Router Opinion

[Jason Solodow]

Anyone ever used a Hitachi M12V2? How do you like it? Pros? Cons? Thanks!

[Jon Shank]

Yeah, I have one with the 2 base set, fixed and plunge bases. Nice little router, fairly compact and works well. It can be a little top heavy/ tippy if it's raised up high but it hasn't been a problem for me. Seems like good power for the HP rating, better than my old Craftsman and about the same as the PC I had for a while. Fairly quiet for a router too, much smoother than either of the previous routers. I haven't run it all that hard, normal hobbyist usage, but it handled jointing a bunch of standard SYP 2x material for a bench-top with no bogging or getting hot, about 10 12 foot boards about 1.5" thick. Above tabe adjustment is pretty much non existent but that comes with the territory if you don't buy a lift usually.

It's a nice router and I'd recommend it to a friend with no reservations based on my experience with it.

Jon

[pat warner]

You could do better. Appreciate these machines are job sensitive.
E.g. I wouldn't rout formica with an M12 nor would I turn it upside down in a router table.
I'd mortice and stage rout but not if <1/2 of the machine were unsupported and tippy.

[Duane Meadows]

Uhhh... M12V2... 3 1/4HP plunger with built-in above table height adjust. No fixed base. Are we talking about the same thing here?

[glenn bradley]

I believe Pat is speaking to the M12 (not V2) but, the format still leads to a tippy design and there are "better" routers for the table. That being said, there is a large following for the inexpensive Hitachis and Freuds. With a street price of a little more than half of the cost of a Milwaukee 5625 or a Porter Cable 7500 series, this is understandable. After nearly 8 years of hard use without a hitch, I am stuck on Milwaukee. Everyone has a favorite for a different reason ;-)

[Jon Shank]

Yeah, sorry, I was talking about the M12VC, smaller motor that I got in a kit. Should have checked before I posted.

Jon