Motor for router lift

[John Coloccia]

I'll be looking for a router lift motor soon. The PC7518 is obviously the standard choice, and I'm all for that except for one thing. I'll say this as nicely as I can: Porter Cable quality has gone into the toilet the last few years. Their routers have gone from behaving like my old, USA made router (almost 20 years old and still going strong) to being questionable out of the box and needing bearings in 6 months.

So tell me about the 7518. Have they managed to at least keep THAT particular motor on track, or should I just skip PC altogether and go somewhere else? If so, where do I go?

[Bill Huber]

I have only had mine for 2 years and it has been use a lot in the 2 years on just about everything I can think of, raised panels, box joints and everything in between with no problem.

I will say that when I got it the collet had a bad snap ring on it and I could not get a bit in or out very well, I got a new Precision collet and everything has been just fine, I love the Precision collet and now that I have it I am glad the one of the 7518 was bad.

[Phil Thien]

Interesting thread. I'd like to get a 7518 some day but hadn't thought about how PC's recent "realignment" may cause problems for some of these higher-end tools.

And I just watched over at woodgears.ca how routers with removable motors are not sold in Europe so I sure hope these things aren't kicked to the street by whomever is running PC these days.

[John Coloccia]

Interesting thread. I'd like to get a 7518 some day but hadn't thought about how PC's recent "realignment" may cause problems for some of these higher-end tools.

And I just watched over at woodgears.ca how routers with removable motors are not sold in Europe so I sure hope these things aren't kicked to the street by whomever is running PC these days.

I know that the 690 (or whatever it's called now) was one of the first to go downhill. Last I checked, several years back, the 7518 was solid as ever, but I'm not so sure anymore.

[ken masoumi]

I also need a decent router ,the 7518 quality may have gone lower but not the price,the last time I checked it was more expensive than most other routers .the problem is,there's no guarantee others will be any better,Milwaukee may be an alternative.

[John Coloccia]

Milwaukee's gone to the dark side. Chinese owned, made in China. There is absolutely no way I will spend almost $500 on a Chinese router. I can buy a Festool router for $500, for heaven's sake. That's the thing. If not the 7518, then WHAT? If Festool made a motor, I'd be all over it.

[David Weaver]

I think festools big router is closer to $800 isn't it? I have the OF 1400, but wouldn't put it in a table.

I don't have much to comment about routers, as I have a 7518 in a table, but routers aren't something I use very much. It performs well, but it's 8 years old with little use and that's not very relevant for current stuff.

If they can't make something relatively plain like a 7518 well, while festool can make a marvel of clean precise manufacturing (albeit at a cost), then I have no clue what a good route is. The milwaukee always was sort of a second rate option for a table, and if it's chinese made and still $475, a very bad joke.

I'd still risk it with the PC, I see them new on ebay for $299 (less than the motor itself costs from amazon). `

[Kent A Bathurst]

I know that the 690 (or whatever it's called now) was one of the first to go downhill.

My "newest" 690 was mfg maybe 3 years ago. My "oldest" maybe 15 years ago. I don't notice any change in overall quality [HP increase, some small design differences, VS vs fixed speed, nothing of note].

First I have heard that the 690 has gone downhill. That right there would annoy me. Personal experience, or anecdotal?

[John Coloccia]

First I have heard that the 690 has gone downhill. That right there would annoy me. Personal experience, or anecdotal?

My own 690 is close to 20 years old, but I know a good handful of workers that bought new ones to replace their ailing older ones, and they were replacing the bearings within the year. If I remember correctly, one guy actually fried the motor. The general consensus was also that there was more vibration (maybe bearing or collet related?). This was a few years back. Maybe they've worked out their problems after moving to Mexico and things are right again. That's sort of why I started this thread. I don't really know where they are anymore. I haven't specifically heard anything bad about the 7518, but I also haven't really been too active in my woodworking community the last few years, so I'm not hearing all the "dirt" anymore.

In contrast, the little Dewalt palm router is a thing of beauty, silky smooth and gives me no trouble at all. So it's not like they CAN'T get it right when they want to.

[Jamie Buxton]

I have a 7518 motor in a lift. It is about a year old, and has not given me any problems. However, it is not one of those tools I use every day; I'm much more likely to use a handheld router.

[Kent A Bathurst]

......... Dewalt palm router is a thing of beauty, silky smooth and gives me no trouble at all. So it's not like they CAN'T get it right when they want to.

Had not heard about those other problems. Siiiigh........another "old reliable" down the drain.

On the DW - I might be wrong, but in the back of my mind, there is a suspicion they are upgrading the DW line to be the top-end, positioning the venerable PC in the mid-range, and relegating B&D to the bottom of the heap [where it always was, in my reference chart].

[Jerry Wright]

Might check Amazon reviews. Everyone doesn't seem agree on the toilet track.

[Alan Bienlein]

MLCS has one that is the same size as the PC7518 for about $220. Just scroll down the page to see it.
http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shops...turn-lift.html

[Halgeir Wold]

Just for info, but the Bosch 1617 is available in a european version - at roughly 3x the US price.........
Looks quite similar - don't know if there are other differences than the price tag....

[John Coloccia]

Just for info, but the Bosch 1617 is available in a european version - at roughly 3x the US price.........
Looks quite similar - don't know if there are other differences than the price tag....

Bosch manufactures....or manufactured, at any rate...all over the place. For example, I THINK (I have to check) that my Bosch 1617 might actually be made in the USA (or at least assembled here), though I believe it's now made in Mexico. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but it's obviously not going to be the same product. I wouldn't be surprised if the European version was made in Germany, or Sweden or something like that. It's very difficult to keep track of, and manufacturers just aren't particularly forthcoming for the most part.