Ridgid 19148 Auto-Spin Sink Machine

by Ridgid

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Since 1923, Ridgid has remained the symbol of certainty to dedicated professionals of the expert trades. Every tool that bears the Ridgid brand is engineered to the same high standards of quality, strength and endurance, as was that first heavy-duty pipe wrench more than 80 years ago. Ridgid covers its products with a lifetime warranty against defects in material or workmanship for the life of the tool. The Ridgid 19148 auto-spin sink machine has a two-way autofeed that advances and retrieves the drain cleaning cable with the simple push of a lever keeping you and the work area clean. The guide hose gives you the ability to get to those hard to reach areas and it completely contains the rotating cable to eliminate cleanup and protect fixtures. Also it has a rust resistant housing as well as -Inchrugged impact.

Product Description

Features Two-Way AutofeedTM Advances and retrieves the drain cleaning cable with the simple push of a lever keeping YOU and the WORK AREA clean! Guide Hose Gives you the ability to get to those hard to reach areas. The guide hose will completely contain the rotating cable which eliminates cleanup and protects your fixtures. Rugged Impact & Rust Resistant Housing Made of a rugged material that won't rust or dent ensuring the longer life of your Auto-Spin Handle With integrated AUTOFEED holder so your Auto-Spin is easy to transport and store ON/OFF/REV Switch ALCI Protected Plug The 6' power cord gives you a generous reach while adding the safety of an integral ALCI plug. Foot Bulb Controlling the ON/OFF operation with the foot bulb frees up your hands giving you optimal control. MAXCORETM Cable A 30' cable with an inner core for increased strength and longer life.POWERS CABLE DOWN THE DRAIN AND KEEPS HANDS CLEAN CableCommand TechnologyTM is a patent pending design that features a dual-directional AUTOFEEDTM which allows you to automatically advance and retrieve the cable with just a push of a lever. This technology is a RIDGID® exclusive design and gives you maximum control of the cable while providing a CLEAN and EFFECTIVE way to clean your drain. The Ridgid Auto-Spin will clean drain lines from 3/4" up to 1-1/2" in diameter. It is designed to clear "soft blockages" that are commonly found in the following applications: The Bathroom Sink is the most common household drain problem Blockages likely to be encountered: Soap Scum Hair Toothpaste Tubs and showers are the second most common household drain problem Blockages likely to be encountered: Hair Soap Shampoo

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 13.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000E321JG
• Item model number: 19148
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,423 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great idea, but a bit on the light side., March 1, 2009

By 

D. Herring (Anchorage, Alaska) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ridgid 19148 Auto-Spin Sink Machine (Tools & Home Improvement)

I have a recurring clog in my kitchen drain that I have to snake once or twice a year, about 24 feet down the line from the garage end. I have been renting a large commercial auger for 40 bucks a day, and they are very heavy, labor intensive and they tend to sling greasy water around the area when you retract them from the line. I saw this one and decided it looked like a good design, so bought one.
I'm pleased with the design of it, the fact that it is self-feeding and self-retracting, and also that it has the hose to enclose the cable to keep it from flopping around and flinging nasty stuff around the work area. However, it's not perfect.
If I were to redesign this tool, I would make it about 30% larger all over with a little bit more heft and power, use a bit more metal than plastic, and increase the cable capacity to 3/8" X 40 or even 50 feet. A couple replaceable auger/cutter heads would also be nice. Then we'd have the ideal homeowner drain auger. Offer it for under [...] bucks and you couldn't lose.
If all you're doing is snaking the occasional slow kitchen drain or hair clogs in the tub, this baby should be perfectly adequate. But if I were a landlord having to maintain several units, I would definitely get something bigger. The problem is, there's just a huge gap in size between this and the next size up. I believer there is definitely a niche in between for a somewhat larger auger of this design. My congratulations to Ridgid or Home Depot for coming up with this design. Now just boost the size a little bit.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Unique but comes with a learning curve, April 22, 2010

By 

Lewis Barrett (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ridgid 19148 Auto-Spin Sink Machine (Tools & Home Improvement)

This tool does a far better job of clearing small drains than most home-owner snake tools and handily fills the gap between true professional products and hand or drill motor operated snakes. However, it has some sensitivities that other reviewers have mentioned.

Chief among these is that the tool is intolerant of any small kinks in the cable, and will not feed properly if kinks are present. Therefore, as a user, you need to be sensitive to how you use the snake and what you ask of it. In short, there is a bit of a learning curve. Should you kink a cable/snake, don't waste your time trying to make the tool work; just order another cable in. I find in normal use a cable lasts me about three years; inevitably I will kink it one way or another and then require a replacement. However, considering the cost and the convenience this tool represents, I consider it a decent trade-off.

Once you learn to use the "reversing" mechanism at the head end, the AutoSpin is capable of clearing household drains with ease, and in many cases does not require that you take the P Trap apart which is a huge plus.
I have also found the air-operated foot switch to be a bit "non-responsive" (hence frustrating) in use but it has not actually failed me in the time I have owned the machine. It too takes a bit of experience with, and once that is garnered, the tool works generally quite well.

Bottom line: I am glad I own this snake as it's a major step-up from hand or drill motor operated units and makes most household drain repairs a breeze. But because of the fiddly nature of operation (the learning curve) and the somewhat delicate snake cable, I can only give it three stars. On the other hand if you live in a house where drains become hair clogged ( I have a wife and three daughters. I love them unreservedly, but that's a lot of hair) this tool will pay for itself in short order. And, it gets easier to use with some experience.
Recommended but with reservations.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars from a plumber, November 2, 2010

By 

Mei "The Bibliophile" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ridgid 19148 Auto-Spin Sink Machine (Tools & Home Improvement)

1/4" cables are for clearing your tub/shower drains, lav sinks(thats taking pop up out and running it through the sink, not taking trap apart), and clearing the trap for your washing machine. The 1/4" will go through traps without breaking them, well if it does break the trap, than you probably needed a new trap anyway.
Use a 3/8" cable to clear lines after the trap, thats removing the trap and running the line. Than you have an 11/16" cable for your 3" to 4" sewer lines. This product works great for me because I got tired of the manual 1/4" handsnake. So I think this product is great for clearing lavys, and tub/showers, not kitchen sinks, or anything else.