Which 1/2" router ?

[Krysstel]

I have an Elu MOF96 1/4" which I have almost only used hand-held. With a recently purchased Veritas dust extractor attachment it's even now possible to extract dust from it for the first time ever ! I also have a very small Elu table which has it's advantages over hand-held but it takes so long to mount the machine in the table that I almost always try to get by without. Such has been the situation for about 5 years now, but now I've had enough !
I must have (a) another router and (b) a proper table.
Question is, which ?
I'm no proff and can't really justify the cost of a Dewalt, Makita, Bosch. So what should I go for ? Obviously we're talking about a 1/2" router as I still have the good old 1/4" Elu for hand-held. The new router will be permanently table mounted. Good dust extraction is very important - I'm fed up with filling the room (and my lungs) with dust every time I work with MDF. What about Ryobi, or Trend, or Axminster's own ? I could even stretch to a Triton or Hitachi if they're really worth the extra.
Anybody with opinions :?:
With regards to a new router table; I'll probably start a new thread, but first the new router ..............

 

[Jeremys]

I can highly recommend the Triton for permanently mounting in a table. its too much of a beast for most hand held work but has got some great features for tables. (thru base collet, scrolling height adjustment etc) dust extraction on mine is pretty good, I have 2 intakes to the extractor, one from the fence and one from the back of the cabinet.

Killer feature for me was it was 1/2 the price of a T11 :lol:

 

[Krysstel]

Which Triton do you recommend; the TRB001 or the MOF001 ?

 

[Streepips]

what about a second hand Elu, 177 or 177e...You know the make is good and they are fairly straightforward to strip and refurb if required,
I had a 177 in a table for years, until I got a Triton.
Please do not go for a 30 quid special from B&Q or similar. will put you off for life !

 

[Argee]

Which Triton do you recommend; the TRB001 or the MOF001 ?

I did a comparative review here if that helps. Recommendation would depend upon what sort of work you intend doing with it.

The MOF001 has the additional capability of above-the-table height changing at the moment. This feature will be incorporated into the larger TRB001 in the future, but don't expect it in the UK until the 3rd. quarter of 2009 at the earliest.

Ray

 

[Jeremys]

Ive got the TRB001... It does everything I ask of it...raised panels, kitchen worktops, as well as everyday stuff.

 

[eggflan]

what about a second hand Elu, 177 or 177e...You know the make is good and they are fairly straightforward to strip and refurb if required,
I had a 177 in a table for years, until I got a Triton.
Please do not go for a 30 quid special from B&Q or similar. will put you off for life !

Im puzzeled by this comment at the bottom , why would a cheap B&Q router put him off for life :?

I have a Macalister B&Q 1/2" router ive had it for around 3 years and ive used it for allsorts of work including site work and worktops etc and its never let me down , and as a bonus it came with a router table included all for the not so huge sum of £49 . Ok so it will eventually give up i expect but ive had my moneys worth as i use it everyday , a chap i used to work with has gone through 2 makitas in that time :lol:

So would i buy another one ? Too right i would, im just waiting for the offer to come back on at B&Q

 

[Chems]

Theres a lot of tool slobbery. I have the big Triton and a little Focus McKeller 30quid jobbie. The Mckeller gets used more. Its a fantastic bit of kit, its light well powered, bit noisy but I wear ear proection. It has dust extraction and a nice plunge action and variable speed. Some people need to stop with the tool snobbery.

That having been said, the difference in ease of use for some things with my Triton is huge, the fine adjustment and the rack and pinion wind are fantastic!

 

[Gower]

Hello Krysstel,
I have several routers and the Elu is my favorite hand held. The only problem is dust extraction. I was lucky enough to buy a Triton at a reduced price from B&Q (I'm not sure you have B&Q in Norway) and mounted in a table it's a revelation. so easy to change cutters. I had considered expensive router lifts but I'm happy I saved my money. I have only had the Triton for a year so it's reliability has to be proved but I haven't read to many criticisms. Triton for me!
Cheers,
Gower

 

[Argee]

Theres a lot of tool snobbery. I have the big Triton and a little Focus McKeller 30quid jobbie. The Mckeller gets used more.

Steady on, Chems! When Streetpips said "Please do not go for a 30 quid special from B&Q or similar. will put you off for life!" I took that to mean that - generally speaking - you get what you pay for and you don't get much for £30, which is an accurate statement in most cases. You admit it yourself later in the post:

That having been said, the difference in ease of use for some things with my Triton is huge, the fine adjustment and the rack and pinion wind are fantastic!

Good tools will provide a better experience than their low-budget counterparts. Thats a fact (involving bearing quality, build quality, etc.) and nothing to do with tool snobbery. Of course, some people are able to make stunning items using the most basic tools and are happy to do so. I'd also bet that those same people would prefer to use top-end kit.

Ray.

 

[Chems]

Its a cumulation of a few post I've seen over the past few days. I had a £30 router and its what got me into woodworking. Here I am a year later with a whole range of tools and a pair of routers.

They have their place, obviously a £30 quid one isn't going to be quite the same as a £200 triton but it won't put you off for life. More important that the make is knowing how to use it. I didn't like my router at first but I didnt understand how to use it, depth of cuts and which way to push the router in relation to the spin etc.

 

[Streepips]

Thank you Argee, for putting my comment into context..That was indeed what I meant.
In fact the most recent set of posts to a thread was sticking up for Silverline product ! ( non electrical) so to be accused of tool "snobbery" , I find amazing !

Yes, the point was, and still is, that a 30 quid superstore offering is built at a price point, its a copy of something made on the cheap. and may well "do" for a while, but I prefer to make an investment when buying tools rather than just buy the cheapest........
Thats why I have a Triton TRA in the table, a Makita 3612C for site work, an Elu 96 for light and handheld work a trend for trimming and an Elu 177 in perfect condition for occasional work as and when.
all of these were bought for a purpose, with consideration to the work they were expected to do......no particular brand preference, each tool on its own merits and capabilities.
I use my tools and workshop to earn a living, and have done for years so I cannot afford to buy "cheap" and would never advise anyone else to do so......
If you need a 1/2" router and are on a limited budget then look for a brand and model that you can get a few reviews on and look for a second hand one.
Thats not snobbery, thats just common sense.

 

[frugal]

I have a 1/4" Trend T5 that I have had for a number of years which has been a wonderful workhorse. I have also bought a Macalister 1/2" router from B&Q a month ago as they were on special offer for £39 with 35 bits.

B&Q seem to do two own brands of power tools: The grey ones (Perform Pro or something) and the blues ones (Macalister used to be PowerPro, in blue).

Speaking to a couple of the tool guys when the range first came out (and B&Q had some competent staff) the designers were apparently given the current Bosch range and told to make the Macalister range at least as good. So they are not Festool quality, but they are not bad on the whole (the Macalister ones at least.)

 

[Argee]

The majority of B & Q "own brand" tools have been GMC for a while, but they've just gone into receivership. The likelihood is that Einhell will buy them as an entity, which would include the Triton brand.

Whilst on the subject, Triton are now to be distributed in the UK by Silverline Tools.

Ray

 

[frugal]

The majority of B & Q "own brand" tools have been GMC for a while, but they've just gone into receivership. The likelihood is that Einhell will buy them as an entity, which would include the Triton brand.

Whilst on the subject, Triton are now to be distributed in the UK by Silverline Tools.

Ray

Ray: What do you think of the GMC brand then?

 

[Argee]

Ray: What do you think of the GMC brand then?

I've had no experience of using any of their products at all. From what I've seen, I'd say they rank alongside their competitors' imports - no better, no worse.

Ray

 

[Krysstel]

Thanks for all the replies, advice and comments.
Based on what I've read and my own criteria I'm fairly sure I'll go for the Triton MOF001. Two main reasons for this :-
(1) The above table height adjustment. This was what got me interested in Triton in the first place and I wasn't aware that the TRB001 didn't have it.
(2) The physical size and weight and that it has both 1/4" and 1/2" collets. I envisage that it will be table mounted 90% of the time but I want the option of being able to use it hand-held sometimes and the TRB001 seems like a big heavly lump in comparison.
I don't earn my living from woodworking and am only an enthusiastic amateur. I can therefore not justify owning/buying 2 machines but can justify buying 1 good, medium priced machine that can fill all my needs. At the moment I still have the old Elu but this is now 15 years old and one day will have to be returned to my father-in-law from whom I borrowed it 5 years ago !
Another criteria I have is that the machine must be available in Norway; in case of repairs. This counts out all machines sold by B&Q and similar. The current price for the MOF001 here is NKr. 2400 (about £220) whilst a DW625 or Trend T10 cost around £450 This makes the Triton a very good local buy. The DW or Trend I could import from the UK for around the same price, but then there's the backup/repairs problem ....

 

[13eightyfour]

The MOF001 is about £220 in norway!! I thought britain was supposed to be expensive! its only about £145 over here!

Oddly i never realised the TRB001 didnt have above table height adjustment either.

 

[Krysstel]

The MOF001 is about £220 in norway!! I thought britain was supposed to be expensive! its only about £145 over here!
.

May sound expensive but had I imported myself from the UK then the cost calculation would look like this :-
ex-VAT price £120 + postage to Norway £35 = £155.
On arrival in Norway I have to pay Norwegian VAT at 25% !! on both the purchase price + the shipping costs, ie; 155 x 1.25 = £195.
The shipper then charges about £15 handling fee. Total then £210.
So you see, buying here for £220 is not bad really, and if I bought in the UK I would have problems with backup, repairs, spares etc. If I buy here I don't.
However, Dewalt or Makita, Trend is another matter. Prices in the UK are half what they are in Norway.

 

[moose007]

I bought a Hitachi 12MV2 for my router table, wildly too powerful for hand work, put wheels on it and you could go carting, but otherwise it's been faultless.