Trend T5 Router,  Wednesday, 22 October 2003 After my old router packed in I needed a replacement for handheld use only. I have a 1/2" router mounted permanently in my table, so wanted something relatively lightweight but with enough power for typical furniture making tasks.

I wanted something reliable and built to last. There a few in this price range but I was tempted by the Trend due to the wide range of accessories and spare parts readily available for it.

The router package I ordered (T5EK) came with some extras - the handy 8mm collet, fine height adjuster and case.

First impressions of build quality were good. The variable speed control seemed a little cheaply made though, as did the handles. Otherwise very solid. The side fence is also well made and the fine adjuster a nice feature.

I installed a 1/4" 10mm CMT straight bit (nice easy access to collet nut and spindle lock), and switched on. Nice soft start brought the motor to full speed in a second or so. Not as noisy as I'm used to which is a plus. Run along a straight fence with 1/4" depth of cut in some oak was as expected. No vibration to speak of. The plunge action was sticky at the top of its movement. But a little WD-40 sorted that out and it now glides smoothly.

I tried the fence, and again nothing I could find fault with. The two fence feet can be pushed together which is a nice feature and avoids the router becoming unbalanced. The fine adjustment worked well. I haven’t tried the trammel attachment but it looks ok.

I actually had a real task to do with the router - and since I needed a very precise depth of cut I installed the fine height adjuster. Strange arrangement - it attaches to one of the turrets - which seems to mean you can't use the plunge with it attached. But worked well and I could set the bit accurately. Although I had the plunge the whole router into the workpiece which wasn't ideal. I was routing just over 1/4" deep into MDF with a 1/2" bit. The machine did struggle a little - probably should have done it in two passes. But the handling was good. I also tried installing the dust collection attachment. Absolute dream - it attaches easily, doesn't obscure the cutter and it works! My old router's dust collection was hopeless and I just couldn't use it. So this is a bonus - especially when working with MDF. Although my vacuum hose is a little stiff which doesn't help.

Overall I’m very pleased with the router. Built to last, and with the support Trend offers, should last. Fine height adjustment could be better, but it works. Enough power for most handheld tasks. I got mine from DM-tools for £150 with free next day delivery. Please e-mail me if you have any questions.

 Freud JS102 Biscuit Jointer,  Wednesday, 22 October 2003 This jointer is the spitting image of the Trend T20 - even down to the same blow moulded case and accessories. First appearances are very good - nicely presented with decent accessories including tools for changing the blade, some biscuits, some machine oil and a dust bag.

The feel of the machine is good - nice and solid. So onto the manual - yuk! Although it looks like it has some good information in it - it's so poorly presented that I chucked it to one side and guessed how to use the thing! The main problem is the quality of the pictures - blurred and not in my opinion usable. But help is at hand - as I said the jointer looks the same as the T20 - and Trend kindly have their manuals online.

I went on to trying to make some biscuit joints. Very straightforward, adjust the height of the fence and the depth of the biscuit and you're away. However although the manual says the depth is adjusted in the factory to the size of the biscuits - this wasn’t true with mine – not even close! Anyhow it's easy to adjust and once you've adjusted it for one biscuit the others will automatically be set. To set the height you align the fence with both vertical scales. With both sides of the fence set I made a check on the accuracy of the scales - the cut was out 0.3mm from one side of the cut to the other - not bad I guess.

The plunge action is smooth. And the cut slots are accurate. There's no play that I can see. I cut a biscuit a fraction of a mm below the surface of some planed wood to test the accuracy of the cut. The results were good. The fence is also fully adjustable and there are precise pre-set stops for 0, 45 and 90 degrees. Mitred joints were easy to cut.

The dust extraction seems to work pretty well. I've only used it with the included dust bag. It did get clogged with some oak shavings but for constant use you really want to attach a vacuum hose. I haven't tried changing the blade yet.

Overall all I am pleased with the jointer.

Would I pay £30 more for the Trend? Probably not. It's the same jointer as far as I can tell. Trend does include a better manual though, and support from Trend may be better.

I bought mine from MTS Powertools - it arrived a couple of days later and delivery was free.

Hope you find this review useful and please e-mail me if you have any questions.