Dewalts new baby, the 611 head to head with a Bosch Colt

[Chris Harry]

I was thinking about pulling the trigger, I have just the use for it.....mortising a door jamb thats already in place.

But alas, the only base that can accept the bushings is the plunge base, kind of negating the small size that will fit in the area of an already installed door jamb.

I guess it saved me some $$$.

[Dave Lehnert]

If you click on the link Bill posted, then click on the dewalt, (or maybe it was the cpo link) and then click in accessories, it shows a Dust collection and other items. Apparently none of the online sites have anything but the basic router in stock at present though, not even the plunge attachment.

hmmmm...... now I can't seem to get back to the place I found last night, where they showed the router, plunge base, edge guide, a round, clear base plate, AND the Dust Collection attachment. You could click on the thumbnails to enlarge all of them. Oh well, now I can't even find the site that showed 5 or 6 different places to buy it, and one of those sites was probably where I saw those additional accessories.

Is this the link?

http://www.dewalt.com/pages/promotio...ers-Promo.aspx

[Dave Lehnert]

Any difference in power between the DW and Colt?

I'd think most wouldn't spend $400 for a plunge base for the Colt when you can get the DW for less and have one more router.

Bosch is 5.6 amp, the Dewalt is 7 amps.

[Ted Wong]

For the past thirty years, every router I've owned has smoked its front bearing -- Makita, Bosch, Dewalt, Festool. Have you found a brand or a model that doesn't fail?

Yes I agree every router I've had has had to have new bearings at least once in its lifetime. But is this really the fault of the router or the bearing manufacturer? Or neither. Routers run at a minimum speed of around 8,000 rpm and in my case I usually run on full speed (25,000 rpm) unless I have a huge bit on it pretty fast in the scheme of things. couple that with a load and something is going to give sooner or later. In a shop where the router sees daily use I have been able to keep a router running around 2 years between bearing swaps by taking light cuts, using sharp bits and steady even feed rates.

[Norman Hitt]

[QUOTE=Dave Lehnert;1573781]Is this the link?

http://www.dewalt.com/pages/promotio...ers-Promo.aspx

No, but this one gives a menu to click on in the bottom right picture that lists
All the accessories for it. It appears that there is a round baseplate that is template guide compatable for both the fixed base AND the plunge base, but it says not available on line,......you must see a dealer to purchase.

[Mike Heidrick]

Do you have any way to tell how loud it is in dB?

[Bill Huber]

Do you have any way to tell how loud it is in dB?

I can put my db meter on it tomorrow, but I will have to say it is not a loud and the Colt.

[Scot Ferraro]

For the past thirty years, every router I've owned has smoked its front bearing -- Makita, Bosch, Dewalt, Festool. Have you found a brand or a model that doesn't fail?

How many hours of use do you typically get out of a set of bearings? I am just curious as I have not had bearing failure yet, but then again I am just a hobbiest. What are the signs of failure? I know on my Bosch sander it states in the manual the intervals to get the bearings replaced which equates to every other brush change...

Scot

[Phil Thien]

Wow, I thought they'd include the DC fittings at that price. Pre-release materials I read sorta implied they'd be included. And the DC fittings would have to work with either base, too.

Have to rethink getting one of these.

[Jamie Buxton]

How many hours of use do you typically get out of a set of bearings? I am just curious as I have not had bearing failure yet, but then again I am just a hobbiest. What are the signs of failure? I know on my Bosch sander it states in the manual the intervals to get the bearings replaced which equates to every other brush change...

Scot

Dunno how many hours it takes. I'm in the shop every day, and use a router a lot. As for bearings versus brushes, I can't remember ever changing brushes. Bearings, on the other hand, are a constant problem.

The signs of failure are... The rotor stops faster than usual when you take your finger off the trigger. Or sometimes the router heats up more than usual. Or sometimes the bearing starts screaming. A conclusive test is to spin the rotor by hand. If the bearings are dead, it'll feel like there's grit in the bearing.

[Van Huskey]

Thanks for the review, confirms what I saw and thought seeing it at IWF, I'll pick one up when the deals start on them...

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Thanks for the review and starting this thread.

Great, just what I need. Another router.....

[Jay Allen]

IBut alas, the only base that can accept the bushings is the plunge base, kind of negating the small size that will fit in the area of an already installed door jamb.

Certainly it's the same as any of the full-sized 2-base router kits in the market....the sub-bases will interchange. This gives you the option of using a templete-guide or having a larger hole to run bits of greater diameter with either type of base.

The only kit 2-base kit I own is the RIDGID, but that's how it works.

[Aaron Frank]

Not to hijack this thread, but does anyone know if Dewalt makes a dust collection attachment for the fixed base DW 618 similar to the one pictured here? I've looked and couldn't find one.
Thanks
Aaron

[Bill Huber]

Do you have any way to tell how loud it is in dB?

Well Mike I failed you on this one, I pulled my old db meter out this morning and it is not working. I have not had it out in years so I am not sure what the problem is. I guess I will have to pull it apart and see what I can find.

I can tell you that it is just a little quieter then the Colt.