Looking on screwfix website, I sort of narrowed down my choice of routers to:
Makita 3620/2 860W 240V Router - which seems to be a good make and fairly light. On the other hand, it's only 860w and has a 1/4" chuck.
Erbauer ERB210C 2100W Router - 3 times as heavy as the Makita and almost 3 times as powerful. 1/4" and 1/2" chucks.
I want to do a kitchen initially. Am I right in thinking that the Erbauer is the one to go for?
Big one will be OK for use with guide bushes and fences for things like worktops but I think you will find it too heavy for freehand work etc. I have done a lot of work with a 500w Bosch - fine as long as you take fine cuts and my big 3hp router is destined for use in a fixed table as it is so heavy.
8mm collet version worth considering if you plan to do any quality dovetail work as the cutters are a lot more rigid than 1/4".HTH
Bob
I've had one for 20+ years and its still a favourite. Punches well above its weight, might only be 860w but it thinks its 1200w.
If you want to do masons mitres then I don't think the Makita has enough wellie or big enough collets.
If you don't I'd say the Makita is a great machine. No soft start, no variable speed, no lazer lights, just a superb little machine & a joy to use.
Buy both!
When I was looking (some years ago now) I came to the conclusion that bigger was better and ended up buying a Trend T9 3H.P. job. I'd say that was a mistake for a first router - it was just too big. Soon after, I went to the other extreme and got a T3, which I use much more for hand-held work. Even today the T9 scares me, which is probably a good quality for a router to have, but I do use it almost exclusively in a router table these days.
It depends on what you need to do in the kitchen. The last one I did didn't require the router at all.
If you use square edged worktops with real wood edging stuck on all you need is a jigsaw for the sink and a mitre saw for the rest.
Yup, nice machines. Trend T5 would be another in that category to look at.
Different beast altogether.
I take it you have seen:
a 1/2" machine certainly if you want to do worktop joints.
I have three routers, all of which I use regularly. I made my kitchen from 8x4 sheets of plywood which is a LOT of housing and rebate joints. I made all the doors from MDF with a panel-door set - which is a LOT of rails and stiles.
The 2900watt Italian jobby is permanently in the router table and did the kitchen. I only remove it for Mason's Mitres on worktops.
The 800watt ELU, my first router, is a joy to use for complicated stuff hand held.
But my favourite is a very very old plastic B&D D4 non-plunge
650Watt?? router that I was given, which has a round-over bit in it almost permanently. It sits on my bench where I can reach it several times an hour....Small and light for handheld, big and beefy for a table. You need a table if you are planning to build your own kitchen cabinets.
R.
Thanks, that's what I thought. I take on board everybody's advice, and I can see I'm going to need to buy a second one later.
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Ask the community — no account required