My old B&D has seized. It's the ball race. And it appears to be turning in the housing. I will repair it if the parts aren't too dear, but in the meantime need another. Given I don't use one much, what's the pick of the cheapies - more like 100 quid than 300?
PP Pro @ £49 (3 year guarantee). 1/2" so can do kitchen worktops and comes with bits and worktop jig "guide". So all you need is a £49 Screwfix jig and for les than £100 you can cut worktops and much more.
Homebase have a PB Excel on offer at present (bright blue colour) for less than £20!! Was being sold around £60.
I'm well pleased with mine.
Dave
What size machine are you looking for? (i.e. 1/4" or 1/2"). What sort of work do you normally do with it? Do you need to mount it in a table?
1/2"?
I looked at routers at the Axminster show. Really nothing much has changed. Those in the sub £100 category continue to have poor and sticky slide mechanisms. For a router, this makes them hard to use.
If you are looking for a viable 12.7mm model then the Freud FT2000 (Screwfix at £168) is a good buy. I've used one of these a few times and found it smooth and adequately powered, although I have the DW625 now.
For a 6.35mm model, the Trend T5 is a good workhorse at around £110. I've had one of these for some while and it continues to perform well.
What is the speed range supported on this?
The B&D was 1/4 and 1/2 - so I'd like the same since I have a selection of bits.
I only use it hand held at the moment - although a table might be a future option.
Funny you should say that my B&D went down 2months ago so I needed a quick newbie, as I was out near a argos store I came across this.
-- Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite
It's a bit awkward to do routing with a power planer.
Leave me alone I'm having a bad day. :-(
-- Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite
I can't remember. The local B&Q had one on show and all the details were there. It is about the best value for money in a router and if you only cut
2 or three worktops makes its money back.
PP,Powerdevil,Nu-Tool and JCB are all made in the same factory in Taiwan...now which is the best value for money?
-- Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite
For cutting worktops, it would be more cost effective to rent a proper one.
The one with the features, guarantee and best price. Can't you figure tat out?
No need. It's all tat.....
If dribble recommends PP Pro it would seem the one to avoid. And he seems to think cutting kitchen worktops is the thing you do with a router since he's mentioned it before.
I've had a look round the local tool stores and sheds.
The PP Pro one has the usual kit full of probably doubtful accessories - after all more must be better.
I'm tempted by the T-tech (Trend) R127 at 100 quid. Soft start and vari-speed - 15,000 - 27,000. 2050 watts input. It's heavy, but maybe no bad thing for the sort of use I'll have for it. And it doesn't come with loads of bits. Says suitable for hobby or trade use, but not continuous pro work. Appears to be a B&Q special.
Please do not buy any router, as you will hurt yourself. The dribble from your cardigan will go into the motor and make sparks.
Certainly I wouldn't be influenced by the sets of bits that typically come as kits. It's better to buy individual bits from CMT, Freud or Trend as needed.
Are you sure this one is a Trend product?
Collets for it are mentioned on their web site, but the types are for Kinzo, PPPower, NuTool,....
15000rpm minimum is too fast for larger cutters. 60mm diameter is about the limit. For anything larger than this, it's necessary to go down to around 10000rpm and is why 12.7mm routers generally go down to this speed or less. You wouldn't use cutters of this size with the router handheld, and may not care about this limitation of course. 12.7mm routers are generally heavy. Around 5-6kg is typical, with the DW just over 5kg, Makita around 6kg and Ryobi 6.5kg.However, for their intended purposes, this is not a problem within reason.
I have the DW 12.7mm one, Trend 6.35mm one and a small DW laminate trimmer type. I use each in different circumstances.
If I were going for one only for general purpose work, I'd pick the
12.7mm one and accept that fine work is not going to be easy.HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.