Router Shopping

[Gregory King]

Being in a real need of a small router, I think I will give in and purchase a Rigid. I have always been a big fan of the PC 7310 which we have used often at work. By comparison, the Rigid comes with a bit more amperage and also a round base which is not supplied on the PC for whatever reason, although it is not a great chore to make one. Are there any fans of the Rigid?

[Bill Huber]

If you are talking about the little trim rounter I had one for about 2 days and took it back. Got a scond one and took it back, the things just run so hot I could not hold it with a bare hand.

I then got the Bosch Colt and loved it, had it for a few years when Dewalt came out with the 611 and I got the 611pak and love it. It is a little larger then the Colt was but not that bad. You have a good base to work with as a plunch router or use the fixed base and it adjust very nicely.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...light=New+baby

[Jim Rimmer]

If you are talking about the little trim rounter I had one for about 2 days and took it back. Got a scond one and took it back, the things just run so hot I could not hold it with a bare hand.

I then got the Bosch Colt and loved it, had it for a few years when Dewalt came out with the 611 and I got the 611pak and love it. It is a little larger then the Colt was but not that bad. You have a good base to work with as a plunch router or use the fixed base and it adjust very nicely.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...light=New+baby

+1 on the DeWalt. Bought one on Bill's recommendation and use it a lot. Hardly ever fire up the Colt anymore. Be sure you kit the PAK so you get the plunge base and the fixed base.

[John W Henderson]

Not sure what you need the router for, but I went through a crazy period of router purchase research and agonizing a bit back. I had just recently gotten into inlay work (example: http://i.imgur.com/VAHGv.jpg and http://i.imgur.com/QM93Z.jpg), and was going to go for something like a PC 7310, Colt, DW611, etc. In the end, I got the Milwaukee 5615 and absolutely love it. I read a ton about these and really took to heart a lot of recommendations about it being nice to be able to do bigger stuff if needed. I didn't get a honking 2.5 HP router or something, but I think my 1.75HP is capable for many tasks. I waffled over variable speed or single and in the end it just didn't sound like variable was that important except for bigger bits and table work.

I read lots of reviews and the Milwaukee was way up there. There were some vibration complaints, but I noticed that at one point Amazon was listing the 5615 and 5616 together (purchased by using a pull down list and selecting which one you wanted). In reading the reviews, I realized that the 5616 (2.5 HP and variable speed) was the one getting most of the complaints.

Anyway, just wanted to add in my thoughts. Not sure what you'll be using it for, but I'd really consider going just a tad bigger. I really had a hard time as it's obviously more money, but I'm so glad I did and think an extra $50-75 really goes a long way in terms of letting you do more than just palm work (I've got to handles and the palm contour with the strap) as well as having more options with bits (mine came with 1/4" and 1/2" collets).

Oh, and I was really, really undecided between the PC690 and the Milwaukee. The PC seems to have far more standard add-ons as it's just "the defacto" router around... but I went to Seven Corners hardware who had both and just liked the feel of the Milwaukee better and people around here said that can really make the biggest difference... so I just got what felt great and what I knew from reviews was going to be solid.

[johnny means]

I have had a Rigid laminate trimmer for going on 6 years now. I like it a lot. It's sturdy and simple. The newer ones look like they have a few more features. It will get hot if you use it as a router, then again so will any laminate trimmer. I use mine for trimming laminate and not much else. Maybe an 1/8" deep hinge mortise every now and then. I wouldn't recommend it as a miniature router like the Dewalt, it simply isn't made for the same types of loads.

BTW, I hate my Colt. I discussed that here. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...t=#post1642209

[Gregory King]

Thanks. I was referring to the laminate trimmer size. A few that are mentioned above are a bit larger than I want to go to. I already have the PC895 combo kit. Again the Rigid R2401 was kind of the one I had in mind. I know from past experenice that the PC version was more than capable of some of the larger 1/4" shank cutters than we should have used in this model. However they seemed to be very capable of standing up longterm, regardless.

[Gregory King]

Bought the Rigid at HD after work. $99 plus tax. Wanted to give the girl a whirl this week-end. Certainly smaller than the PC in the same class. Variable speed c/w LED lite. The fine adjustment works really smooth. Can't sneeze at the lifetime warranty either. Both round and square base. I'll post an update after my Tool Test.