Contributor
Correct, but the only way you'd get shocked using the old base with bare metal handles is if the hot wire inside the motor came loose for some reason and contacted the motor housing. The chances of that happening are slim, but it must've happened to at least one person, hence the recall.
Originally Posted by ray hampton
Contributor
on the older tools , the insulator would crack from being flex and pretty soon the wire would be free to touch the metal housing or your hand could touch the hot wire
Member
What happens if you route into the power cord? Or plunge into a wall cavity and hit a live wire? There are probably several ways to get hurt on the uninsulated handles, but I would agree that the chances are minimal.
Contributor
Most of the tools like this are double insulated and that's why they can use a 2-prong plug. If the tool is double insulated, I suspect the safety recall is for cases where you would route into a wire. The current would flow through the bit, into the base, and into you. If there was a risk of the motor shorting to the housing, the recall would be different - they'd recall the motor.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Member
I bought my 7518 back in the '90's. It took about three weeks for the base to arrive after I called. The call was handled very professionally. This worked out well for me since I had dropped the router and cracked the old base a few years ago. Now, if they would recall the speed control, I'd be set for another twenty years.
Contributor
Is their any value in the old bases... seems their showing up for sale now?
Member
I see that as well. MAYBE people are buying them to use in a table and the risk of shock is less of an issue. More likely the buyers are unaware of the recall.
Member
The old bases are supposed to be thrown in the trash when you receive the new one; there's a statement to that effect included with the replacement bases. They shouldn't be for sale anywhere, but I'm sure there are plenty of folks who don't care about safety as long as they can make a few bucks...
Contributor
Not the way I would want to make money. Some people must be really tight on cash...
Contributor
Three have been three in our classifieds already. I think some comments about the recall were removed from one of the threads. Making money off recalled items that have been replaced for free is pretty low. Kind of a scam to both buyers and PC.
Contributor
Still dont understand what the safety issue is. The handle has no electrical components. All the electricals are in the body
If the router body is alive with electricity is it not a problem to use it in a router lift or by itself as most of he table mounted routers are? I would like to understand the reasoning behind this recall and whether we still have an issue with table mounted routers.
Last edited by Vijay Kumar; 12-09-2014 at 5:39 PM.
Contributor
My guess is that the problem related to someone routing into a live wire. The motor is double insulated and if they had a problem with the double insulation, they'd recall the motor.
So it seems to me that there would be no problem using the router and base in a table.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Contributor
I had made a comment and yes it was removed.
Member
The funny thing is, the new replacement bases simply have a rubberized coating over the hand hold part, while the vast majority of the surface of the base is still bare metal and still an electrocution hazard (at least, as much as the original all-metal base was ever a hazard)....
Contributor
Insulating the handles may meet the standard a regulation they must meet, regardless of the effectiveness of the modification.
Bill
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