I am thinking of buying a router for some simple chores... I need to put a slot around a couple of doors for smoke strips. I was also thinking of trying to make a house name sign(?)
I notice that there are several price breaks on routers £50, £100 and £200+.
Do people think that a cheapish (screwfix?) router is good enough or am I wasting my money/doors?
TIA Colin
For something like that you might just about get away with a 1/4" one, although a 1/2" model would be more useful and applicable and can take
1/4" cutters as well. They are a bit heavier, but if properly supported on the work are easy to use.You can get a decent 1/4" router like the Trend T5 for about £140 depending on what you want with it.
The entry point for a worthwhile 1/2" router is something like the Freud 2000 at around £165 from Screwfix and other places. This is a pretty good product.
You won't get a decent 1/2" product for much less than this and certainly not for under £100. The products in this bracket tend to be spectacularly poor on power and handling - the motors are not good
- and should be avoided.
.andy
To email, substitute .nospam with .gl
Colin posted:
I'd normally echo what Andy Hall posted, but if all you want to do are a few small jobs, then the cheapest router, especially if it has suitable bits included, can last long enough and produce a good enough finish for the jobs you specify.
If, however you are even thinking about doing anything more, or keeping the router usefully employed, then get a decent sized, well-made one which will probably be closer to the top end of your budget. The differences are incredible, especially in power output and rotational speed, which is 'a good thing' in routing .. ;)
One off's, then fine, go cheap .. long term, they'll break easily, and not last very long anyway .. ;)
On the advise of many on this group - a number of years ago I bought a TREND T5, and this has proved a great router. I don't own a single 1/4" cutter though .... this router also takes 8mm bits, and I only buy these - they are much sturdier than 1/4" The shaft is aprox 30% thicker with the am - well worth thinking about.
Rick
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.