Router switch position

[Basil Rathbone]

My inherited Craftsman router with the trigger switch on the handle just gave up the ghost. I found this trigger position perfect for me, but it is the only router I have used.

I am looking for another one and notice that the Hitachi, Makita, Bosch (and maybe more) have the off/on switch on the top of the router.

This seems a little weird to me because it would appear the router has to be started and stopped with only one hand on the router.

Is this a valid concern or am I missing something?

[Dan Stuewe]

I had a similar experience with my first Craftsman router. Using a big boy Porter Cable router for the first time, I really missed the "trigger" and the shaft lock. It seems that one of the reasons many folks like the "D-base" for these routers (PC, Bosch, et. al.) is because of the trigger (the other is the control for certain usage). I do like holding the router closer to the work piece and sometimes grabbing the motor itself. These are things that the PC excel at compared to my old router (actually it isn't mine anymore, I sold it). As for the shaft lock...the aluminum housing of my Craftsman had a big dent/gouge in it from the wrench breaking the collet loose and then whacking the housing. The two wrench method pretty much eliminates that problem, although being able to remove the motor for bit changes would make having a shaft lock nice.

Long way of saying it wasn't hard for me to get used to.

[Lance Norris]

Most new routers (maybe all) are soft start. The router doesnt jerk itself out of your hands when you switch it on. This makes it possible to hold with one hand and switch with the other hand.

[glenn bradley]

As Lance says; I would be hard pressed to buy a router that didn't have soft-start. On the other hand there are a few models that have D-handle options with the trigger switch feature. It is a nice feature but certainly not necessary IMHO.