Freud vs. Bosch vs. PC Router

[Justin McCurdy]

Hey everyone,

I am looking for a 2 1/4HP router to use with both table and free hand/plunge work. Can anyone speak to what they would buy if this was to be their only shop router?

Bosch 1617EVSPK: $219
Freud FT1700VCEK + FT1760(free): $169
Porter Cable 895PK: $202

I really don't want to make a $200 mistake and I really don't have a lot of previous router experience with any of these brands. Has anyone ever had any notably good or bad experiences with any of these?

Thanks,
Justin




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Thanks to everyone that replied! Sometimes when you are really close to making a relatively expensive decision you need a few friends to push you over the indecisive edge. I think I am going with the Bosch 1617evspke. I figured out that at amazon.com I can hookup with the router kit and all available accessories for it for just over $300(with BOSCHOFF and NOVTOOLS). Merry XMAS to me. Now I have to let my relatives know what they are buying me.

Best Regards,
Justin

[JayStPeter]

If something happened to my Bosch, I'd buy another.

[Rob Bodenschatz]

Another vote for the Bosch. However, I have not used the other two.

[Jim Hinze]

Yet another vote for Bosch!

[Ted Miller]

Justin, I have all of them plus 8 others, and this is my experience with the ones you noted:

Bosch 1617, I used in my table and it was very strong, easy to change bits but had a few problems with dust in the switch and the deepth adjustment got stuck a few times, but a well built item, I have always liked Bosch and own 4 models.

Freud 1700, I like this router but I had problems with the spindle lock the first day, lucky I picked it up at a show and was able to return it to the vendor the next day at the show and just two days ago I stripped the height adjustment, it was my fault, I was trying to over power it to lock.

Porter Cable 895, for me I am jinxed with PC, backlash and spindle locks always give me problems with all of PCs routers, I am not sure if its just me or what.

I prefer Bosch, Dewalt and the Hitachi TR-12 is the best router I have ever had for my table, I think it was my first router and to this day not one single problem with it...

[Mike Weaver]

Just bought and started using the Bosch - that's my vote.
-Mike

[Randal Stevenson]

I talked with him when I was looking for an upgrade. I had an old Skill that was/is used in general construction (rounding over porch rails) and anytime I have to worry about tools being stolen. (bad area, thanks meth)
For home woodworking, I got a pc690 a few years back. Store demo, three bases, motor, and table for under $150, as I am looking at some projects with bigger bits, I needed speed control.
The Freud's I had seen mixed things on, the Porter cables generally got good review, but the RAVES came over the Bosch. I asked Burt about it, as he had posted owning over 30 routers. Early on they had a couple of issues, primarily with the power switch and dust. My understanding, that has been changed.
I went with the Bosch, and also would add my vote.
However if you get in contact with Burt, he is likely to have at least one of EACH of these.

[Charles McCracken]

Justin, I have all of them plus 8 others, and this is my experience with the ones you noted:

Bosch 1617, I used in my table and it was very strong, easy to change bits but had a few problems with dust in the switch and the deepth adjustment got stuck a few times, but a well built item, I have always liked Bosch and own 4 models.

Freud 1700, I like this router but I had problems with the spindle lock the first day, lucky I picked it up at a show and was able to return it to the vendor the next day at the show and just two days ago I stripped the height adjustment, it was my fault, I was trying to over power it to lock.

Porter Cable 895, for me I am jinxed with PC, backlash and spindle locks always give me problems with all of PCs routers, I am not sure if its just me or what.

I prefer Bosch, Dewalt and the Hitachi TR-12 is the best router I have ever had for my table, I think it was my first router and to this day not one single problem with it...

Ted,

We can probably take care of the height adjuster under the 5 year warranty. Send me a PM or email and we can work out the details.

[Walt Caza]

Hi Justin,
I get good mileage and joy from my fresh Bosch1617 fixed and plunge kit.
The only issue I have is disappointment in not being able to use common
PC template guides, particularly the inlay set. I guess adapters are available. Not long ago the dual base kit in plastic case included a bonus
of the 7pc template guides. (shucks, I missed bonus)

I was confident to choose the Bosch because my older 1613 is still going
strong. It was my first router with the electronics, which give soft start,
speed selection, and most importantly a feedback circuit which maintains
constant rpm.
benefits...
-she won't jump out of your hands upon start-up
-she can slow down to spin big carbide
-she burns less and allows steadier feed rate

I was plenty tired of running my 1613 plunger upside down, fighting against
the springs for table mounted work. It is much better with the fixed base,
and the Bosch offers micro depth adjustment which is waaay useful.

Good luck with your tool shopping,
Walt

ps to remove the Bosch stock baseplate requires a Torx-20.
I just built a handy smaller MDF router table, and the 1617 needs
4mm screws about an inch long (about 20mm) to mount to homemade
table or jig such as circle cutting tramel...
(this Canadian never felt comfortable with metric!)

[JayStPeter]

Hi Justin,
The only issue I have is disappointment in not being able to use common
PC template guides, particularly the inlay set. I guess adapters are available.

...

to remove the Bosch stock baseplate requires a Torx-20.
I just built a handy smaller MDF router table, and the 1617 needs
4mm screws about an inch long (about 20mm) to mount to homemade
table or jig such as circle cutting tramel...
(this Canadian never felt comfortable with metric!)

I have a Pat Warner base that takes care of both problems. The fixed base on the 1617 has a second set of screw holes that are identical to a PC. Makes it real easy to use generic jigs. Can't remember if the plunge base does also? I don't recall having torx screws in my baseplate. Maybe I replaced them so early on that I forgot.
If you don't want the PW base, the Bosch quick change template guides are available separately and look pretty slick. There is also a set of dust collection hoods available that generally work well (depending on the bit and operation).
My early 1617 had corrosion problems. I was very impressed with the way Bosch handled the problem when I finally got around to getting it fixed (waaaay after warranty expiration). I only had to pay to ship it there, they replaced the case and sent it back no charge.

[Jim Becker]

Not on your list, but I happen to be very pleased with the DW618 kit, a feeling shared by many. I have all three bases, although I use the fixed base the most--very stable, especially for things like dovetailing. Routing that requires plunge work usually gets done with one of my Festool routers just because they are set up as plungers natively. But if I didn't have the black and green machines in the shop, the DW would get the call for everything not done on my router table. No question. Very happy with it.

[glenn bradley]

I've got four routers but no plunge. The Bosch is on my short list and it gets the nod from the reviewers. One important thing is how the router feels to you. You are the one using it. A person with small hands may feel more in control with a different router than a person with large hands for example. If the plunge control is perfect for me but too far away for you to work comfortably then it doesn't matter how much I like my XYZ router. Such a dilemma.

[frank shic]

you should also consider the ridgid fixed base/plunge combo that home depot is selling. phil bumbalough did a review on his benchmark site and newwoodworker.com did one recently as well. i bought the router several weeks ago and used it on a built-in project. it's great to be able to see through the transparent bottom and the light helps as well when you're plunge routing. the fixed base works really well in the router table as well - just remember to drill an extra hole so that you can adjust the depth from ABOVE the router table. the only minor glitch i found was that if you attach the dust shroud to the fixed base, you'll need to use a small countersink drill to give the screw enough clearance so that it doesn't interfere with the T-wrench for depth adjustment. another positive is that the pc bushings work with the base without any additional hardware unlike the bosch 1617. the centering cone makes mounting it on a router plate an extremely easy task. good luck with whatever you choose. don't forget ear/eye protection as well as dust collection.

[Burt Waddell]

Bosch 1617evs, bosch 1617, bosch 1618 evs: I have 10 of these and I am more than happy to recommend it. They are good basic no frills routers. I've always had good service from bosch routers.

Freud: I bought one of the smaller Freud routers and after dealing with it, I have not bought any more Freud. I have heard of several problems with this model, but I have also heard several people praise.

Porter Cable: The older "blood and guts" routers were great performers if you didn't value your hearing. The newer PC's have had a lot of electronic problems. My most recent purchase was a PC 7518. After finding that both my Makita 3612C and Milwaukee were stronger than the PC, the PC became history.

Buy the Bosch!

[Jack Norfleet]

I have the PC 89x kit. It use to be in my table until I got a Milwaukee 3hp.

In the fixed base, it is my first choice. However, I disliked the plunge base so much, I bought a separate DW 621. The plunge action is sticky, and the depth adjustment slips. The first time I used the plunge, I was cutting shelf pin holes in a cabinet. By the 10th hole, the depth adjustment had slipped to a point where I was drilling completely through the work piece. I had to readjust every 5 holes to keep from ruining the rest of my parts.

As for the others, I have no experience but the Bosch seems to get almost universal praise.