Posted this over on woodnet, but that forum changes SO fast, I'm afraid I will lose the answers. That said, apologies for the duplication.
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I'm going to the woodworking show in a couple weeks here in atlanta, and to date, I don't have a nice router so figured I might catch a deal there.
What I'm looking for is something that will last me a while, will accept 1/2" and 1/4" bits, maybe fixed and plunge base, and most importantly, will accept most of the third party add-ons like fences, collars, etc.
I'm a hobbyist at best, so this need not be top of the line, but something I can use for a few years.
A "nice to have" would be soft-start.
I WON'T be throwing around raised-panel bits with it. (If I get into that, I'll buy another router FOR that.)
As welcome are opinions on models to stay away FROM.