RIDGID 300 Compact Pipe Threading Machine (75602)
LEGENDARY tier
The RIDGID 300 has been the working plumber's threading machine since the 1960s.
Origin
Made in USA
Warranty
Full Lifetime Warranty against defects in materials and workmanship; serviced through Ridgid's Factory Service Center in Elyria, Ohio
Price
~$6500 (Heirloom)
Sixty-plus years later, the same platform — built in Elyria, Ohio at Ridge Tool Company's original campus — still anchors thousands of pipe trade trucks. The 300 Compact threads 1/8-inch through 2-inch pipe at 38 or 52 RPM with a 1/2 horsepower 115V reversible motor, a quick-open 811A die head, a self-contained oiling system with adjustable flow control, and a folding 250 stand that breaks down for transport at 160 pounds.
Every component on the machine is documented in Ridgid's parts catalog and stocked by dealers nationwide. Reconditioned 300s sell on the secondary market for $1,500 to $3,000 because contractors expect the machine to outlast them — one professional plumber on the Plumbing Zone forum chose the 300 because "it should out last me.
" The machine is covered by Ridgid's Full Lifetime Warranty against defects in materials and workmanship. At roughly $6,500 new for the complete kit, the cost-per-year math over a 50-year service life is under $130.
The 300 doesn't get replaced. It gets handed down.