What do ya'll think about Makita routers?

[Troy Turner]

Not in the market for one, but saw an RF1101 (fixed and plunge base) 2 1/4 hp pop up and it peaked my curiosity. And for $125, figured I'd go for it..maybe. I did a search around here and most posts are a few years old, but even then, there's not much discussion? I know Makita is a good name, but don't know if they tried the router business and it didn't work out.

This would be a good one to add to the arsenal and go into the eventually built table ;)

[Brad Adams]

I have that router set. It has a very quiet and powerful motor. It is a lot smoother running router than other comparable size routers I have used.

[Howard Rosenberg]

Makita routers is all I buy. And I have 7 of them. They're bulletproof.

This series was their Porter-Cable 69-series fighter.

Waaaay quieter. Much less vibration. Excellent power. Machined better. Assembled tighter. Every Porter-Cable accessory fits these Makita routers perfectly.

Make sure the router body is perpendicular to the respective base. The fixed base's clamp may need to be tightened a touch every so often. But that be all.

BTW - you can drop Makita routers over and over again and they keep working (DAMHIKT) especially their trim routers.

$125 strikes me as a fair price - are all the wrenches extra collet and clear bases included - if not see what you can work out.

Howard

[pat warner]

Did a yeoman's job with noise, very quiet. But that's where it begins & ends.
Essentially did everything to copy the 690evsPK.
Had the baseline/G2 to build anything, but decided to compromise with copyism.
This plunger is one of the sloppiest in an unlocked config.
And still squiggly when its head is locked to the plunge posts.
The fixed base casting misses the positives of the 690 and emphasizes its negatives. A pity.
Its (Makita) relatively new RT0701CX3 compact router is an example of what they can do when they make something from scratch.
An original, alone in its class, a gem of a tool. The 1100 could have been a contender if built to these standards.

[Troy Turner]

I've got a couple of Craftsman routers, one fairly old in the table, and a combo I bought a few years ago. Nothing too terribly wrong with them, but I'm hoping to embark on a router table build, and I know I can find plates to fit the router, plus, I think it would make a good table router.

I'll have to wait til tomorrow to check it out and make sure everything is there. If not, maybe I can get it for under $100 :D

[keith micinski]

The very first tool I ever owned was a fixed base 1100 that I got 15 years ago. It's the only hand held router I have ever owned and it still looks and works like it did the day I unboxed it.

[Clint Baxter]

I've got the set as well. Also have the Dewalt equivalent set and PC690 which it emulates. Mine stays attached to my Leigh FMT, and I've had nothing but good experiences from it in that function. Wouldn't hesitate to get another and use it as well

Good luck

Clint

[Troy Turner]

I appreciate all the replies. Unfortunately I they took the ad down. Guess someone else already knew it was a deal while I was researching. Got some good info though for the next time I run across one :D