Choosing a Router

Fellow Woodworkers,

I just purchased a new large router and the experience was very interesting. I'm posting this to share information, but also to let the manufacturers know what happens at the sharp end.
I am a keen amateur woodworker and have owned a Dewalt621 1100w 1/4" router for 12 years which is still going strong :D, and a Triton 1400w 1/2" machine that recently died :((. Triton is now in receivership so I've given up on that. Not being rich, I flogged a few things on E-bay to raise the money to buy a new router and vowed to get a good variable speed machine, that I could afford, but that had a good reputation, a good warranty and solid back up. I read the review on Australian Wood Review issue 53 and I narrowed it down to the Dewalt625E-XE, the Hitachi M12V2 and the Makita 3612C.

I did some research and got the following prices; Makita 3612C from Express Tools @ $515, Dewalt 625E-XE from Norwest Tools @ $470 and the Hitachi M12V2 from Just Tools @ $450. From that I sadly discounted the Makita as being out of my price range :(.

I then went to the tool shops to have a bit of a feel of the DeWalt and The Hitachi.

The Hitachi machine is of very high quality with very good coatings and surface finishes as well as having a high power rating at 2000W. It also comes with a very impressive storage/ carry case that has to be worth having. It has a fine adjuster but I thought the depth adjuster was poor compared to the general fit and finish of the machine. The tool felt good and the plunge felt very high quality. The styling was odd and I don't understand why they go for a style that will fade and look junky in a few years while the tool will probably still be going strong. The price was good but I have to say the thing is massive and extremely heavy compared to the Dewalt. I plan to do a fair amount of hand held work, as well as mount it in a table, so that is an issue.

The DeWalt machine fit and finish was OK but not brilliant, the castings had a rough surface like a sand cast rather than die cast, which is odd. The power was slightly lower than the Hitachi at 1850W but, for me, that is not such a big issue. The depth adjuster was better than the Hitachi but still pretty poor compared to the excellent set up on my DW621. The plunge mechanism felt very good and the plunge lock is very well designed and feels good. There is no decent fine adjuster and what is there has a very poor design and the thread on the post is as rough as guts. That seems out of keeping with a machine of this price. The styling was good and will hold up over the years; Classic Dewalt yellow with no crappy bits of chrome plastic. Unfortunately this machine comes in a rough cardboard box rather than a proper storage/carry case. It does, however, have a 3 year guarantee.

Based on my experience with the DW621 over 12 years, the Australian Wood Review test, the warranty, and the weight of the machine, I went for the Dewalt. However, when I got it home I opened the box and was surprised to find the worst users manual I have ever come across. It's more like a disclaimer than something meant to inform the user. There are some assembly drawings but no adequate parts list to describe the parts, I still can't work out what some of the loose parts are and, because the instructions are so poor, how to use them. However, I'll I'll probably work it out.

All that said, I am happy that I picked the right machine for me but, sadly, I feel DeWalt will lose their position in the market by falling down on simple quality issues. It does not cost much to get decent surface finishes or write a decent users manual. If Hitachi had designed a machine of the same weight and power, Dewalt would be in serious trouble.

i just bought the Hitachi 12.7mm Electronic Router

i'm an solid body guitar builder so a pretty integral tool for my needs. i looked into getting a festool router for a similar reason to Don for the size factor as the hitachi
is quite bulky but i found that the smoothness of the plunge an its overall feel was quite good. awesome power too. :U:2tsup:

anyway i just saw the mention of the hitachi an since i bought one last week an gave a lil go over thought i'd throw my 2 cents in. im happy with it. my dads had a hitchi router for a long time too an still goin strong.

I bought a dewalt DW625E-XE router 3 years ago and it has stood up to a lot of abuse with flying colours (woodchips).
The first thing i did after getting a big blood blister was to get rid of the spring loaded nut on the height adjuster (threaded rod) and replace it with a standard 1/2 inch nut.
Just after purchasing the router I tried to buy some add on parts including a fine height adjuster that was listed in the owners manual. This is for adjusting the router while it is mounted upside down in a router table. Dewalt Australia would not supply the parts no matter how hard I pleaded with them. My impression was that they just could not be bothered ordering them from over seas- poor service.
It is an excellent machine to use and I prefer it to the big Makita router that it replaced.
The Dewalt DW625E-XE was first made by Elu and re badged when Dewalt merged with Elu. According to Patrick Spielman's " the new router handbook " Elu routers are some of the best.

I have had the dewalt 625 at home for a year & its excellent. We've had 1 at the community shed since it opened 4 or 5 years ago & it gets a hell of a beating & is still going strong. We also have a blue bosch router that was bought at the same time & while the motor is still running fine its got quite a bit of play in the slide posts - thats where the 625 really excells, they have an excellent pole locking mechanism which means that they have minimal play between the 2 vertical slide posts even after many years of mistreatment.

Don't want to put down anyones comments here but are you aware that the DW unit being discussed has been discontinued in Oz. See here. Might explain DW (B&D) being unwilling to buy in add on parts for the unit.

That said, the unit should give good value for a number of years and at least the manufacturer is still trading so there should be some parts access for the forseeable future.

I bought the Hitachi M12V2 around christmas time and am more than happy with it. It is heafty (about the same wieght as the Mak.) but in it's favor it is well made, smooth and quiet under load and comes with a carry case. I don't even mind the styling. Satisfying tool to use.

Ben

In Aussie, the Hitachi M12V2, is it made in Malaysia or Japan? How's the price diff. compare with TRITON counterpart? :aro-l:

hcim, just went and had a look and mine is made in Malaysia.

I purchased a hitachi router and saw in 1978 both are still going strong , i have replaced the main bearings in the saw and thats about it , even with the age of the router it will ,if i wanted to interfase with a speed controler . I also have a triton router mounted under a table and have replaced the bearings in less than a three year period . Not impressed as once i had stripped it down only to find cheap plastic and ill fitting parts . Then again you only get what you pay for .

Paul , k

Just pay that little bit more and it will last you a lifetime :cool: