Wishing to buy a router .. budget max £100 ish.
Looked at Machine Mart and Screwfix etc .... Ryobi and Clarke looks ok for DIY'er Can someone tell me about collet sizes .. what does that refer to and which is the most popular/useful size ? Anything else to consider ?
Mike P
Make sure you get one with a 12.7 mm collet, anything smaller means you cant buy long cutters needed for worktops. Argos do a good one for about £50 which was great for me for a kitchen refurb and I buy long cutters from Screwfix for about £14 each.
Decide if you be doing more heavy work (joinery, doors, windows etc) or light (trims, toys, small household items, decorative detailing).
Get a 1/2" router for the former, 1/4" for the latter.
1/2" is larger, heavier, more powerful and costs more, and so do the bits. Also more tiring to use, but lots more clout. Many people end up buying both in the end.1/4" bits can be used in a 1/2" router with an adaptor sleeve, often supplied with the router, but not vice-versa.
Yup, see here:
.. >Mike P wrote: .. >> Wishing to buy a router .. budget max £100 ish. .. >> .. >> Looked at Machine Mart and Screwfix etc .... Ryobi and Clarke looks .. >> ok for DIY'er .. >> Can someone tell me about collet sizes .. what does that refer to and .. >> which is the most popular/useful size ? .. >> Anything else to consider ? .. >
.. >Yup, see here: .. >
.. >
Will be installing kitchen and fitting room doors etc .. so far :-)
Mike P
If you're comparing those two models you should be aware that the Ryobi ERT1150VN is actually a 12.7mm (1/2 inch) router. Some sites give the impression that it's only 3/8" capacity with statements like 'with 1/4" &
3/8" collets'. I recently bought one and can confirm that it really is a 12.7mm one supplied with a set of 1/2" cutters. The 'with 1/4" & 3/8" collets' refers to the two extra replacement collet inserts which permit use of smaller size cutters. For some reason neither the Ryobi website nor their glossy printed catalogue make any reference to its true 12.7mm capacity and even describe it as 'ERT-1150VN 1?4" 1150w Plunge Router'.
Or that's probably what it probably looks like with most newsreaders. After copy and paste from a web page I really should read the results more carefully the 1?4 started life as 1/4 on the web page. They'd written it as '1⁄4" 1150w Plunge Router' to get a pretty "fraction slash" instead of a bog standard /.
In that case, I think that you would be very well advised to up your budget a little and go for the next class up of 12.7mm router such as the Freud FT 2000 series. These are normally available for around £160.
Be very careful about the specs. The Chinese manufacturers, both the generic labeled products such as those sold by Machinemart and the entry level branded ones such as Techtronics Ryobi quote performance in terms of electrical power input. The trouble is that the cheaper the router, the less efficient it is and the less real mechanical power is delivered to the bit. This translates to how effectively the tool can cut and trim larger items such as doors and worktops. Thus, an 1800W Bosch router probably has more or similar mechanical output to a 2200W Chinese one.
The difference between electrical power in and mechanical power out translates to the motor getting hot and that translates into early failure.
Don't fall into the trap of "ok for DIYer" based on a price point and apparent spec. That is only useful if the tool does the range of intended jobs for the intended period of time, work rate, accuracy and ease and frequency of use.
I'd go along with that. I have a Makita 860w router nearly 20 years old & it runs rings around a 1100w B&Q and a 1200w Homebase machines. No soft start, no speed control, no spindle lock but the plunge action is still superb and it certainly never feels under powered.
The B&Q and Hombase ones sit on the shelf.
Don't go for anything less than a 1/2" collete for heavy work, the bonus is you can use 1/4" bits in an 1/2".
Consider buying the bits from the US as it normally works out cheaper even with airmail postage. Ive bought a number of architectural moulding bits from this guy and they have been quite good quality not to mention cheaper importing them.
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