Recently moved too South Africa,galloping toward fifty,finally have a workshop/garage of my own.mainly fit kitchens and bathrooms, but want to spend more time learning to do router things. I am able to do door rebates and worktop edges but want to move up and become a little bit more skilled. I need a router that I can grow into and that I'm not gonna want to replace in two months,(I'm a fast learner). Something that has accessories,table,guides etc. Money is not an issue as if I am going too buy a new router I want it to last a long time under light working conditions. I do believe you get what you pay for. Your thoughts and experience please,but lets not have a bun fight.
festool do an excellent range but are costly sorry but i have no contact details for them im sure one of the other guys on here will have just hang tight
I have recently looked at a triton TRB001 http://www.rutlands.co.uk/cgi-bin/psProdDet.cgi/TRB001 and if my router broke tomorrow then that's what I'd buy. Very neat plunge and bit change mechanisms. But I'm still using the ELU MOF177E that I bought in 1992, so mine is unlikely to break tomorrow. Unfortunately, Black& Decker bought ELU, so that's no good.
> I am able to do door rebates and worktop edges I need a router that I can grow into and that I'm not gonna want to replace in two months,(I'm a fast learner). Something that has accessories,table,guides etc. I want it to last a long time under light working conditions. my god...don't want much do ya old chap
T482,Hey you know how it is,a set of Christmas tree lights from,"pifco",last till half way through Christmas,Sandy I think you might be on the right track,Jus before I left Blighty in Oct my 22 yr old nephew,(does shop fitting London), showed his old Uncle his Festool saw with guide,guess what,! Uncle now has one,Fantastic bit of kit. Cost a bundle over here but hey,its paid for after the next decking job. Inventor, the Triton name is totally new to me,have you used said tool on a job? comments from people with Triton gear would behelpful. Thanks so far chaps.
Mr Mike,Thanks for the reply ,do you have? have you used both? dont wanna take up too much of your time, but, hey its a purchase I want to make once. I dont want you to tell me later, that you wish you had actually gone for the, scrorbist scrunushell slip loading disc locking diogeniese versioin off the borsh snaffling rapscallion weavill cutter. You know what i mean, Hey its tough being a Pohm in South Africa.
Recently moved too South Africa,galloping toward fifty,finally have a workshop/garage of my own.mainly fit kitchens and bathrooms, but want to spend more time learning to do router things. I am able to do door rebates and worktop edges but want to move up and become a little bit more skilled. I need a router that I can grow into and that I'm not gonna want to replace in two months,(I'm a fast learner). Something that has accessories,table,guides etc. Money is not an issue as if I am going too buy a new router I want it to last a long time under light working conditions. I do believe you get what you pay for. Your thoughts and experience please,but lets not have a bun fight. Tut, tut, such terrible grammatical mistakes. Too means "also", "as well". I think you meant "to". Why did you come on Electricians forum to cause trouble? Are you really a fast learner? Didn't learn much at school I see.
If you really, really mean money is no object then buy the best festool router and all the bits that go with it, the extractor, guide rails, etc. You won't be disappointed.
Timmo, I'm sure you wouldn't be disappointed by the Festool routers......I like their gear as well.....the TS55 circ saw and guide rail is one of the best purchases I've made. For routers though, in my opinion (others will disagree), as a working carpenter/joiner.....the Dewalt 625 or Makita 3612 is pretty much 'industry standard'......why ? Because they can deal with day to day usage and abuse. I personally have the 625 and it's been through a lot and still performs as good as the day I got it. I also think it feels a little sturdier than the makita, but what I like about the makita is the dust extraction hood simply clips on......whereas the dewalt screws on which is a pain in the **** when you're working quickly.....need to change cutters etc...... If it's upside down in a router table then this ain't gonna matter to you. If money is no object then get the Festool......like I say I love their saw.....if you want a day to day reliable and accurate workhorse.....then it's the dewalt or the makita. If you're using a dust extractor loads then I'd probably get the makita next time......but my dewalt shows no signs of packing up yet !
If you want a good range of accesories then anything based on the Elu MOF 177E as this has been the industry standard for over 20years. That means you have the choice of Dewalt, CMT, Trend and possible a few others on the continent which all share the same base/body. To get the most out of a router you should buy or make a decent table as this will give you a much larger scope of things that it can be used for. Jason
I have the DW625 and can't fault it. If you are looking at getting into all sorts of routing projects with jigs and accessories galore I'm sure a chap on here called andy@trend may have a few suggestions.
One thing to bear in mind if you are going to using it inverted in a table is that the power switch on a DW625 can be locked on, most other routers need a cable tie or a clamp around the on/off switch.
Timmo, no, I've not used the triton on a job. I've just toyed with it in the store. But I really do like the plunge mechanism, and Fine woodworking have a great review of it. Plus, it's just a router. You'll spend more on the table, and the bits, and the dovetail jigs, and the ... All these high-end routers are pretty good. The add-ons will cost you more!
Thanks everybody,I'm going out this week to have a look at all you suggestions,good tip about the dewalt having a permement on switch,thanks. Unphinged,give up,typing error not grammer.
If you are considering buying Trend products looking in South Africa then contact: Strand Hardware 303 Govan Mbeki Avenue Port Elizabeth 6001 South Africa Tel: (041) 585-6996 Fax: (041) 585-4204 They are the Trend Agent for South Africa, HTH andy@trend
One more thing, if I remember rightly the Trend version of the 625 has a fine height adjuster accessible from the top if you're using it inverted. If money is no object I would buy more than 1 router. I have one 1/2" that lives upside down in a table another 1/2" for general routing. a 1/4" for lightweight stuff when you don't want the mass of an 1800 watt model or don't want to keep changing cutters and a little laminate trimmer type for those awkward little jobs.