Best bang for the buck router for a table?

[Michael Yadfar]

I agree with these guys. I have a Triton in my router table and love it. And to answer your later question about a lift being required - no they are not but if you combine what you would pay for a good quality router and a lift, the Triton is a bargain and once you have a lift you will love it. Advantages: 1. easy height adjustments; no bending and stooping and reaching under the table to make height adjustments; 2. you don't have to remove the router from the table to change bits.

Triton is one of the routers I was considering so I'm wondering what kind of lift you use

[Dave Anthony]

With the Triton you don't need a lift, you can adjust the bit height from the top of the table w/out one. With most other routers you'll need a lift to get the same functionality. I wouldn't recommend the Triton for hand held use, but in a table it works great.

[Jim Rimmer]

With the Triton you don't need a lift, you can adjust the bit height from the top of the table w/out one. With most other routers you'll need a lift to get the same functionality. I wouldn't recommend the Triton for hand held use, but in a table it works great.

Yeah, that's the beauty of the Triton - good quality router with built in lift, so to speak. You can raise it from above the table for height adjustments and bit changes. No additional lift required.

EDIT: I just reread my original post and it's not very clear there that you don't need a lift with the Triton. Sorry for the confusion. It's one of those familiarity things - I know how it works and you haven't seen one. Go to YouTube and search for Triton router; there are a lot of videos of features and comparisons.

[Michael Yadfar]

Yeah, that's the beauty of the Triton - good quality router with built in lift, so to speak. You can raise it from above the table for height adjustments and bit changes. No additional lift required.

EDIT: I just reread my original post and it's not very clear there that you don't need a lift with the Triton. Sorry for the confusion. It's one of those familiarity things - I know how it works and you haven't seen one. Go to YouTube and search for Triton router; there are a lot of videos of features and comparisons.

Are we talking about the 2HP or the 3.25? The one I saw on the website that said "best value" was the 2HP triton.

[Larry Browning]

Wow Michael! You really know how to get us going. What's next? Which track saw is the best? Or how about, Should I get a SawStop or a conventional table saw? Or my personal favorite, What's your opinion of Festool? Biscuit joiner or Domino?

BTW: PLEASE! no one try to answer any of my questions!

[Larry Browning]

Are we talking about the 2HP or the 3.25? The one I saw on the website that said "best value" was the 2HP triton.

My opinion, is that if you are looking for a router that you use in a table and hand held then the 2hp would be a good choice, but if you are looking for a dedicated table router the 3.25hp would be a better choice.

BTW: you can pick the 3.25hp Triton for $199 if you can catch it on sale.

[Michael Yadfar]

Yea I know, I ask too much questions. I assume you are joking but if it's an issue just don't answer. But you guys on this forum have been a real good help so far, and have had a big influence on my decisions so I believe it's been worth your time. There's a whole lot of nonsense questions I could ask, but trust me, I do hold off on a lot

[Larry Browning]

Yea I know, I ask too much questions. I assume you are joking but if it's an issue just don't answer. But you guys on this forum have been a real good help so far, and have had a big influence on my decisions so I believe it's been worth your time. There's a whole lot of nonsense questions I could ask, but trust me, I do hold off on a lot

No, NO, Totally joking! It's just that there are a few subjects that really hit some peoples hot button and they really feel passionate about. At one point the mods had to close a few threads on things like SawStop and Festool, because of the ugly comments. The mods do a really good job of keeping the peace. This is hands down my favorite woodworking web site.

Also, sometimes when you ask for opinions about what's the best this or that, you get so many conflicting opinions that you end up more confused about what to do than before you asked.

[Doug Ladendorf]

If you subscribe to Woodpecker's emails they always have a Whiteside bit or set on sale. Pick them up if you can. Excellent value.

Another vote for Milwaukee and Hitachi. Good experiences with both.

Doug

[Myk Rian]

The only turnoff about this product is the name Hitachi.

Designed by these guys?

[Don Huffer]

Wow Michael! You really know how to get us going. What's next? Which track saw is the best? Or how about, Should I get a SawStop or a conventional table saw? Or my personal favorite, What's your opinion of Festool? Biscuit joiner or Domino?

BTW: PLEASE! no one try to answer any of my questions!

It's spelled Fe$tool.

[Don Huffer]

I guess when I answered the OP question. I gave my 2 cents based on the question. Best bang for the buck. If we are talking about best router of all time no cost limit going to spin giant bits router table for every need. Then my response would be different.

I built a router table with a lift that doesn't cost hundreds of dollars, is very accurate and is the easiest to set up and use. Bits change in a snap without lifting it out or cranking it up. It micro adjusts from the top and didn't cost more than $50 dollars.

[Bill Huber]

Ok, not wanting to beat a dead horse on this but a question.

I get a Triton router and mount it in my table, now I only have one router so if I want to use it hand held I have to remove the router from the plate, reinstall the router base plate and I am ready to go, correct?

With my lift I have the router in the table and need to use it hand held I just turn one screw and the router drops right out and I then put it in the base I need, plunge or fixed.

[Art Mann]

My take on using just one router for both applications is this. Even with a router lift, it takes some extra amount of trouble to remove and replace the router. What If I have a critical table setup I want to maintain and I also need to do a little hand work? This has happened to me many times. The second issue is I want the most powerful router I can afford for table use because I cut raised panels and big profiles with it. Heavier is actually better because it provides more stability as well as power. On the other hand, when I am using a router hand held, I want one that is fairly light and easy to control. I would not want to use my 3-1/4 hp Hitachi router as a hand held tool because it is too heavy. I have found that the 2-1/4 hp Dewalt I use is a good compromise for that purpose. I could certainly use just one router and I could get good results. I just prefer having two (actually I have 5 routers for various reasons).

[Michael Yadfar]

Yea, I'm definitely sure it would be nice to have both a hand and table router. I may buy the Triton 2HP router because it can serve as a decent table router, and when I eventually upgrade to a better table router, I would have a nice hand one too