Jessem FX / Rockler FX router lift - anyone have one?

I have the Mast-R-Lift and it is just fabulous!!! can't go wrong with any of the JessEm's products!!

I have one, bought it last summer. I thought I'd posted results, must be getting forgetful.

The FX is a nice tool and mine works great, but I had 2 non-working ones before I got this one.

On the first one, the aluminum pieces that grip the router were bent in the area of the latch such that I thought that they might slip and let the router go loose. Dealer replaced it 'no questions asked'. He opened a couple more in the store for me to look at. The next one I looked at had movement vertically (when it shouldn't have). Slop in the bearings, or the shafts weren't tight to the plate. The third one was good.

When I got it home, I discovered that the holes for the leveling feet were not drilled and tapped all the way through, and it was impossible to put the set screws in. I contacted Jessem and they sent me some new screws, gave me details on the thread and I tapped the holes.

Since then it is a joy to use. Definitely worth the money, and good support from Jessem. You might want to buy from a local dealer if possible to avoid having to return ship the unit if you get one that is out of tolerance.

Anyone else notice these problems, or was I just lucky?

Rob

I just got the March 2005 issue of American Woodworker, where they have a review of 12 router lifts. The FX was one of the recommended ones.

I have the Jessem FX (with a Makita 1101) in a Norm-style router table. I love it, but I honestly have nothing to compare it to other than hand adjusting the depth which was painfully slow. I can't think of any way to improve the FX other than shortening the insertable crank shaft an inch or so to make cranking slightly faster (I guess I could just saw it off myself).