My beloved Porter Cable 2 1/2 hp 7529 died. It was a popular design in the 80s similar to the famous Elu 3338 and was light weight yet with power and a 1/2” collet. I am looking to replace it.

I have a half dozen routers and this fills a particular niche for template routing of mortise and tenons with a shop made jig attached to my bench and it will be held up in the air at shoulder height, so weight is a factor and the smaller is better to a point. The dedicated plunge routers have better balance but I haven’t tried one of the new combo kits in DeWalt or PC model line (PC 893 or DeWalt 618 ). Nor have I tried any of the big boy plunges which are usually 11-12 lbs (DeWalt 625). My requirements are:

—2 hp or so
—1/2” Collet
—Dedicated Plunge (not a combo kit)
—Will not be anywhere near a router table
—Must work with Porter Cable guide bushings
—Should be light

I like the looks of Bosch 1617evs but will it work easily with my PC guide bushings?

I also like the DeWalt 621 at 9 lbs but don’t have a lot of information on it.

Porter Cable doesn’t seem to make a mid-sized dedicated plunge router anymore but I could missed it. Makita and Ryobi also abandoned that product line.

I could be convinced to go with a combo kit or one of the big boys if any of you have real world experience but would prefer a medium sized dedicated plunge.

Thanks in advance to all who respond.