I love this Bosch!!

[Mark ten Haaf]

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I posted a couple days ago about a problem I was having with my Craftsman router shutting off. I fiddled with it for too long, and decided to upgrade - This new router is awesome. Many of you recommended the Bosch to someone else here looking for a router, and I'm glad I took your advice.
I'll get the Craftsman router fixed - I wanted a second to permanently attach to a router table (which I'll build at some point....)
Forgive me for being so excited about a small item...It's been a long time since I've been in a position to buy any tools.

Thanks to all of you who recommended this machine; it's a beauty.

[george wilson]

I have that model. To test the quality of the bearings,I turn the routers on,then off,and listen to how smooth or rattley the bearings sound just as the spindle stops. The Bosch sounds smoother by far than the 1980 vintage Porter Cables I had before. I also like the variable speed. Turn the speed down just a bit and the noise is much less.

[bruce buren]

I have had this set for a few years now and love it, soo much that when i had the opurtunity i bought a second set!! you made a good choice IMHO.

[bill schmoott]

hahah..... no need to apologize for the excitement here Mark. I picked up three chisels last week and was like a little kid. I just stood out in the garage and looked at them for the longest time.
I always like the wood handles on that brand. It seems to have a good feel to it. I pick it up every time I go into the local big box.
good score, now make something with it.:)

[Anthony Whitesell]

Had I notice the request for recommendations, this would have been one from me as well. I played with as many 2 1/4-2 1/2 HP routers as I could before I settled on the same one.

Two quirks I have come to notice. With the fixed base, I find the handles are a tad low (or wide) adding to the top heaviness of the router. This gets more noticeable as cuts get shallower (the motor gets higher). This combines to make turning off the router while using the fixed base awkward. Since the bit is spinning you can't put it down and at the same time the router tries to tip over while you reach for the switch one handed. I love it. I even splurged and bought a matching motor for my router table. I say splurged since I spent $150 on the motor only and $220 on the set. Who knew that only a few months later I would knock over the router, irrepairably breaking the fixed base and have to buy another one for $70. DOH!

[dennis thompson]

I have the same router & I'm probably the only one on this forum who isn't crazy about it. I find it top heavy,hard to control & the wooden handles too smooth to hold properly, (I guess I could roughen them up a bit). When I put it in my router table it was very difficult to adjust the height, even with the thru the table adjuster. I like my Porter Cable & my Milwaukee routers much better.
Dennis

[Russell Smallwood]

Have the same kit, along with a Dewalt 625, PC 895 kit, PC 690 and that one is definitely my favorite as well.

I really like the way the plunge lever works.

Edit: Forgot to mention that the edge guide is definitely worth the $45 it costs. I like it a lot better than the deluxe PC guide I own.

[Brian Penning]

Have it also. Keep the fixed base permanently installed in my Veritas router table.

[Steve Wurster]

I've had the same kit for a couple years now (it's my first router) and I like it a lot. As both Anthony and Dennis have noted the handles are quite low in the fixed base, and reaching up to turn the router off can be a little nerve racking depending on what you have the router sitting on and the type of bit that's spinning. But I got used to it after a short while.

At one point I had the fixed base dedicated to a crappy router table. But like Dennis I wasn't thrilled about the height adjustment: it worked, but it was a bit annoying to use. Also be wary of the router being slightly angled in a table setup when in fine adjustment mode. When you lock in the height the router will straighten back up, actually raising the height of the bit slightly. I've since built a full size router table and outfitted it with a big Milwaukee in a lift, so I don't have that problem anymore.

Now that the fixed base is out of the table I've installed an offset sub-base to it. I use the plunge base for most work and only use the fixed base for edge work or anything else that might be too narrow and where I don't need to plunge. That allows me to get a better grip on the router and have more stability. I like the action on the plunge base, but I have seen the turret "wobble" a little when the height adjuster bar comes down during plunging or setup. This can lead to the bit being at a slightly different depth than you were expecting. The bottom of the height adjuster bar can be used to add or take off a little at a time, so that can make up for this turret problem.

The only problem I've ever had is one day the router wouldn't start. This was about 2 minutes after I had last used it. There were switch problems with this model in the past, but mine is supposed to have been made after Bosch addressed that. I just removed the top, blew out the switch area with compressed air, and everything worked fine after that. So that switch problem might not have been fully solved by Bosch. Note that to remove the top you need some fairly thin long reach Torx screwdrivers. I had to run to the store to find ones that would fit down into the top. Everything I had was too fat!

Now that I'm typing this I remember that I get a slight squeak coming from the router when changing bits. I hope there's nothing going wrong with the bearings! Everything works fine when using the router.

[Bill Joslin]

Steve, thanks for taking the time to write up your experiences. It is helpful, at least to me.

[Larry Edgerton]

I've heard that this router motor will slip in the Porter Cable 3 1/2" bases. If anyone has both could you check that out for me? I have about twenty or so of the PC bases, many with perminant jigs on them and am not excited about Porter Cables newer motors. If these will work I will buy a few of these.

Larry

[Matt Day]

I've got the same router package and like it a lot. Had it for about 6 years. My only complaint is the motor doesn't slide easily in the fixed base body. Good buy!

[Russell Smallwood]

I've heard that this router motor will slip in the Porter Cable 3 1/2" bases. If anyone has both could you check that out for me? I have about twenty or so of the PC bases, many with perminant jigs on them and am not excited about Porter Cables newer motors. If these will work I will buy a few of these.

Larry

Just tried on the way out, it does seem to fit, and the base seemed to lock tightly but I did not have time to do any real testing

[Jay Jolliffe]

I've the same kit for about 4 yrs. Replaced the switch 3 times so far. Other than that it's a good router. I only use the plunge base.....

[Bill Huber]

I've the same kit for about 4 yrs. Replaced the switch 3 times so far. Other than that it's a good router. I only use the plunge base.....

I don't think you need to replace the switch every time, when mine stopped working I just took it out and rapped it on the bench a few times to clean it out. That has taken care of the switch problem for me. I have not had the problem for a long time now that I changed the DC on my router table.