Raining routers... gloat

[Mike Schuch]

I went into Lowes today to get some prices on sheet rock and vanities for my girl friends 70's mobile home rental that the previous tenants trashed... and was rewarded to find a 2 1/4 hp Dewalt router with fixed and plunge bases on the clearance table for $78!!!! After much poking and prodding I figured it was missing the power cable and collette/nut set. Still for $78... a great deal! I also found a new frigidair glass stove top $499 market down to $136 on the clearance table which I snatched up for my gf. When I went to checkout the stove top rang up at $122!!! Bonus!!!

Then I went to the local Habbitat for humanities re-store to look for doors, windows etc. Right as I was walking in an employee set down a brand new box for a PorterCable 3 1/4hp fixed base router. The box was actually resting on the shelf for a whole 11.5 seconds before I had it in my hands only to discover a brand new 3 1/4 hp variable speed plunge router. It too was missing the collet and nut BUT only $75. Upon closer inspection when I got the PC home the collet and nut were still zip tied to the router base!!!!!

Looks like the Dewalt cord will be $15 on ebay delivered for a 16 gauge 10 foot cord. Do they make longer cords? Should I buy a Dewalt factory collet or a quick change collet? If I go for an aftermarket quick change collet which one should I get?

[Stephen Cherry]

I don't see any pictures so you must be whoppering.

[Mike Schuch]

:-) Oh man!!!! If they were something really cool and unique I would take the time to hunt down the digital camera and put up a couple of pics but they are just routers. Hmmm.... haven't seen the camera since camping last weekend...

[Mike Schuch]

Just when you think a gloat couldn't get any worse... I figured out what that funny metal knob coming out of the plunge rail on the Porter Cable 7539 is... a "Router Raizer" which seems to cost more than the $75 I paid for the new 7539. I guess that explains the Rockler router table top that the guy leaned against the Porter Cable box but didn't have a price tag on it... and why the 7539 doesn't have a base plate.

[shane lyall]

I did sorta the same thing at Lowes last year with the PC. Only had the display left and no collet so I got it for $50 if memory serves. The PC has the built in lift deal along with the automatic collet lock. PC has a tool for it but I made mine out of an old cordless B&D screwdriver. Works great and have a "power lift" in my tablesaw extention table on the cheap. Look at ereplacmentparts.com for collets. Ive bought several parts from them over the years and never had a problem.