Brush suppliers

I need a brush for the motor in a Rigid-branded shopvac.

It's 250 mils by 318 mils, and about an inch long with braided tail out the end. The holder has the spring so the brush does not need one.

I found one supplier of something close but they had a $35 minimum order charge.

Any suggestions?

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If you can't find the right size, a larger brush with a suitable wire connection can be trimmed. down with a razor saw and sandpaper. They can be cut to size more accurately on a milling machine as long as the cut is into or parallel to the brush edge, it will chip if the cutter exits an edge.

Buy brushes meant for 120V use, battery tool brushes may have different properties.

Have you tried Ebay?

or if you're lucky...

ie: Climb cut around the edges, and if possible use a mill with a 45 degree corner chamfer.

Isthere no authorized service depot for Ridgid tools? The part should be available. Or check a local vacuum shop. Unless it is total CRAP there should be parts available. Around here I'd head to RMW electric or Scheils electric and have them check their stock -definitely want brushes for 120 volt AC motor if at all possible

My Land Rover generator died once when I was 400 miles from home. I had tools, found a place to work on it half an hour before store closing time. Found too-large brushes at Canadian Tire in a bin of loose odd parts that I filed to fit. They worked and lasted the life of the vehicle.

Maybe I'm just lucky. In a Datsun pickup in Maine in a snow storm, engine began to miss badly. Visible cascade of sparks running down over the coil tower. Only service station in town, about to close, didn't have a coil on hand but they let me use a spray can of some kind of electric-resistant lacquer. Scraped the burned track on the tower, sprayed it and made 500 miles home. The truck owner later told me it, too, lasted the life of the vehicle.

Ridgid is a popular brand and there must be parts suppliers for it. Unless it's a long-out-of-production model. Googling Ridgid parts returns lots of sources. Even Amazon has Rigid parts.

Ridgid Power tools is Home Depot. They play all kinds of games with warranty and service. You can't walk in to a Home Depot anywhere and buy parts or drop off a warranty repair. Not even the ones where the repair center is located. I quit buying Ridgid power tools because of this total unadulterated bullshit. I had a brand new out of the box Ridgid router my wife bought for her router table with a stuck switch that was so tight it required a screw driver wedged in the housing to turn it on and off. They jerked me around in just trying to register the tool (has to be registered) for weeks. Their registration system didn't seem to work and my internet security software went into full on battle mode trying to protect my computer from their cookies and scripts. When push came to shove it would cost me nearly as much to jump through the hoops and ship the router to their authorized repair center (insured of course) as to replace the router. I bought my wife a Porter Cable to replace it instead.

I was a contractor, and I bought a lot of Ridgid power tools before that. My first Ridgid power tool was a contractor's table saw that was unbelievably good. A buddy and I did take the time to put it together "right" so I am sure that was part of it, but its been very good. I think that was close to 20 years ago. I bought my wife a Ridgid vertical bandsaw for Christmas one year (she used to make doll houses) and its been excellent. I've had it for atleast 15 years. I've got a few other Ridgid power tools I bought because of those experiences, but no more. The other thing is now often in the stores I see other brands that don't have a "screw you 'trick' lifetime warranty" with larger machines and better features for around the same price. Brands I know I can buy parts for online.

So factory direct repair parts may be difficult, I finally need to redo the fence on my table saw and I won't even ask Home Depot for parts. I'll either follow Jeremey Schmidt's (talented builder/YouTuber) example to build my own or I'll spend real money on something like an Incra.

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Home Depot is working on activation too :(

=== The Home Depot is trying a new approach when it comes to stopping what they say has become a huge problem. Individuals or a team walking into a store, grabbing a stack of power tools, and then head straight out the front of the store. Officials say another method people are using is to ring up a few smaller items in the self checkout lane to mask the crime. The store's corporate security says several criminals will repeat the crime at the same store or other locations.

Home Depot says their new anti-theft strategy is now being used in several stores nationwide to combat the thefts of their most popular power tools. A chip is inserted into power tools of major brands like DeWalt and Milwaukee brand tools, similar to how gift cards need to be scanned and paid for at a store to activate. Once the tools are paid for, the store will use Bluetooth technology to activate the tool.

Company officials believe this will cut down on tool thefts, its just to early to tell just how much. ===

Plus both Milwaukee and Dewalt are adding bluetooth with user tracking, kill and probably more to power tools also:

=== Contractor Tool Tracking System: Milwaukee® ONE-KEY™ onekey.milwaukeetool.com/Tool-Tracking Contractor Tool Tracking System: Milwaukee® ONE-KEY™ One-Key Works for You Get Started—It's Free Digital Inventory Tool Tracking Crew Management Places Management Connected Tools Tool and equipment tracking built for the trades Nothing wreaks havoc on productivity and profits like stolen and misplaced equipment.

Tool Connect™ | Dewalt

Optimize the jobsite with DEWALT® TOOL CONNECT™. With the power to track tools and equipment, you can finish the job on time and on budget. CONSTRUCTION INVENTORY MANAGEMENT Improve productivity with a seamless tracking solution. Get real-time updates from the field, create assignments, and automate reports from one scalable app. ===

You know its about creating a forced tool replacement. I don't care what lie they tell to justify it.

They have watched automakers and cellphone makers get away with this bullshit, and they said, "Hey lets get on board." Deliberately making changes to actively prevent repair (among other things) and then phasing out all repair at the absolute minimum allowed by law (and sometimes not even that long). Be a good little consumer and buy your replacement on schedule or walk.

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Yeah, we still don't have a nationwide right to repair bill :(

"The right to repair refers to proposed government legislation that would allow consumers the ability to repair and modify their own consumer products (e.g. electronic, automotive devices or farm vehicles such as tractors), where otherwise the manufacturer of such products requires the consumer to use only their offered services by restricting access to tools and components, or software barriers put in place to hinder independent repair or modification. These obstacles often lead to higher consumer costs or drive consumers to replace devices instead of repairing them. While the global community is concerned over the continuously growing size of the waste stream (especially electronic components), the primary debate over the right to repair has been centered on the United States and within the European Union..."

... and tractors. When a farmer can't get a 3/4 million dollar combined fixed until after his crop has rotted on the stem there is a problem.