Popular Woodworking's November issue reviewed the Firestorm Plunge Router (FS122RP) and it sounded like a good option for my small shop. I
was able to find it on the Black and Decker website, but have not been able to find it anywhere for sale. Has anyone seen one of these anywhere? Even my e-mails to Black and Decker and Lowes have not been answered.
Thanks, Richard
Are you sure it is not the same as the FS1200RP available at Lowe's here:
Hmm. Three routers and a can of beer.
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messagenews:10f09$4553bbac$45281901$ snipped-for-privacy@ALLTEL.NET...
I thought Porter was some sort of beer as well?
r
I second that notion. Firestorm is made for wives to get their husbands for Christmas. Not woodworker's wives, they know better. It's for the handyman's wife who doesn't even know what a router does.
It's not just a question of longevity, you won't get good results from it either. You'd think that a router is such a simple device; all it does is spin a bit. How can one be worth so much more than another? Just get your hands on a pro-quality machine to understand. If money is the main issue, I'd rather buy a good used router on Ebay than a Firestorm.
DonkeyHody "Every man is my superior in that I can learn from him." - Thomas Carlyle
I'm telling you. You won't be happy. I had one in my hands, and thought; "they oughta be held accountable for putting out such inferior junk. What I don't get, is that, as a brand, B & D must have a huge value. Why are they doing this?
That will give you some insight what their custome service will be like once something happens to it.
Buy a Hitachi M12V while they still make them. I have been beating the crap out of several of them and none have even hiccup'd under the stress. One I use for very accurate seaming joints in solid surface countertops and it has no measurable runout after 3 years. It gets used almost daily. They are under $200 US, and are a full 3.25 HP and soft start and variable speed and have a VERY powerful motor. It doesn't have the fit and finish of other serious routers, but it is good value, IMHO.
There's a saying around here: Cry once.
r
messagenews:10f09$4553bbac$45281901$ snipped-for-privacy@ALLTEL.NET...
Bosch doesn't make beer? They make everything else!
Some guy has 10 for sale:
Uh, yes I am hen pecked, I will have to talk to the wife about this. I sure would like to have one. I would also have to buy a new router plate for my table. I have my Porter Cable in there now. I will have to check on all this before talking to wife. Only want to have to do this once so I need to have all my facts before hand. :-) Oh thanks for the heads up!
See, I disagree. If you're going to have one router, get one that does it all. It's physical size is not that much bigger than that B&D the OP was looking at. Also, it comes with a quality 1/2" bit and guide bushing. The one thing I like about it, it has great visibility under the motor, so you can keep a close eye on what you're doing in a hand-held situation. I think it is the perfect router for a beginner. I appreciate the 'handiness' of smaller routers ( I have several) but that's because there is no point in using a big router if all it is going to do is run a 1/4" roundover bit. The same rules of caution still apply to all routers, so why not get one which can actually DO some work?
I know that half of the Wreck is probably going to disagree, but I think that 3.25 HP is just the right amount of power.
Ever try to learn to waterski behind an underpowered boat? No fun. Zero.
I bought a couple B&D ROS at Lowes a year ago for almost nothing. Figured, how bad can they be? I tried them and haven't used them since. They work, sort of. I don't look for that in a router.
A Bosch Colt isn't a whole heck of a lot more expensive (I don't care how cheap the B&D is, the Colt's not a lot more expensive). It's not a "do it all" machine, but it will do a lot and it's small and light and will be useful even if one obtains a larger router later.
Speak for yourself.
About 80% of my bits are 1/2", about 10-12% are 1/4", and the erst are 8mm.
The only time I'll buy a 1/4" shank bit is if I plan on using it in my laminate trimmer (ex:// small roundovers and chamfer bits), or it clearly makes no sense to buy the 1/2" shank (ex:// solid carbide 1/4" or smaller straight bit).
I'll second that recommendation over the B&D.
I've been using a Bosch laminate trimmer for years as a small router, and the Colt is a far nicer tool than the older version that I own.
One of these days, I need to get the aftermarket plunge base for the Bosch and I'll have a really fantastic inlay router.
"Jerry Dickens" wrote in news:b5060$455483e9$45281901$ snipped-for-privacy@ALLTEL.NET:
Then go look for a good Porter Cable 690 series variable speed router. Not an 890 series. The 690 has been around for decades, it seems, and works well for almost everything, in my experience.
My first router was a 3.25 HP beast, now bolted into a table, where it works quite well. NOT a handheld joy to use.
Patriarch
I do the same as you but the 10 or 15 other shops I have been in or garages making due as shops, in the router bit department are usually 1/4" diameter bits.
Yup, in fact, I am down to 7 routers.
I'd be afraid of that B&D. I think that when a new user applies all proper precautions, there will be no difference in safety between a big and small router. I tend to believe that if a router safety issue comes down to the wire, the heftier one will be safer. Its mass gives a certain amount of stability. Its mechanical impedence gives a cleaner cut than a lighter weight unit. I have a few Milwaukee routers. One is a 2 1/4 HP and has all the balls one would need for most hand-held jobs. It doesn't plunge, and shouldn't really run raised panel bits or 1-1/2 bullnose bits. One is a
1 3/4 HP unit, not variable speed, kick-start. It has only had one bit in it...it only does one job. It does it well and often. Then there is Milwaukee's Finest. Big Mama, being built into a table. The height can be adjusted from the top. I like that. I just bought it, so I haven't had a a chance to give it a serious workout. I will be making doors and stuff for a wall unit.. A job I took on for a friend..WTF was I thinking. LOL.I have a collection of both 1/2 and 1/4. Totally different bits. I use the 1/4 in two laminate trimmers I have, both Ridgid..... here's one for you... I have a 1/4" shaft 5/16 roundover and a 1/2 shaft 5/16 roundover. Less chatter on the 1/2"...in the same router, but that could be the bit manufacturer and sharpness difference as well.
I hope I didn't imply that the Hitachi has the market cornered on visibility, I cetainly did not mean to.
You too... and be careful out there! r
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