Craftsman router purchase

[Brian Keith]

Looking to buy a router and Sears has these 3 for sale that are used(returned). 917528=$48, 917511=#62, 917533=$76. Never owned one before and just want to know if any are worth buying. Router would be mounted to my TS. I dont nessasarily need to buy a Craftsman , I just happened to see these. Salesman didnt know why they were brought back. Thanks

[Bart Leetch]

You should have at least a 2 hp & the availability to use either 1/4" or 1/2" shaft router bits. Don't buy a router just on price. I have to chuckle about this mine was free. But it is a Hitachi M12V & is used in my router table only. It has the power & I used the router raiser system which uses the plunge system of the router & a crank that is put into a socket in the surface of the router plate to raise & lower the router.

Come on guys lets get some input on this for Brian.

Remember my way may not be for you I usually try to get reasonably priced tools & fixtures that will do what I need & the best bang for the buck.

[Hoa Dinh]

Sears website doesn't like those model numbers.

If they take only 1/4" shank bits, pass.

[Dan Lyke]

My first router, and the one I point to over and over as the reason that I won't ever again buy a tool based on price alone, is a Craftsman 1/4" shaft 1.5HP router. So, were they returned because people bought 'em, tried 'em, and then went back for a real router?

I'm not as averse to the 1/4" shaft as most people are, in purchasing my most recent router I talked about this with someone whose woodworking abilities I trust who said "yeah, thicker shaft is good, but the problems you're having are probably just taking off too much wood per cut", which is how I ended up with my current small and light (and only 1/4" or 8mm chuck) Festool OF 1010, but...

The things I've learned to look for from that bad Craftsman experience are:

1. Unless you're dedicating this to a router table, you want a plunge router.
2. Variable speed is really handy, especially if you're going for a big beefy router, but even for small handheld ones (ie: if you're going for 1/2" shaft because you expect to be throwing around big bits and cutting molding in a single pass, you definitely need speed control).
3. Make sure the chuck extends way down. Beyond the baseplate, if possible.
4. Figure out before you buy it how the guide bushings or copy rings mount.
5. If you go with something with a small shaft, do it with the understanding that you will end up buying another router at some point. Or a shaper.
6. Consider how the router will get the dust and shavings out of the routing area. A vacuum hookup isn't just for dust control, it can also get things clear of the cutter to prevent scorching (or melting, in the case of plastic) to make your cut cleaner.

[Brian Keith]

Thanks for the replies. These routers are only in the Craftsman tool catalog which I scanned the page. Routers are 917528=S, 917511=R, 917533=J. Sorry about the quality, youll have to get a close up to read text.

[scott spencer]

Hi Brian - The red one in the pic is essentially a Bosch 1617, and it's made by Bosch for Sears...if you can get that one at a good price, it'd be a great router. I think I'd pass on the others and hold out for a good deal on a PC690 or Hitachi 2hp...great deals come along now and then.

[John Kain]

I'm anti-Craftsman power tools. I'll admit to that after a couple tools died on me (table saw and router). The router died after about a year of moderate use. It was a 1 3/4 HP router, fixed base. I was rounding off a table top and the power started to fail. I took the whole thing apart, cleaned everything, to no avail.

Since then, I have a M12V for the table and a Hitachi 2 1/4 HP plunge out of the table. I couldn't be happier.

I'd pass on the Craftsman. That's just my opinion.