I'd appreciate some comments regarding a router I'm think of buying.
Looked at the FAQ got some great advice, so am going for a medium plunge. Hope to immediately to cut squares (or trim) into 18mm MDF and some basic decorative edging. Longer term basic lap/butt joints/hinges. I have no thought to be cutting our letter boxes or joining worktops.
I've narrowed down my list based on money and suggestions: Axminster AW635R £50 Ryobi ERT 1/4" £70 Trend T4EK 1/4" £85
any opinions on the above, are they capable of what I want to do?
Probably outside my budget is Makita 3620X 1/4" and way out is Trend T5EB
1/4"; unless I get a very good reason otherwise ;-)
If you're going to buy a router? then dont mess about...buy an 1/2" job as this will give you the best of both worlds in terms of shaft size ie it'll give you a 1/4" as well as 1/2" and more beef for different types of wood.
I'd deliberatly kept away from 1/2" for my first buy because of weight. I thought I'd think about 1/2" for possible no.2 where I may use it in a table as well.
The trend T4 is supposed to be a much better machine than the baby T3 that it replaces, but it is still a relatively light duty machine. Ideal for laminate trimming and edge profiling. You might find it a tad slow on bigger joint making tasks.
The Axminster in some ways looks more the size of tool to aim for, but I expect that particular model is a tad crude. It has no fine adjustment on the fence which is handy, and the white tools in general are only adequate rather than anything special. (badge engineered Chinese stuff the same as most shed specials - although you are probably more likely to get decent after sales help from Axminster than many places)
The Ryobi might be ok, but at the price it is getting close to other more serious kit that may suit your needs better.
The T5 is an ideal first machine since it will do most things. It is small and light enough for edging and trimming work, but still has the punch for bigger jobs. It is also exceptionally smooth and precise. Has good speed control and micro adjustable fence. It is also quite serviceable in a table for smaller jobs, and comes with a 8mm collet as well, so you can use larger cutters not available in 1/4". However it is a big jump in price.
That particular Makita I would rule out since I don't think it is a variable speed model, which will limit cutter choice and flexibility a bit.
Unlike George, I don't think I would go for a 1/2" beastie as a first and only machine. You would need to be looking at £180+ for a decent one in that size, and they are quite hefty in comparison (two to three times the weight and power, twice the size)). Much depends on the jobs you need to do. Once you have the "router bug" you will probably end up with a collection of them anyway, and the cutters will cost more than the tool in the end as well!)
I have a Makita 3620 purchased some 20 years ago and despite its basic spec and 2 subsequent 'better spec' purchases its still the router I use the most and its still going strong. Alledgedly only 800w, performs like a 1200w, absolute delight to use & has done everything I've ever wanted it to do & more.
This is the machine that started my love of Makita stuff which now includes
2 x drill drivers, combi drill driver, impact driver, circular saw, jigsaw etc.
Despite being described as a 1/4" router, even on the Ryobi site, the £70 Ryobi ERT-1150VN is actually a 1/2" machine. The one I bought last year came with a set of 1/2" cutters. It also has 1/4" and 3/8" collets.
I'd start with the small Trend and see how you get on. I've got one of they and a larger machine but I still use the trend for a lot of work including milling bits of Ally for which its really useful:))..
I've always been a fan of Makita stuff (all my quality tools are Makita) but had noted it's not variable.
When I go to my local power tools store to purchase a circular saw (Makita ;-) ) I'll get my hands on the Trend/Makita. If things go well with some gear I'm flogging on Fleabay maybe I can afford the T5 or I'll have to settle for something else.
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