I'm in the market for my first router (just getting started) and after reading a lot it seems the DW618B3 (fixed, plunge, and d-handle bases) is a pretty good package.
Haven't seen any real negative comments about it and saw some posts saying it's compatible with all the porter cable fixtures.
Northwest Power Tools has it for $265... that's the cheapest I can find. They've got the same thing minus the D-handle for $220, but seems the d-handle alone goes for $99.
Any one think of a reason I shouldn't get this kit?
For those of us who aren't privvy to whatever supporting details you apparently are, what is the inherent problem with DeWalt that contaminates the entire product line, in your opinion?
Please. Dewalt does make some excellent tools. But don't take my word for it, see Pat Warner's site, the Routerman, where he refers to the DW621 as "the industry standard in mid-range plungers" (Cut & Pasted directly from patwarner.com.) And I personally love this router, and wouldn't trade it for either the PC or Bosch equivalents.
Very simple... Not durable and not reliable. Experience talks here as I've seen Makita and DeWalt tools failing miserably when you need them the most. I was the guy in charge of bringing the defective tools to the repair place. The mechanic showed me the difference between the yellow stuff and the red stuff. You gotta see it to understand.
Ok, I admit for hobbyists and weekend woodworkers who are spending more time purchasing and reading about tools than actually using them, DeWalt and Makita hold up pretty well when gathering dust on the shelf.
DeWalt spends more money in advertisement than in R&D. That alone should talk by itself...
If you were to buy all the spares to make up your car, you'd have enough money to buy a ready-built Rolls-Royc. Price, cost, value and marketing are 5 different things. 5 indeed.
Unless they include shades to stand the bright yellow... and PC will get you better value for money, after-sales support, ... all right, I understand some people actually do not like grey.
Just one... If you start with a real P.O.S. router you'll appreciate the DW more!
My first router was a Craftsman someone gave me for Christmas. I used it quite a bit, but sometimes things didn't fit right, or the cut was the wrong depth. I thought it was my newbie mistakes, and most often it probably was.
Then one day I made two passes on the router table with a 1/4" bit to make a dado. The sides of the cut weren't straight! It was obvious the Craftsman router in the router table did not go up and down straight! The fence couldn't move, and neither could the stock with the featherboards holding the it in position though the cut. The inaccuracy was absolutely, positively due to the router. Finally, my skills exceeded the limits of the equipment!
I then bought a DW621, which I love. Over time I bought 3 other "real" routers, one older single-speed DW and two PCs. The other routers work great but the 621 remains my favorite. It works great in and out of the router table. I assume the DW you're looking at is more or less a "son of the DW621" so it will do a good job for you.
If you really want to appreciate a good router, first go get one that is marketed to people that will use it at most once or twice a year. ;-)
I bought this same pack about 9 months ago and absolutely love it. The plunge base is my favorite and it works exceptionally well. I already owned the PC 690PK with the plunge and fixed bases, which I also like, but it's nowhere near as satisfying to use as the DeWalt. The extra horsepower (vs. the PC 690) is nice, too. I've also set up both routers when cutting through dovetails and that works great. I also suggest going to
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and buying several replacement baseplates - the offset one and the larger round one - they really make the router perform better and safer.
So, don't listen to Wally, I have several other DeWalt tools and they all work great, too.
I just bought this package for $152, new. Gloat, gloat. Special deal through my company. I work for Wood-Mizer, who was giving DeWalt tools as a promo, and offered them to employees at cost. I also got a 13" thickness planer for $278.
I you go looking for a reason not to do something, you can more often than not find it. I love my DeWalt router, no complaints (its the 1
3/4 HP one).
Every brand of every manufacturer has individual instances of bad product entering the market, some more than others. I bought a top-of-the-line Sony TV which promptly broke. I exchanged it out for another, which promptly broke. At that point, I was moving in a month and decided not to have to move a 100 lb TV. My Sony laptop, digital camera, walkman, and cordless phone all work great and have for years (well, one year in the case of the wife's picturebook laptop)
It took me a while to realize that one bad apple is not a condemnation of an entire company nor a statement on thier quality as a whole.
The only thing I can think of as to why not to buy the kit is that you might find you never need nor like using a D-handle. I bought the kit with just the fixed and plunge. Fixed base goes in the router table, plunge sits on the shelf waiting until I need it. I can't fathom needing a D-handle. I've never used one, but _personally_ wouldn't feel as safe using a router one-handed.
Yes it applies. I compare apples with apples. Most of the other companies don't have such a high ratio. My experience with DeWalt products is very simple: they don't hold up when put into demanding applications. Period.
Take a DeWalt grinder and put it in a steel production shop... Take a Bosch or a Milwaukee... which one you think will hold up longer?
Take a DeWalt hammerdrill and make a few thousand of holes per day... you'll see how many you'll do before it dies. You'll do 100 times more holes with a Bosch, Milwaukee or a Metabo.
DeWalt is a consumer grade quality thus not meant for demanding applications. This is why I say the DeWalt tools are holding up very well when gathering dust, not when working.
Sure, you'll find a few DeWalt tools that can hold up well but you'll quickly realized they aren't true DeWalt tools but actually their other company "Elu" which is a European company. Their own products share too much stuff with Black&Decker their sister company.
The worst part is if DeWalt was priced accordingly like the Skil's and Ryobi's are, I would say OK, that's fine... The problem is exactly that. DeWalt isn't a professional grade line of products but they're priced as if they were...
If you have time to weed out the P.O.S. out of their line of products and pay a premium for it so they can afford a better advertisement campaign, well that's perfect with me. You end up being the sucker paying for all this. I prefer to have the money I paid for in my hands with a quality product than having an overpriced tool and a pile of nice magazine ads...
You make your choice, I made mine long time ago and I appreciate the benefits everyday...
You are correct about Elu/Dewalt. And again it does depend on the tool. I don't have an all Dewalt shop, but I do have *some* Dewalt, because *some* of their products are excellent and I'd not want to be completely Dewalt-free.
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