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Thread: So what router would you really recommend for me?

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    So what router would you really recommend for me?

    Ok OK. I know I know. I hate these types of questions over in the wood turning forum. There is shows up mostly as "what set of turning tools/chuck/accessories would you recommend"... There are both a bunch of answers and a million posts on the subject.

    But I swear I tried searching. Then I just started working my back 1 page at a time. I found only limited information. Mostly people talking about a specific router.

    I posted a thread here a bit ago about what to outfit a shop with. I am mostly a wood turner. But I want to build a few things for around the house. One of the constant comments in my thread, http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=117948, was that I would need a good router or 3 or 4. I started researching them. I thought table saws were a bad thing to research. My goodness!

    So I started with some of the obvious things: Searches here, google searches for reviews and tool types and I found something that is extremely consistent. If there are 50 reviews on a tool then:
    - 15-20 of them will love the tool and consider it the best thing they ever spent money on it and will give it 5-out-of-5.
    - 7-10 will consider it everything they could have hoped for and for some reason will give it a 4 (If it does what you want and is a real value for the money why give it a 4 instead of a 5?)
    - 3-5 will give it a 3 often citing nothing wrong with it except for something minor. Came in yellow and would have preferred black etc...
    - There will be no 2's for whatever the reason.
    - There will be at least 5 1's. Most of which will state that if they could have given it a 0 or even gone negative they would have.

    Now here is where it goes all wonky on me and I realized that I will never reach a conclusion on my own with my limited time and resources. (I.e. I can't buy 1 of ever router out there...)

    IF, and I do mean IF!!!, the reviews who gave it a 5-star rating are right then buying it would be a no brainer. They are often quite convincing stating years of experience both in wood working and in using this tool directly.

    But by that same token the people who give it 0-stars are just as convincing. And if they are right no one should ever ever ever buy one of these tools. It would be just as effective as going out in the back yard and using the bills to start a nice fire for roasting marshmallows.

    The best part they are both talking about the same stinking tool! Frued? Both the best and the worst! Dewalt, Craftsman, Fesstool, Bosch all the same. Reviews will glow in the dark and melt holes in the couch and the next will state the company should be shot as a whole for building it.


    So how does a poor newb like me when it comes to flat work ever make a good choice? He comes here and asks the experts at the Creek.

    Now I am expecting conflicting answers. Some will love Dewalt and some Craftsman (well maybe not Craftsman... and still others Porter-Cable and so on.

    That is fine... But are there certain models from these manufacturers that you have and love/would recommend to others? They can't call suck can they? They can't all be a crap shoot? Even the $800 Fesstool ones aren't universally loved...

    So lay it on me? What would you recommend?

    So the history after the last thread. I started looking around for way to do what I wanted without investing in a SawStop TS that I just can't swing right now $-wise. I found an old copy of a NYWS episode on routers, I tape them all and watch them as I get interested, I have a BIG TIVO!!! , and as I was watching his router 101 2-parter I realized that much of what I want to do can be done with a good router, mortise and tenon joints/box joints/dados/etc..., so I thought to myself: Hey! With a few jigs I could build some of what I want.

    So I started my search and after almost 2 weeks I have realized I am never going to make the best choice myself.

    So what I was looking at. I thought a multi-base kit was probably a good call at this point. I would get more options out of the mix, but at the notable but in my case small cost of extra time getting things setup.

    I have also seen the multi-base options range from $99 at Home Depot for the Skill version to almost a $1000 for some high end brands. ACK. That doesn't help. I need to play in the bottom half of that range. *sigh* I was going to be rich, really I was but....

    So what is best for someone starting up like me want to get something that will go the distance? The $219 kit from Sears for the Craftsman? The Milwaukee EVS kits I found everywhere for about $250? The Bosch 1617evs that is one of those I mentioned with the serious split in reviews?

    Someone, anyone, everyone!!! please help if you can!

    Thanks a Million,
    Joshua

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    Hot Springs, VA
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    763

    Choices

    I would go with most popular model - HP 3HP. I don't have this model, but I do have a three others.
    In my opinion - most expensive is not the best only if you are looking for something very specific, like above table adjustment, or red cover, or light weight and so on... You can choose your router by setting options which you want. If you put together -3hp, compatibility with my table lift, free shipping and 8 mm collet you will get only Festool.
    I always read all review I can find about some tools or TV set or digital camera. And after that I narrow my choices by criteria I thing is most important to me.

  3. #3
    Only YOU can answer this question for your needs. If you've thought about what you want the router to do and you've done your research simply take the "plunge" and buy the one that you want that's in your price range.

    Personally, I have two of the Bosch 1617 EVS combo kits and one of the Hitachi combo kits. I much prefer the Bosch. Either of those can be purchased for less than $250. There's a good Freud router and PC router and a Milwaukee router.

    Just get one and put it to work. Live and learn.
    Stephen Edwards
    Hilham, TN 38568

    "Build for the joy of it!"

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
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    Ormond Beach, FL Birth Place of Speed
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    I have several routers from a Dremil to the 3 1/HP. Both plunge and fixed base. In fact if you were to ask my wife she would say I am router poor. I have 1-1 3/HP Craftsman, 1-3 1/HP Bosch plunge, 2-2 1/HP Bosch, 1 Porter Cable Trim router, 1 Porter Cable 2 1/HP with fixed and punge bases, 1-3 1/HP Porter Cable plunge , 1-3 1/HP Milwaukee plunge and I also have a Porter Cable Pocket Cutter which has 2 routers. Have I found any brand to be much better than the other? Toss out the Craftsman. I keep it because it is the first router I purchased. The others all work and perform as they should. What I will tell you just stop reading and looking. Go out and buy a router. You will learn a lot about what you want once you use one. They are all good products and you just need service after that. Get a router and have some enjoyment.
    Last edited by Jim Bowers; 08-17-2009 at 7:56 PM.

  5. #5
    I'm no expert, but I was recently facing the same question and after a lot of researching around I settled on the Milwaukee, the 5616-24 kit with two bases. I waited a while and got it when amazon dropped the price to $188. Very happy so far.
    Last edited by Matt Stiegler; 08-17-2009 at 7:56 PM.

  6. #6
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    Feb 2008
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    Funny story. I used to work in the restaurant business as a chef and I recall those online reviews from the "general public" being very similar in nature to the tool reviews on places like Amazon. You have the effusive freak that just has to rave about something they have had to the point you find it hard to believe anything could be that good, you have the few in the middle that some how felt pressured into reviewing something they have had, and as they are not effusive freaks and nothing is perfect, they have some reason to hold back a star or two in almost all cases. I suspect most aspects of their lives are like this. And then you have the disgruntled few that are mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore, and neither should you! I attribute this disparity in opinion largely to the several personality types of people most likely to bother to fill out reviews and their motivations more so than the actual product at hand. This is not honest consumer reporting to be trusted in any way IMO. The sample set is hardly random. Its mostly a pile of poop.

    In any event, I have used a handful of routers in a classroom setting, professionally and in my own shop, and I have mostly found them all to be pretty capable tools each with its own quirks. Some I prefer more or less than others, and I have not used any from the very bottom of the pool, but I know of NO major manufacturer that is foisting junk on an unwitting public. Sometimes the choice comes down the individual using the tool, their stance, the work they do, and the size of their hands. Imagine if we all had to wear the same size shoes and pants?

    I have a bosch 1617EVS combo that I enjoy using quite a bit. I use the same router at work quite a bit. I have three 3 1/2HP production routers, one Bosch plunge, one PC, and one pre-borg Ryobi plunge (that is built like a tank). I have used DeWalts, PC, one odd Milwakee, taken a Festool for a test spin, and fondled many more though not under power. They all do the same thing. They turn a bit round and round. For a general purpose all around tool I am very happy with the Bosch 1617EVS kit. Nice plunge base too. I really like the handles on the bosch and the balance of the tool for freehand work in most cases. I have yet to notice much difference between routers in a table situation beyond ease of adjustment if used without a lift.

    So there is my pile of...ummm...opinion on the subject.

  7. #7
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    I'll solve your problem. Get a Milwaukee.

    http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachme...4&d=1203896663

    The 5615 combo kit is on sale for peanuts right now:

    http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QV35AK/...SIN=B000QV35AK

    The larger (HP) 5616 motor will fit both bases and allows variable speed. I went the opposite way and bought the 5616-24 combo and used my 5615 in it for mortising and dovetailing, I use the 5616 for larger work (in any 5615 or 5616 base). The exception is the 5625 which lives in the table (base not swappable).

    I have owned and do own other brands but they now collect more dust than they create.
    Last edited by glenn bradley; 08-17-2009 at 8:01 PM.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Peter Quinn View Post
    ...and I have mostly found them all to be pretty capable tools each with its own quirks.
    +1. Don't go crazy with the details. They're awfully simple tools (even something like a ROS has lots of differences like stroke length, speed, pad size, dust collection success, etc), but if it makes a bit spin really fast, then it's a router. The criteria you use to select one will really be silly things like color, weight, if you like the power switch, etc.

    Go touch a few, find one that you think you'll like, and buy it. You'll find that it's very usable, but maybe there are a few very minor things that you wished were different. Then next time you go to buy one to continue populating your herd of routers, you'll buy one that's slightly different.

  9. #9
    Join Date
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    Short answer...Porter-Cable. When I caught this disease, an old cabinetmaker told me that for his money, there was only one router-PC. I took his advice and have no regrets. What it boils down to though, is this, you pays your money, and you takes your chance. Pick the color you like-red, blue, gray, and go with it. You probably won't go wrong, provided it has the features you desire. FWIW, I have since picked up a couple of Bosch routers also. Like them just fine, too.

  10. #10
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    Did you see the earlier post on the 99 buck Freud router? I got thier 2 1/4 router and I thinkis it's great, for 100 bucks. You CAN get much better routers, but you gotta pay. How much will you use the router? If it's a lot then buy a high end one.
    Oh, the 2 -1/4 Freud has above table adjustment, so it's great in the sense that you don't need a router and a lift too. So, buy 3, since you won't have to spend money on the lift. 2 spare routers.
    Soft start, variable speed, 1/2" and 1/4" collets, 2 bases and a router plate. For 100 bucks. You can have 2 spare plates too. Lots of good features in a cheapo router. Toss 'em when it dies.

    Just my .02.

  11. #11
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    I started out with a Porter Cable 690. I still have it but it sits in the corner after getting the Dewalt DW618B3.
    Last edited by Cary Falk; 08-17-2009 at 8:33 PM. Reason: spelling

  12. #12
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    Joshua, most of the accessories that are made today fit porter cable routers. and I think they have been the industry standard for a long time. if you want a plain router that will do just about any task and last a life time I think you would be happy with a PC 690..I have had mine for 10 years and it even went under the ocean ( during hurricane Ivan ) for three days, let it dry out and it still works....I also have a c-man and a freud but like my PC the best
    Dave

    IN GOD WE TRUST
    USN Retired

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by matt stiegler View Post
    i'm no expert
    +1

    Quote Originally Posted by matt stiegler View Post
    but i was recently facing the same question and after a lot of researching around i settled on the milwaukee, the 5616-24 kit with two bases.
    +1

    Quote Originally Posted by matt stiegler View Post
    very happy so far.
    +1 :d

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by glenn bradley View Post
    I'll solve your problem. Get a Milwaukee.

    http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachme...4&d=1203896663

    The 5615 combo kit is on sale for peanuts right now:

    http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QV35AK/...SIN=B000QV35AK

    The larger (HP) 5616 motor will fit both bases and allows variable speed. I went the opposite way and bought the 5616-24 combo and used my 5615 in it for mortising and dovetailing, I use the 5616 for larger work (in any 5615 or 5616 base). The exception is the 5625 which lives in the table (base not swappable).
    I'll echo what Glenn said: That price is a steal.
    Maurice

  15. #15
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    What exactly are these "projects" that you want to do? Inlays? M&T joinery? Is dust collection exceedingly important to you? A lot of what you want to do makes a difference!

    If you just want to do edge work, a plunge base/capability isn't necessary, though virtually everyone will agree that you WILL want to have that capability as you progress. You also don't need some 3.5HP monster either. Most simply decorative edge work spins on 1/4" collets (small roundovers, small coves, small flush-trim bits, etc.). You don't need a huge motor to spin those bits! Why grab that heavy and cumbersome 3.5HP beast when your little palm router (think Bosch Colt) will work just great?!?

    M&T joinery? You are really going to want plunge capability, though it's not at all necessary! The ability to add guide bushings is a must though as you'll likely be making some sort of jig or purchasing a jig/fixture to help with these things. You'll likely be spinning 1/2" shank bits so a medium powered router will do just fine. Again, you don't need some monster motor to spin these bits, though a small HP palm router likely isn't going to help you at all.

    Fancy router table work? Want to raise some panels?!? Now we're talking the big stuff. Invest wisely!! If you're going to be using a router table often you will be itching for a router lift sooner than later. They just make the whole process so much less cumbersome. Be certain that whatever router you want fits into whatever lift you plan on purchasing. Medium routers will work fine in table operations, but understand that you're not utilizing the table at it's fullest potential. Bigger routers can spin bigger bits more easily without bogging down and causing other problems. I can not see raising panels as a hand held operation, thought I'm certain it's done every day.
    Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

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