Router sugesstions.

[5th element]

It seems ironic that at a similar time, I should be wanting to ask a similar set of questions as Javier.

Anyway, a couple of days ago the top bearing in our Dewalt DW615 died and took with it some of the plastic casing that it's attached to. Or rather it over heated and melted the plastic chassis, went slightly out of alignment and caused the motor to temporarily lock solid against something. I would guess that this would be a rather expensive repair. :M

It's not all bad though, the router is around 12-15 years old and has seen quite a lot of abuse over the years, whilst being a pleasure to use.

Now comes the question of replacing it and perhaps some of you folk with lots of different routers can offer some input.

What we, as both my father and I make use of it, liked about the DW615 is the way it feels in use. Kind of like a car without any power assisted steering - you feel every move that the router makes and are aware as soon as something goes wrong or off course. Every vibration that is also generated by the router bit zipping through the material is also felt.

We've got a cheap B&Q rip off of a DW621 that was bought primarily for its extra power and 1/2" collet. The idea was that we'd use that for heavier jobs, such as chopping up sheets of MDF and the DW615 where greater accuracy and control is required.

The B&Q router is utterly horrible when it comes to what you feel through the hand grips - is this a feature of heavier and larger routers? Or just the bad egg that we bought?

Also the switch on the B&Q one is terrible too. The DW615 comes with a simple switch, you turn it on and the router turns on. You can then place the router on the workbench and let go and it will carry on running. The B&Q has some awful safety crap that requires a hefty amount of pressure at all times to keep it in motion, we do NOT want this. A simple switch will do fine, we want to concentrate on routing not our aching fingers/thumbs holding down the switch.

It is tempting to buy a DW625EK, lots of power, accepts both 1/4 and 1/2" bits and from a review I read comes with a non safety type switch.

Living in Manchester however gives lots of options when it comes to looking at tools before you buy them. I certainly want to see what the DW625 is actually like before anything is bought, but what would you all say?

[evilskillit]

I don't have a ton of experience with different routers, and my budget is probably smaller than most peoples here. I started off with a second hand Ryobi fixed based router with a 1/4" collet, you'd be surprised what you can do with that. I still have it but I wanted something better so I picked up one of these.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00917543000P?prdNo=21&blockNo=21&blockType=L21

Probably not the best in the world but amazingly good for the price. If you've got a couple of hundred to spend just ignore me, but if you want something nice for the price, this is your buy. Their service plans are pretty reasonable too if you're into that sort of thing.

Oh, also having worked for Home Depot for 4 years I think if you've got twice as much to spend the Ridgid tools are quite nice, and IIRC come with an actual lifetime warranty if you register them.

edit: Router buddy also fits the craftsman perfectly. I forgot it doesn't fit the Ryobi I have, thats one of the reasons I upgraded. Got a router buddy for Christmas and couldn't use it, heh.

[Face]

Check out Porter Cable. If low dust is important to you, Festool.

[snmhanson]

I went through the same exact process as evilskillet. Started with a refurbished Bosch and then bought that same Craftsmen router from Sears. Like he said, I am sure there are better routers out there but for the money that Craftsment is very versitile and performs well. What sold me on it, aside from the price, were the exchangable bases which is an easy process and works well. If I was using a router all the time maybe I would splurge and go for the high end setup, but otherwise the Craftsmen is the ticket.

Matt

edit: The Jasper jigs fit on the Craftsment perfectly, while the Bosch was just a bit off causing me to crack one of the jigs a little.

[---k---]

JonMarsh and Thomas will tell you that you need at least 3 different routers in your shop: the big DeWalt with it's good dust collection, the versatile and light Porter Cable, and the small Bosch Colt for doing veneer. I think there is also a big Hitachi that stays in a router table also.

[5th element]

Check out Porter Cable. If low dust is important to you, Festool.

Low dust isn't an issue at all, we've got a room at the top of the house dedicated to DIY. And when a standard face mask isn't enough we've got one of these...



The Festool are a bit too pricey we're looking at around £200-250. Especially as we can get another DW615 for around £160 and that was great I'm simply looking for more options and if we can get more for a bit more money then I'm all for spending it.

We are in the UK though and a quick search shows up a lack of dealers and 220v versions of the porter cable stuff. Maybe I need to dig deeper.

The Jasper jigs fit on the Craftsment perfectly, while the Bosch was just a bit off causing me to crack one of the jigs a little.

This isn't important as we've got this for cutting circles.

JonMarsh and Thomas will tell you that you need at least...

And it's their experience that I am hopefully going to draw on to pick something that tries to combine all three into one :rofl:

[looneybomber]

I've only used my Porter Cable, but it works very well. And the switch is located towards the top and sticks up, so if you lay it down like shown, it turns off.

[CraigG]

I'm entirely happy with my Hitachi M12V as a do-everything router. I haven't run into a situation where I've wished for less power, less weight, or a smaller size.

If I want to cut my driver recesses with a 3/4" bit, then do the driver cutouts without bothering to switch bits, I just do it, with no complaints from the router. I had taken this ability for granted until I read about other folks having to switch to a smaller bit, or do the cutouts in multiple passes. Power is good, and the M12V has lots of it! :T

[abpc1]

Since you are in the UK, try the Triton. Either the smaller MOF001 or the larger TRA001. I have the MOF001 for the US market and I am happy with it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Triton-MOF001-1400-Watt-Router/dp/B002QS1LPM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=diy&qid=1283782445&sr=8-3-spell

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Triton-1-2-inch-Precision-Router/dp/B002QRUG04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=diy&qid=1283782445&sr=8-1-spell

http://www.tritontools.com/products?more=Power_Tools

Regards

[5th element]

Thanks for all of the suggestions, I've got some more stuff to look at it seems.

Abpc, will the Triton base accept the circle cutter I linked to before? From the picture I've managed to look at it doesn't appear that it will.

I also went into our local DIY store where they had a few cheap routers on display, the DW615 made them look like they'd fall to bits after about an hours use >.<

[BobEllis]

I'm entirely happy with my Hitachi M12V as a do-everything router. I haven't run into a situation where I've wished for less power, less weight, or a smaller size.

If I want to cut my driver recesses with a 3/4" bit, then do the driver cutouts without bothering to switch bits, I just do it, with no complaints from the router. I had taken this ability for granted until I read about other folks having to switch to a smaller bit, or do the cutouts in multiple passes. Power is good, and the M12V has lots of it! :T

I'll second the M12V recommendation with the caveat that if you are not on the high side of average size you may find it a bit hefty. I've heard some complain about that. But variable speed and soft start make it kick less than my Bosch 1617 with half the power. It's great to be able to do 1.25" roundovers in a hog out and a 1/16" finishing cut.

Keep an eye on Amazon - normally $200, it sometimes goes on sale for around $135.

EDIT: forgot to mention that the Bosch 1617 dual base kit is a nice piece, too. Other than not being able to swing huge roundovers, I'm be pretty happy with it. Cuts very smooth.

[numberoneoppa]

edit: The Jasper jigs fit on the Craftsment perfectly, while the Bosch was just a bit off causing me to crack one of the jigs a little.

Jasper fits like a glove on my Bosch... just have to make sure you've got the proper holes lined up.

[Solid7]

+1 on the Porter Cable. Had several routers, and I like those the best. (not having owned a Festool, I say this...) I find them to possess a great cost to value ratio. I would also say the same for Rigid.

My firm belief with power tools, is that you buy the best of whatever you can afford. There are lots of opinions, but if you follow what has already been said, you can see that a certain resemblance of concensus will emerge. :T

[bigbardmusiq]

I caught that rigid router on sale for $99, that thing is awesome!! Very good quality!1

[abpc1]

Thanks for all of the suggestions, I've got some more stuff to look at it seems.

Abpc, will the Triton base accept the circle cutter I linked to before? From the picture I've managed to look at it doesn't appear that it will.

I also went into our local DIY store where they had a few cheap routers on display, the DW615 made them look like they'd fall to bits after about an hours use >.<

That I do not know. However, the triton comes with it's own circle cutting jig. It has infinite adjustments between its min/max diameters and not the quantized units that Jasper jigs do.

Regards