The Ridge Tool Company is an American manufacturing company that makes and distributes tools under the Ridgid brand name. The company was founded in 1923 in

North Ridgeville, Ohio North Ridgeville is a city located along the eastern border of Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The city's population was 35,280 as of the 2020 census. A part of the Cleveland metropolitan area, North Ridgeville is the fastest-growing city i ...

. In 1943, it relocated to its current location in

Elyria, Ohio Elyria ( ) is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the forks of the Black River (Ohio), Black River in Northeast Ohio, southwest of Cleveland. The population was 52,656 at the 2020 United States cens ...

, and in 1966, it became a wholly owned subsidiary of

Emerson Electric Emerson Electric Co. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. The Fortune 500 company delivers a range of engineering services, manufactures industrial automation equipment, climate control systems, and p ...

. Ridgid tools are targeted at the

plumbing Plumbing is any system that conveys fluids for a wide range of applications. Plumbing uses piping, pipes, valves, piping and plumbing fitting, plumbing fixtures, Storage tank, tanks, and other apparatuses to convey fluids. HVAC, Heating and co ...

, pipe fitting,

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

, and

HVAC Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC ) is the use of various technologies to control the temperature, humidity, and purity of the air in an enclosed space. Its goal is to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality. ...

trades. The brand is best known for its distinctive red

pipe wrench A pipe wrench is any of several types of wrench that are designed to turn threaded pipe and pipe fittings for assembly (tightening) or disassembly (loosening). The Stillson wrench, or Stillson-pattern wrench, is the usual form of pipe wrench, e ...

es, but the company manufactures over 300 different types of tools. The company also sells power tools, largely made by TTI, and wet/dry vacs, made by parent company Emerson. Ridgid produced a pinup calendar from 1935 until 2016. Early renditions featured the work of American pin-up artist

George Petty George Brown Petty IV (April 27, 1894 – July 21, 1975) was an American pin-up artist. His pin-up art appeared primarily in ''Esquire'' and Fawcett Publications's ''True'' but was also in calendars marketed by ''Esquire'', ''True'' and Ridgid ...

. Models having appeared on the calendar include

Raquel Welch Jo Raquel Welch (; September 5, 1940 – February 15, 2023) was an American actress. Welch first gained attention for her role in ''Fantastic Voyage'' (1966), after which she signed a long-term contract with 20th Century Fox. They lent her con ...

and

Brooke Burke Brooke Lisa Burke (born September 8, 1971) is an American television and fitness personality, model, author, actress, and businesswoman. She is known for hosting the E! Network travel show '' Wild On!'' (1999–2002), CBS's ''Rock Star'' (2 ...

Gallery

Image:Ridgid 10" pipe wrench.jpg, A 10"

manufactured by Ridgid. Image:Ridgid 6-in-1 screwdriver.jpg, A 6-in-1

screwdriver A screwdriver is a tool, manual or powered, used for turning screws. Description A typical simple screwdriver has a handle and a shaft, ending in a tip the user puts into the screw head before turning the handle. This form of the screwdriver ...

manufactured by Western Forge for Ridgid. Image:Ridgid tubing cutters.jpg, A number of Ridgid tubing cutters. Image:Ridgid tubing bender.jpg, A Ridgid tubing bender.

References

External links

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“Little Known Facts About a Well-Known Product: Ridgid” (1945)
Historic film sponsored by the Ridge Tool Company and produced by Cinécraft Productions, Inc. {{Power tool manufacturers Tool manufacturing companies of the United States Power tool manufacturers Plumbing materials companies Manufacturing companies established in 1923 1923 establishments in Ohio Manufacturing companies based in Ohio Elyria, Ohio