Replacing Hitachi TR-12 by Bosch GOF 1600 CE

[Osvaldo Cristo]

I purchased my Hitachi TR-12 "heavy duty" router on 1990s to construct my kitchen cabinets using my home made router table and sometimes also handheld for some projects like bookstands and base for tables. It was not bad and brought me a lot of great job... Now it is the time to replace it and I decided to go to Bosch GOF 1600 CE, also a plunge router.

We do not have so many options in Brazil, but the more respectable brands for electric tools are Bosch and Makita, both with local manufacturing plant for some of the tools they offer locally.

1. Bosch has a good local service and the fact they have a local manufacturing plant offer them some facility to supply spare parts even for their tools manufactured abroad (that router is made in Mexico)
2. I was looking for a variable speed router as my previous Hitachi was fixed at 22000 rpm with no load. It required some extra care when using bigger diameter bits as that one used for raised panels, as an example. For convenience and safety, variable speed was a must have for me
3. The idea for a "heavy duty" router is to use either in a router table or hand held. In order to use in a router table I really look for a way to control its height from above and the Bosch model is the single one available in the local market to offer a such convenience
4. For hand held use it has the most convenient on/off key position at the handle

But I have some concerns...

1. Its motor is rated to 1600W, it is less than 3 1/2 HP from my previous router
2. The plunge action is not so smooth like a Makita router with similar application, although it is not worse than my Hitachi router

Anyway I hope it can offer me good service for the next 25 years, like its predecessor...

[Mike Berti]

I have the Bosch 1617evs rated at 2-1/4 HP. It’s a strong router but still part of the 3-1/2” motor group. It’s OK, but nothing special. The height adjustment mechanism is mediocre. Although you can adjust it from above the table, I don’t find it user friendly. For every tiny adjustment you still have to release the base clamp lever (accessible only from under the table). If I am already there, I set the height from there as well. Another issue is changing bits. Don’t expect a quick bit change. I often remove the router motor from its base to do that.
Only a router lift can help with that and I will purchase one in the future. The alternative is maybe a Triton router that has a build in rising mechanism. (They are an Australian company and I don’t know if they have market presence in Brazil).

[Osvaldo Cristo]

I have the Bosch 1617evs rated at 2-1/4 HP. It’s a strong router but still part of the 3-1/2” motor group. It’s OK, but nothing special. The height adjustment mechanism is mediocre. Although you can adjust it from above the table, I don’t find it user friendly. For every tiny adjustment you still have to release the base clamp lever (accessible only from under the table). If I am already there, I set the height from there as well. Another issue is changing bits. Don’t expect a quick bit change. I often remove the router motor from its base to do that.
Only a router lift can help with that and I will purchase one in the future. The alternative is maybe a Triton router that has a build in rising mechanism. (They are an Australian company and I don’t know if they have market presence in Brazil).

Thank you for your comments.

On 2006 Fine Woodworking magazine published an article titled "Routers for Router Tables". There they presented seven different router models from seven different manufacturers with height adjust from its base (top of the table when the router is mounted upside down). It included your router model Bosch 1617EVS and Triton. It looks Bosch GOF 1600CE is a newer model (you can find its specs in the Bosch UK site). It allows the height from its base even with the body controls locked, but it is limited to around 20 mm - although it looks good enough for most applications, for more that that you really need to adjust height from the body...

Bosch is the single manufacturer to offer a such feature in any router in Brazil. Actually it looks they have two models with a such feature in the local market, another one something less powered and with the on/off switch at the motor instead of in the handle as the model I purchased.

You will find some alternatives at mercado livre site (it is the local incarnation from e-bay) but their origins are questionable and, of course, you will have no local support.

So far so good...