Originally Posted by
Steve Gronsky
I have basically the same question as the original poster on this thread. I'm adding this comment so that I can subscribe to the thread and get additional updates/information.
Thanks all.....
Steve
I've owned a few routers through the years. PC 8529, Milwaukee 5615, PC890, a DeWalt (I forget the model #) A couple of older crappy Craftsman's, and Festool OF2200. I've also used a bunch of others that belonged to other people.
The PC8529's are workhorses. No doubt about it. These are powerful routers. If you have largish hands they are comfortable as handhelds, but in a bench they shine.
The Milwaukee 5615 was a very comfortable router in the hand. I loved the body grip. I broke two of them on the same project, and bought a DeWalt after that. Both times the motor burned out routing long grooves in Jatoba. It's still a very nice router, just don't abuse it like I did. I probably would have tried the 5625 the second time, but they didn't have one, so I got a DeWalt instead. Nice router, But I was sort of clumsy with it. It just didn't fit my hands.
The PC 890 is small and compact, but I don't like it. Mine is loud and whines. There is a high frequency vibration to it that is very fatiguing to the hands. But the noise is too much. I keep it because of it's size, but rarely use it.
The Craftsman's were junk. A waste of good plastic and aluminum.
The Festool is everything I want in a handheld router. Big, powerful, smooth. It took the place of a PC 8529 I was using that was beating my hands up while routing thick Padauk. But it is a big router, physically, and somewhat heavy. I have larger hands so I don't have an issue using the Festool handheld,but I could easily see that someone with smaller hands would have trouble. I guess you could mount the Festool in a router table, but it seems like a waste too me. It truly was designed around being handheld. My PC 8529's are set up for the router table anyway, and they're little beasts.
Bottom line in my opinion is that there is no best router. Each person has to find the one that suits them the best.
To answer the original question though. For me the OF2200 is hands down the nicest handheld router I've used to date.
Last edited by Mike Cutler; 02-10-2013 at 9:26 AM.
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