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. The city's population was 35,552 in 2020. North Ridgeville is the fastest-growing city in northern Ohio. It has been ranked the 13th safest city in the United Sta ...

. In 1943, it relocated to its current location in

Elyria, Ohio Elyria ( ) is a city in the Greater Cleveland metropolitan statistical area and the county seat of Lorain County, Ohio, United States, located at the forks of the Black River in Northeast Ohio 23 miles southwest of Cleveland. As of the 2020 ...

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

Emerson Electric Emerson Electric Co. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Ferguson, Missouri. The ''Fortune'' 500 company manufactures products and provides engineering services for industrial, commercial, and consumer markets.

. Ridgid tools are targeted at the

plumbing Plumbing is any system that conveys fluids for a wide range of applications. Plumbing uses pipes, valves, plumbing fixtures, tanks, and other apparatuses to convey fluids. Heating and cooling (HVAC), waste removal, and potable water delive ...

, pipe fitting,

construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and ...

, 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 wrenches, 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 T ...

. Models having appeared on the calendar include

Raquel Welch Jo Raquel Welch ( Tejada; September 5, 1940) is an American actress. She first won attention for her role in '' Fantastic Voyage'' (1966), after which she won a contract with 20th Century Fox. They lent her contract to the British studio Hamm ...

and Brooke Burke.

Gallery

Image:Ridgid 10" pipe wrench.jpg, A 10" pipe wrench 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. 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 has been repla ...

manufactured by

Western Forge Western Forge was an American manufacturing company. The company manufactured hand tools that were sold under other brands, including private-label brands such as Craftsman and Husky. It was a subsidiary of Ideal Industries. The company was the ...

for Ridgid. Image:Ridgid tubing cutters.jpg, A number of Ridgid

tubing cutter A pipecutter is a type of tool used by plumbers to cut pipe. Besides producing a clean cut, the tool is often a faster, cleaner, and more convenient way of cutting pipe than using a hacksaw, although this depends on the metal of the pipe. The ...

s. Image:Ridgid tubing bender.jpg, A Ridgid tubing bender.

References

External links

* {{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