Ridgid expands there gen5x line with the all new 1/2" cordless, brushless impact wrench.

It's been a while since we seen anything new from Ridgid in the impact wrench department, but that all changed this month with the release of Ridgid' s new gen5x brushless, cordless 1/2" impact wrench.

Though Ridgid already had a 1/2" impact gun from their gen4x line, this one is brushless, and also gave us a few more upgrades.

The biggest update to this gun was already mentioned.... it's brushless. This means that we should get a much longer life out of this than the previous gen4x model.

The LED pinky switch button is also really cool. The three lights can be activated by one of two ways. The first is by compressing

the trigger, and the other is by a seperate button positioned lower on the handle. The lights are actually very bright and will light up the work area rather well for around 5 seconds at a time.

The new Gexx5 also comes with one of the coolest features that we have seen on an impact gun, the auto feature. There are four different modes on this gun that allow you

to choose between max torque or a more controlled setting. One of the four settings is the auto mode which is marked with a big (A). When you place it in auto mode, the wrench shuts its self off once the bold/lug nut is tightened to the appropriate tightness. Even when you hold down the trigger, the gun will refuse to tighten any further, thus preventing you from over tightening, stripping or busting your hardware.

As for the other modes, here are the RPM specifications:
(A) 0 - 2,100 RPM
(1) 0 - 1,300 RPM
(2) 0 - 1,900 RPM
(3) 0 - 2,600 RPM
(IPM) 0 - 3,500
Max torque 450 ft. Lbs

Not bad if you ask us, and yes this does come with 450 lbs of torque instead of the 400 that was assumed by other before this came to market.

As for build, the impact wrench weighs in at almost 4lns without the battery installed, but most of this weight comes from the metal anvil and some parts of the casing. Most of this tool is made of Ridgids well known Polly rubber costing that they have on all of their other tools.

The textured grip deffinetly helps prevent you hands from slipping while using it, especially if your hands are wet.

It's also very ergonomically correct, and the trigger is placed perfectly so you can squeeze, squeeze squeeze without any discomfort in your finger.

The only negative that we found with this gun was that it is a bit top heavy if only using a smaller 2.0 battery, but a 4.0 and up with balance it out well. Other than that, it just about perfect.

As for the 1/2" anvil, the deep well sockets

that we used went on very easy, and stayed put. They are also easy to take off when changing out for another. No issues there!

All in all, the new Ridgid Gen5x impact wrench was made for pros by the pros. We

were really happy with how well with the performance of it, and the build quality was made to last.

Check out are video review below