Router with Built-in Dust Collection

[Michael Zerance]

I am looking to get a mid-size router for handheld use that has built-in dust collection. I believe the Porter Cable 892 and the DeWalt 618 are contenders but I have no experience with either.

I have a bunch of PC 690 routers which are great but they have no dust collection. I also have the Bosch 1617evs with the dust collection accessories but I hate fumbling with the screws and attachments and have dedicated that router to the router table.

I would consider dust collection attachments for the 690 routers but I don't believe there is anything available.

I hesitate to get the PC 892 because it doesn't appear to be of the same build or design quality as my 690 and 7518 routers which are good, no-frills production machines.

Any thoughts? I'm not going to consider Festool...just throwing that out there.

[Brian W Smith]

This may seem a little left field....

On any pce of equipment,try to get a handle on the exact shape and location of the "rooster tail"....IOW's,how is the swarf coming off the tooling?

Once you can measure the shape,the easier it is to create a defined "pickup".A hand held router has more of a flat spray,spread out over so many degrees...think a slice of pie.Now,being as dust almost universally gets conveyed in a round tube,hopefully you see the issue.The transition from flat to round,from an engineering standpoint is going to be critical to overall performance.

So any abrupt,round tube to transition...irrespective of how convenient (oh look,amazon sells this?)..may not be the best approach.Good luck with your project.

[glenn bradley]

Brian hits on the general issue. Dust collection on a hand held router is directly proportional to the cut being made allowing good capture. My Milwaukee's capture very well when making dado's and other captured cuts. This simple adapter works as well as anything I've seen when performing a similar cut.

Mil DC.JPG

For edge work I use an after-market as the method of capture is very different.

Dust Port.JPG

Even the little Colt does well if the DC approach matches the task.

Media Cabinet (59).jpg

Obviously your vac and your ability to control the suction contribute as well.

[Steve Eure]

Have you considered the DeWalt 621? It is a plunge router with built in dc and does a good job.