight

Octane earned a reputation for being strong at the expense of a bulkier heavier design. This updated model improves both areas. Bare, the tool weighs 2.3 pounds—about a 1/4-pound less. With a 2.0Ah Max Output battery, that weight increases to 3.2 pounds and it’s 3.8 pounds with a 4.0Ah Max Output pack.

It’s also shorter, measuring 5.4 inches from front to back and coming in almost 1/2 an inch more compact than Octane.

LED Light

Unfortunately, this design shifts away from Octane’s three LEDs around the collet and puts the light back on the foot. Don’t get me wrong—it’s effective there. We just really like that tri-beam LED design a lot.

Additional Features

Hex Grip overmold
One-hand bit insertion and spring bit ejection
Reversible belt hook

Ridgid 18V Brushless Impact Driver Vs Octane Compared

	Octane R86039	18V Brushless R862311
Max Speed	2900 RPM	2900 RPM
Max Torque	2400 in-lbs	2300 in-lbs
Impact Rate	3900 IPM	4200 IPM
Length	5.8 inches	5.4 inches
Bare Weight	2.6 lbs	2.3 lbs
Test Track Time	2:25	2:00
GRK RSS Screw Time	9.74 sec	7.04 sec

Ridgid 18V Brushless Impact Driver Price

You can pick up the Ridgid R862311 as a bare tool for $129 at The Home Depot. The Ridgid 2-tool brushless combo kit includes the hammer drill and impact driver, plus a pair of 2.0Ah Max Output batteries and charger for $179.

The Bottom Line

If the design team’s goal was to make the Ridgid 18V Brushless Impact Driver, faster, lighter, and more compact than Octane, they succeeded in a big way! Even more, our results show Ridgid moving up in the performance rankings and overtaking some big names along the way.