we've been having a lot of fun testing different tools on our test track series
the number one request we've had from you is to run the ridgid octane hammer
drill against the cobalt xtr and we've got them both warmed up and ready to go
both of these hammer drills are in a class that we call advanced cordless tools they use upgraded
electronics brushless motors and battery packs to reliably deliver more power than standard 18
volt packs ridgid introduced the octane line first pairing an 18 volt octane battery with
an octane tool gets you the best results it's a similar story for cobalt's xtr line their ultimate
output battery is the key power source to get the most out of an xtr tool for both brands both the
batteries and the tools are backwards compatible and interchangeable standard tools get a bump
in performance from the advanced battery and the advanced tools can still run on standard batteries
but it's going to cost you some performance the major fundamental difference is that ridgid uses
a typical 5 cell 18 volt system while cobalt's 24 volt max system runs on a 6 cell design side by
side there are also some significant physical differences ridge's design is three quarters
of an inch longer than cobalt and weighs nine ounces more without the batteries ridgid's octane
batteries are also a bit larger and heavier which adds a little bit more weight as well before we
jump into our performance testing let me just take a quick second and say thank you for clicking on
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check out our impact driver strength challenge on paper these two hammer drills are pretty
closely matched but it looks like ridgid has the advantage cobalt gears its speed to 550 rpm and
low and 2000 rpm in high and then pairs it with 32 000 bpm hammer rate and 1200 inch pounds of torque
rigid speeds are very similar 540 rpm in low and 2000 in high it has a slightly lower 31 500 bpm
hammer rate but more torque with 1300 inch pounds of course the reason we love these time trials is
that it lets us see how those specs translate into real world work if this is your first time seeing
our drill test track here's what it entails it's a series of applications designed to test each
tool's ability to work the quicker the better for drills we start with drywaller's gambit
a section of 20 drywall screws in the easiest part of the course from there a half inch twist
bit introduces vdv in what we call low voltage pull increasing the load and inviting electricians
to the party emt bend shifts to a three quarter inch spade bit then we get the plumbers involved
as the course turns to a three three-quarter inch auger bit and pecks pass through with inside of
the finish there's the hardest part of the course deadbolt and lock set this two-step section starts
with a one-inch hole saw and finishes with a two and an eighth inch hole saw along the way we
have to make five bit changes testing one of the drill's most common adjustments gear changes are
also necessary even though tom gets some practice time so he knows what to expect from each drill
it's still on him to make the adjustments drive and drill as smoothly as possible to give each
competitor its best time drywall screws are hardly a challenge for a drill like rigids but the size
may be hurting the control just a touch compared to smaller drills it's treating that half inch
twist bit like a hot knife through butter and there's no downshifting over to the spade bed
still running smoothly with the auger before making the change the first hole saw and making
very quick work of that the only question now is whether ridgid can complete the entire course in
high speed and yes it's done it that's going to be an excellent time cobalt smaller size seems
to be helping tom manage those drywall screws a little better and they're no surprises as it
sprints through the twist bit section looking a touch faster here with the spade bit and as
it goes through with the auger bit this seems like it's giving ridgid a good run for its money
maybe just a touch slower with the first hole saw and now holding out in high speed with the
second and it's through ridgid finished its run with a near textbook example of how we expect
heavy duty drills to respond and it finished with a very respectable 2 minutes 41 seconds
cobalt didn't blow ridgid out of the water in any particular section but it completed all of the
tests just a few seconds faster and thanks to that steady pace it finished in two minutes 15 seconds
more importantly it takes over the first place position from dewalt
for both of these drills to stay in high speed for the entire course well we're impressed it
seems like the gap between these high value brands and premium models is shrinking
if you're looking for a budget friendly hammer drill that still offers high performance neither
one of these is going to disappoint you now that said cobalt does have the advantage thanks to its
more compact design and higher performance in our series of tests so what do you think
cobalt xtr or ridgid octane let us know in the comments below and as always
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