Bosch Colt Plunge vs Dewalt 611 for inlay work w guide bushings on box lids

[tom coleman]

I am ready to purchase a small router for doing inlay work on box lids. I think both Bosch Colt w plunge base and Dewalt 611 are good choices but I am a neophyte w limited experience. What would a more experienced box maker choose

[glenn bradley]

The Bosch Colt was one of the first of these little powerhouse "palm routers" to catch on outside the pro market dominated by the (back when they made good tools) Porter Cable 310. DeWalt sort of crushed the Bosch in popularity when it followed up but, I like the Bosch's smaller size and lighter weight . . . I also may just be used to the easy one-handed grip you can get on the smaller diameter body.

The plunge base really makes the Colt what it should always have been. In the fixed base arena the DeWalt seems a lot nicer. that being said I rarely have reason to put the motor back into the fixed base. YMMV. Either way you go I would opt for variable speed. I know a lot of folks just use the single speed and let 'er rip. For inlay and detail work I like a little more finesse.

[lowell holmes]

I have the Colt and I really like it. I have the plunge base.

I have a DW 621 (full size router) and I really like it. It was and still is a leader in that class.

I think you pay your money and take your choice.

[Gary Muto]

I don't have a Colt but I have the predecessor. I think it was referred to as a laminate trimmer and I got the kit. I love it but it doesn't accept the P-C bushings w/o a shop made base. The DeWalt is bigger but still well balanced. I would recommend it since I like the plunge base, adjustable edge fences (separate for fix and plunge base), dust collection and especially the LED lights. The accessories are good and reasonably priced.

[Glenn de Souza]

I have the Colt from when it first came out and it has served me well, but when the DeWalt showed up on the scene I thought it was better because of the greater visibility of the see-through baseplate and the LED light. For inlay work, visibility is an important feature.

If you settle on the Colt, be aware that Bosch released word back in November that a new and improved Colt would be coming out, model#GKF125CEK. The new model will have the LED lighting and the polycarbonate base. Supposedly a better depth adjustment system and more power also. I have been watching to see when the retailers start offering the new model, but I haven't noticed anyone stocking it yet although Acme Tools will take a pre-order on it for $139. The press release said the old model will remain in the current line, maybe the price of the old one will drop? I am not sure if a plunge base will be available for the new Colt, but I would expect that it would.

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

You might also take a loo at the Makita.
While I haven't used any of these with a plunge base, we've gone through a lot of Dewalt's and Colt's in our shop.
We just tried a Makita and will be switching over to it, as it appears to be a better product.

http://www.amazon.com/Makita-RT0701CX7-1-1-Compact-Router/dp/B00HAQMHEO/ref=sr_1_fkmr3_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1463850055&sr=8-2-fkmr3&keywords=Makita+RT0701CX3+plunge+base

[Jay Jolliffe]

How about a cordless Dremel with a plunge base...

[richard poitras]

http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Tools_for_Inlay_and_Pearl_Cutting/Precision_Router_Base/Precision_Router_Base.html

One of these would be my choice.

[Robert Delhommer Sr]

I have a Dewalt 611 and love it.

[Bill McNiel]

I sold my Colt after buying the 611. That pretty much sums it up for me.

[Mike Goetzke]

I had the Colt early on and bought the 611 kit because I wanted a plunge base that Bosch didn't have at the time. The 611 also can take P-C bushings out of the box. I recently purchased the small Makita thinking it may be better than the DeWalt 611 but was surprised to find the DeWalt 611 was quieter, had less vibration, and the fixed base height mechanism is much easier to set on the DeWalt.

[Dave Zellers]

I bought the Dewalt 611 kit and liked it so much, I bought a second 611 motor so I would have a small fixed and plunge router always at the ready. I don't do inlay, which is what you are asking about, but I'm simply posting to confirm others' comments re the Dewalt 611.

It's excellent. Once you get familiar with it, it's just a joy to work with. You might want to also explore buying the round base which accepts Porter Cable collars which might be useful with inlay.

[Michelle Rich]

If you want to do very precision inlay work, I suggest you google up Micro Fence. I have used his products for many years and one can do first class work with his products. The dewalt/colt concerns are secondary issues if you go this route.

[lowell holmes]

I should have mentioned that I have a Pat Warner base on my colt. It accepts bushings.
The base is a real improvement.

[glenn bradley]

Here also. Pat's stuff is top quality.

[Neil Gaskin]

For what it's worth I like the makita. We have a few in the shop and I either grab the makita or a ancient royobi only I like. I'm not a fan of the colt.

[Michael Alu]

I am ready to purchase a small router for doing inlay work on box lids. I think both Bosch Colt w plunge base and Dewalt 611 are good choices but I am a neophyte w limited experience. What would a more experienced box maker choose


Not sure if this will help your decision, but I just bought the dewalt 611 combo kit on Amazon for $148. I couldn't beat that price anywhere, and having Prime makes it even better with free two day shipping. Amazon is offering $20 off $100 when you checkout.

[Stew Hagerty]

I just got one of those for my Dremel. I'm anxious to try it.

[Stew Hagerty]

I'll give 2 huge thumbs up to the DeWalt! I have had mine now for close to a year. I bought it through Amazon Prime as a kit with both bases, and I could not be happier. I have found that I use it far more often than my larger handheld router.
I love having the choice of bases, the fixed base has the very useful feature of 3 straight sides on the baseplate. It helps greatly for setting up and tracking dadoes, flutes, and anything that you are using a straight edge for. The plunge base is excellent. It operates very smoothly and is easy to set-up & use. It has the perfect amount of power for most handheld work, and variable speed to help avoid burning sensitive woods like Cherry & Jatoba.
I looked very carefully before purchasing a small router. I looked at the Colt and the Makita as well as the DeWalt, but only one had all of the features I was looking for. The DeWalt has been a wonderful addition to my workshop. I don't know how I got along without it.

[Curt Harms]

I have the Colt from when it first came out and it has served me well, but when the DeWalt showed up on the scene I thought it was better because of the greater visibility of the see-through baseplate and the LED light. For inlay work, visibility is an important feature.

If you settle on the Colt, be aware that Bosch released word back in November that a new and improved Colt would be coming out, model#GKF125CEK. The new model will have the LED lighting and the polycarbonate base. Supposedly a better depth adjustment system and more power also. I have been watching to see when the retailers start offering the new model, but I haven't noticed anyone stocking it yet although Acme Tools will take a pre-order on it for $139. The press release said the old model will remain in the current line, maybe the price of the old one will drop? I am not sure if a plunge base will be available for the new Colt, but I would expect that it would.


From what little info I've found on the new Bosch router, I see no mention of a plunge base. I wonder if the new body will fit the existing plunge base. Acme Tools is saying end of 2016 for deliveries. I guess that's why there hasn't been a lot of chatter yet.

[glenn bradley]

How about a cordless Dremel with a plunge base...

The Dremel plunge base is very flexible so precision is an issue. I moved to the Lee Valley Dremel base which is pretty nice. Regardless of how solid the base is Dremel's have a bit of flex in general. A little finesse can make this a very useful tool for detail work though.

[Stew Hagerty]

http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Tools_for_Inlay_and_Pearl_Cutting/Precision_Router_Base/Precision_Router_Base.html

One of these would be my choice.

I purchased one of those a few weeks ago and just had the opportunity to use it yesterday. I really like the base. It adjusts easily and accurately. I purchased the kit that includes the small air pump and was quite happy with that as well. It kept the area where I needed to be able to well cleaned so that I could see the line I was routing to (I was cleaning out an area for an inlay). That said, I think I would have preferred it if they had some sort of extractor hose connection instead of the air pump. Oh well, I guess next time I'll just work on my downdraft table instead of my bench.