What Router To Buy?

Posted: 2/28/2021 9:51:25 PM EDT

I'm thinking about getting a router for my sis for her birthday. She's always building something and has said she needs a router at least a dozen times in the last month.

I don't know anything about routers so any advice would be appreciated. My budget is $200-ish but with a hard max of $300.

Posted: 2/28/2021 10:04:30 PM EDT

[#1]

My Porter Cable has been flawless and I run the shit out of it. It's not a tier one router but it's a decent one for little cash.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Porter-Cable-11-Amp-Corded-1-3-4-Horsepower-Fixed-Base-Router-Kit-9690LR/100035094

Posted: 2/28/2021 10:13:05 PM EDT

[#2]

Bosch makes a very good one in my opinion
Here is a combo with plunge and fixed base- https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-1617EVSPK-Woodworking-Router-Combo/dp/B00005RHPD

Do you know if she needs a plunge base? Or maybe a smaller trim router would be better? Does she have cordless tools? Pretty much all the cordless brands have good trim routers now

Posted: 2/28/2021 10:20:09 PM EDT

[#3]

I used to own a tool store. You would not go wrong with either the Porter-Cable or Bosch in the above posts. They are both excellent.

Posted: 2/28/2021 10:23:01 PM EDT

[#4]

What kind of work is she doing?

Just putting edge on things?
Duplicating cut pieces?
Circle cutter?
Trim laminate?

I have a Dewalt set that has both plunge and fixed bases, I really like it but I am no means a master craftsman

'

Posted: 2/28/2021 11:30:22 PM EDT

[#5]

What power tool brand is she tied to? A lot of them offer cordless models. My Milwaukee Fuel cordless router is awesome.

Posted: 2/28/2021 11:41:08 PM EDT

[#6]

She's not really brand specific that I know of. She has a cordless drill but I can't remember what kind it is. Makita I think, maybe. She does all kind of woodworking stuff. She's built different pieces of furniture and such. She has lots of tools and stuff like a drill press, band saw, hydraulic press, all kinds of power saws. She wants to be able to build bigger pieces of furniture. We just bought a new house and she wants to be able to build new cabinets and bookshelves and stuff instead of buying them.

All I really know is she's always saying she needs a router to do the stuff she really wants to do.

From reading I know there are fixed routers and plunge routers but I have no idea which I need to get or what brand & model.

Posted: 2/28/2021 11:45:17 PM EDT

[#7]

If she has Makita cordless stuff she has decent taste in tools :-)

Ask her. Plunge routers are a different beast. I'd stick with fixed if she's not sure . . . way simpler and less expensive plus less parts to break.

Posted: 2/28/2021 11:49:27 PM EDT

[#8]

Really depends what she wants to do.

I have a big dewalt router and a smaller trim size battery powered milwaukee. The big one can do everything the little one can do, but sometimes it's more cumbersome. The big one also uses 2 different size shanks. Smaller routers limit you in what bits you can use and what jobs you can do.

Usual arfcom response, get both.

Posted: 2/28/2021 11:51:46 PM EDT

[#9]

Porter cable 1-3/4hp router with an addition plunge base can do basically any medium projects and is easy on the wallet. If you're going to put it in a table then the Bosch 1617 is excellent as a fixed router.

Posted: 2/28/2021 11:56:20 PM EDT

[#10]

I have the big Bosch plunge router. It is a great machine, but I often wish I had something smaller and less cumbersome.

Posted: 3/1/2021 4:01:38 AM EDT

[#11]

So what's the advantage/disadvantage of fixed vs plunge?

Posted: 3/1/2021 6:34:23 AM EDT

[#12]

WATCH THIS before you buy a router! (A lot of stuff you may not know!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1NNk8p8ca4

Posted: 3/1/2021 6:43:57 AM EDT

[#13]

Bosch Colt palm router with plunge base kit.

Posted: 3/1/2021 8:32:39 AM EDT

[#14]

Quote History

Quoted:
She's not really brand specific that I know of. She has a cordless drill but I can't remember what kind it is. Makita I think, maybe. She does all kind of woodworking stuff. She's built different pieces of furniture and such. She has lots of tools and stuff like a drill press, band saw, hydraulic press, all kinds of power saws. She wants to be able to build bigger pieces of furniture. We just bought a new house and she wants to be able to build new cabinets and bookshelves and stuff instead of buying them.

All I really know is she's always saying she needs a router to do the stuff she really wants to do.

From reading I know there are fixed routers and plunge routers but I have no idea which I need to get or what brand & model.

View Quote

Ask her which brand she prefers.

Posted: 3/2/2021 4:30:33 PM EDT

[#15]

I have 7 routers (some are dedicated to certain bits/set ups).I have used my small trim routers most. I just bought the Dewalt cordless trim router, I fully expect it to become my go to. If she has Makita tools and batteries buy her the Makita cordless.

Posted: 3/3/2021 10:05:34 AM EDT

[#16]

I started out with the Porter Cable with both bases. Fixed and plunge. Bought a router table for it too. But I find myself grabbing my Dewalt palm router more often.

Posted: 3/6/2021 4:38:26 PM EDT

[#17]

Ok, so lots of good information. Thanks! Not sure what I'll do yet but at least I have a base of knowledge to work from.

Posted: 3/7/2021 3:49:20 AM EDT

[#18]

Porter Cable USED to be the industry standard. It's a shell of what it was now.

Bosch and Makita would be my picks. Get a combo set that has a fixed and plunge base and is variable speed. More power the better.

I have a 25 year old Porter Cable fixed speed, Bosch trim router, Hitachi plunge router, Makita fixed base variable speed router, and a Bosch combo variable speed router. That last one is now my most used. Usually can be found for about $260-$270 but sometimes they run promotions with like $25 off. Model MRC23EVSK.

Let us know what you get.

Posted: 3/7/2021 9:58:46 AM EDT

[#19]

Since it sounds like she'll be using it to build furniture in a shop, I'd avoid a cordless. Cordless is great if you need to move around a lot, or are just making a couple quick cuts, but isn't so great for heavier use, like making furniture. I'd also recommend a combo with fixed and plunge bases for versatility. That said, I own three routers, and not one of them has a plunge base. If it's going to live in a router table, I'd recommend the biggest fixed base you can find, but for hand-held use I'd stick with something in the 1 3/4HP range. Trim routers are too limited for a first router.

Posted: 3/8/2021 9:04:03 AM EDT

[#20]

Quote History

Quoted:
I started out with the Porter Cable with both bases. Fixed and plunge. Bought a router table for it too. But I find myself grabbing my Dewalt palm router more often.

View Quote

I visited my cousin's cabinet shop this weekend to have him run a butcher block top through his drum sander for me. He said he had 2 Bosch routers crap the bed on him last week and had another couple already laying in his bone yard... anyhow, I asked if I could borrow "a" router to chamfer the edges of the butcher block top and he gave me his cordless DeWalt. I used it yesterday and that thing is sweet! As another poster mentioned, I'm sure it's not as heavy duty as the big corded routers, but for my small job (that about any router probably could have done) it was impressive.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - What Router To Buy?

General » Do It Yourself

Warning

Confirm Action

About AR15.COM

Stay Connected

Newsletter

Contact Us