Router recommendations

[Mike Manning]

First, 5 reviews is nothing. Not even a sampling in my opinion. Don;t get hung up on 20% negative. How many units do you think Bosch has sold of those? It's been around a while and if it were crap it would be discontinued. All brands have negative reviews, even festool which costs $500 and everything is xtra.

Second, bosch's quick change template system is first rate and available within a couple of days via mail at a competitive price. Often less than a PC branded set. They're carried by many specialty woodworking stores too. The same templates work on ALL of their routers. There's even an adapter at less than $10 if you want to use the ubiquitous porter cable type. Festool on the other hand has three different template systems for three routers, no adapters and cost double what bosch and pc cost. I have all three systems and the bosch is the best if you're switching between collars frequently, like for inlays. I prefer quality PC brass ones just for feel though. They're also available in stock right now at tens of thousand of locations across the country if I need one this minute.

Third, the PC890 is the base motor and the 1-5 designation told you what kind of base(s) came with. A D-handle , plunge base as well as the fixed base were sold in all sorts of combos. Same with Dewalts' 621 series. Knock on the PC is that the speed controller craps out on more units then it should. Otherwise its a fine tool. Mine are going on 15 years no problem, one i a router table.

Add on's to consider would be an edge guide which is handy for grooving work, already mentioned guide bushes, and dust collection shrouds if not included with the router you select. Some guys like to buy or make aux baseplates for the compact routers depending on the task. i/e dovetail work and some edging.

Dave,
What "5 reviews" are you referring to? The Bosch router has 40 1-star reviews not 5. I didn't get to the 2-star reviews.

PS Ok...I said "1 in 5"...20% of the reviews was bad...1 out of 5 reviews.

Mike

[Mike Manning]

Thanks Dave, Jim and everyone.

[Dave Lehnert]

I know you have a negative opinion of this DeWalt router but I just looked my purchase up on Amazon and have owned it for 14 years now with no problems.
I consider it one of my best tool purchases.
https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW618B...ustomerReviews

[Nick Decker]

Mike, you asked about doing inlay work with the Dewalt 611. While I haven't done a lot of it, yes it's fine for that. In fact, a trim router is generally preferred because it's light weight and easy to control. Also good for things like hinge mortises, which are not very deep.

Like I said earlier, you'll probably want a more powerful router eventually, but you can often do a roundover or cove with more than one cut with a trim router.

More and more, I'm putting less importance on Amazon reviews. I know Amazon is fighting the problem, but there's a growing cottage industry of people getting paid for fake reviews. If it doesn't say "verified purchaser" I don't read it.

[Mike Cutler]

It might possibly be that the routers a lot of us have are fairly "old", and the new stock is not being made as well. This might account for the poor reviews Mike is seeing. I hope not, because I really did like the feel of the Bosch when I used one.

[glenn bradley]

As you have probably noticed, routers are nearly as personal as hand planes to some folks. All things being equal; motor fits and changes bases well, bases perform as expected, collet function and so forth it comes down to the feel of the machine in your hand. Some routers feel tippy, some have the grips in the right place for Ricky but feel all wrong to Fred.

I agree that reviews are as reliable as the people who write them and why. People do seem more anxious to post bad reviews than good and someone may have a rule of thumb formula of how many bad reviews you ignore to make up for all the happy people who didn't bother to share ;-)

Things I like about routers over the years; realizing that for each thing I like someone else may not care:

- Easy motor insert and removal - I don't want to have to do the watusi to remove the motor. My original Bosch Colt fixed base goes together like a puzzle. The plunge is great. They now have a 1.25HP version.
- Two wrench chucks - Never met a spindle lock I didn't hate . . . remember, this is just me talkin'
- Deep collet - it is near impossible to bottom out a bit on my Milwaukees.
- Soft start - Under 2HP, no big deal. Over 2HP I like a soft start.
- Variable speed - If you do a lot of routing, you know there is a sweet spot for different profiles. Like the drill press, the router seems like a different tool when run at the right speed for the bit/job.
- Motor feedback - Helps keep consistent torque and speed as you pass through the variations in your material.

[Jim Becker]

Jim,
I understand that to some degree and that's why I actually read the reviews. Definitely a common thread with the Bosch 1617 which I mentioned. I'll have to go back and finish the reviews on the DW618. Also, how do you explain the only 3% negative reviews for the DW611? Just an anomaly or maybe a more reliable product? Blows your theory out of the water though. Just sayin'. ;-)

Mike

If I'm not mistaken, the DW611 is a relatively new model whereas the D618 has been on the market for a long time. That could partially explain the skewing. If I'm not mistaken, anecdotally, a lot of folks have liked the DW618 here in the SMC forums over the years. I'm not familiar with the Bosch, so I don't know if the design thing you mention is relevant, but I suspect such a specific thing being mentioned a lot probably has bearing.

In the end, you'll have to select the brand and model you feel most comfortable with and also buy it from a vendor that you feel will provide you with good service if you need it. I have multiple routers; the aforementioned DW618 kit, a PC 7518 "big butt" router in my table setup and both the Festool OF1010 and OF1400 routers. I also had a PC 7529 plunge router which is still in service at a friend's house...I gave it to him years ago. All of them have consistently performed well for me. I have zero regrets choosing any of them.

[Jim Becker]

It might possibly be that the routers a lot of us have are fairly "old", and the new stock is not being made as well. This might account for the poor reviews Mike is seeing. I hope not, because I really did like the feel of the Bosch when I used one.

This is also a very likely true observation...many of the mass market companies are "not what they used to be"...and many of the brands are the same underlying company these days because of consolidations and buy-outs.

[Mitchell Ristine]

I have the 1617EVSPK. I am just a hobby guy too. I like the router and it serves my purposes well. One complaint about the router. The switch is prone to clogging with sawdust. So much so that I have to tear it apart and blow it out with my compressor every once in a while.

Note. I built a table with a bench dog plate. I do not use the plunge function all that much.

Happy building.

[Robert Hazelwood]

I'd suggest a midsize (2.25 hp) for a first router. I'd buy one of the kits that come with a fixed base and plunge base with a separate canister motor- most manufacturers sell one. You can do most any job with one of these- of course it's nice to have a smaller router for inlay and such, and a larger one for swinging panel raising bits in a router table, but the mid size can usually handle either task. And it's perfect for mortising, rabbeting, grooving, etc, which for me are what I spend the most time doing with a router.

I've only ever used the Bosch 1617 so I can't say much about how it compares to others, but I really like it. I cannot say I have noticed any issues with the motor not inserting properly into the bases. The plunge base I really like, and the fixed base is fine for handheld work, though I don't think it is great for mounting to a router table. It's perfectly usable, but tedious to adjust because you have to go under the table and unlock, adjust, and relock. The motor shifts around a little bit when you unlock and relock, so it can be a struggle to adjust the bit height by a tiny amount like 0.003". In handheld use gravity seems to keep the motor steady while adjusting depth, so it's not a problem. Bosch marketing makes a big deal out of above table adjustment for the fixed base, because they provide a hex head for the depth adjust screw on the underside of the base. But you still have to go under to unlock and relock so it's kind of pointless. I can't imagine other fixed bases being significantly different, but I could be wrong. A router lift is the way I want to go for a serious router table.

[Bill Dindner]

I like the Dewalt 618, if you get the combo with two bases, you can leave the fixed base in a shop made router table and use the plunge base for all other uses. It's nice to be able to use 1/2" shank bits for some heavier duty work. If you want to move down in power and are okay with 1/4" bits only, the Dewalt 611 is really nice and handy.

[John Sanford]

Bosch 1617EVS PK, i.e. variable speed combo kit.
DeWalt's is the 618.
Makita, I believe, also makes a combo kit.

[Peter Christensen]

I guess I was too subtile when I said a Makita. This is what I meant.

https://www.amazon.ca/Makita-RF1101K...4hp+router+set

I've never met a Makita corded tool I didn't like. The 3 1/2 HP plunge and little trim are great and I don't see why the 2 1/2HP wouldn't be too.

[Osvaldo Cristo]

I like to have two routers at my small shop since ages ago: one small (at 1 to 1 1/2 HP) and one heavy (at 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 HP). My first ones were Hitachi TR-12 for my "heavy router" paired by Porter Cable 690 for "light" one, both purchased at the end of 1980s or beginning of the 1990s... I am not sure.

Currently I have Bosch GOF 1600CE as my "heavy router" and Makita RT0701CX3 kit as my "light router".

For the needs you stated I think Makita kit would be great for you as it includes four different bases that you can use with the same motor. It includes also some interesting accessories, including different collects - mine came with 6 mm, 1/4 inch and 8 mm... it was essential for me as my bits are mainly at 8 mm and 6 mm, some at 1/4 inch. For heavy duty I use 1/2 inch collect, but obviously they are not to be used with this router.

I think DeWalt and Bosch also have similar "light duty" kits offering similar functionalities.

This light router is my most used one. I like to use it a lot! Strongly recommended.

[Charles Lent]

I think that all of my routers that have been purchased in the last 18-20 years have been yellow (DeWalt). I am not "hooked" on brand names, and each time that I decide that I need a new tool, I do comparisons between brand models to see which best suits me and what I'm doing. It has to be a reliable Brand and has to fit my needs, but I don't care what color it is, With this stated, all of my routers purchased in this period have been yellow, but I have several colors of older models/brands in my router stable. I bought a DW618 three base router kit about 20 years ago and liked it so much that I ended up buying a second one so I could have one for the shop and the other for the truck. I now also have a two base DW618 kit in the shop as well, and they have been my GOTO routers for most work since I bought them. I now also have a DW611 two base kit and a complete four base DeWalt laminate trimmer kit and use these two smaller routers for my lighter needs. None of these DeWalt routers have ever required service or let me down in any way since they were purchased, nor has any part of them needed replacement. I have been less happy with the DeWalt edge guide that has been available, and solved this by buying an M Power CRB7 for the shop. It works with most any router that has guide rod holes. I have used it with all of my DeWalt routers, but it seems to work with the DW611 plunge base the best. It's been a very accurate and multi purpose accessory and I expect that I'll be buying another one of them soon.

Charley