1/2 Inch Router (Why Living in England Sux)

[Anonymous]

Matstro

Had to start a new thread on this one. I have Decided which Router I am getting..... Uh Maybe

It's a bit expensive but from all the reviews I have read and the Shear 'Loveliness' of the build quality it has to be the 3¼ HP Porter Cable 7539 Circa £390 I want a router that lasts and lasts but I also want all the features it has a great Fence, Width and Micro adjustably. 76 mm Plunge Depth and loads more features.

Now, as you do, I started hunting around for the best buy on the Net and "THIS IS WHY LIVING IN ENGLAND SUX" I found that the 7539 can be bought in the US for closer to £200, where is the justice in that.

Mastro
Tell me when you have read this I have another little story from today that will hopefully have you smiling.

 

[Anonymous]

Stevezm,

Yep, read it!

I got something to make you smile also!!!

Oh, and by the way, I ordered a Porter Cable this morning!!

Will tell all later.

Cheers

 

[Charley]

Your right Steve our prices Sux

What PC router did you get Mastro?

 

[Anonymous]

Very later that is!

I've got to go to Ikea to buy a kitchen!

 

[Anonymous]

I am very Pleased you went for the Porter Cable. I had a look at both the 7529 and the 7539 Today and they are just really nicely built Routers. It stuck in my gullet a lot when I found out how much they were in the US but then you have to get on with life.

Smile away and send all the mickey my way I deserve. I went to B&Q to have a look at the Triton again but it just didn't do it for me. This was before I looked at the PC's.

Well talk about weak minded, I have long since decided that the Performance Pro's were not for me, at £80 or so they are tempting but just don't have the features or the finish of the big boys. I particularly liked the Pistol Grip model. Well Guess what B&Q have just reduced the cost of the Pistol Grip by nearly £30 to £50 (WHAT) Yep Really £50 for a 1/2 inch Pistol grip Router, I am spineless and confronted with a deal I rarely can resist so the Router is here with me and looking good.

I went on to look at the Porter Cable (take in mind the Power Pro was an impulse buy) and fell in love with the 7539 although I thought the 7529 was better than any of the other big guns I had looked at to date, and I still might be happy with that choice.

I almost ordered it there and then but returning home with two 1/2 Routers, one of which was almost twice my budget and the second I had written off some weeks before, might not go down to well at home. This needed some gentle reasoning.

That done I decided I would put the Power Pro in the Table to replace the Old Elu and get the Porter Cable, which felt so nice in the hand, to be used by hand. It also has a far superior fence and plunge etc, etc..

Sorted, I though until the US Price stumped and miffed me somewhat. Still give me a day or so and need will surpass reason.

Back to you, Well done on buying the Porter Cable. Where and how much. I need to find where I can get a good price on the PC to help swollow the bitter pill of being ripped of just for being English.


Sorry to Rant on but it's been a fun day and the Power Pro, so far is a real steal at the price. What say you?

 

[Anonymous]

Mike

It's not by any means the same as the Porter Cable Norm Uses and there are very few pistol grips in the UK. But take a look at the B&Q Power Pro

http://www.diy.com/bq/product/product.j ... ATID=62251

They have a special on it at the moment and at that price they aren't going to hang around long.

Damn!!! I just looked at the page and they are allready listing it out of stock and thats in the last half hour.

Still some of the big stores have them in.

Or perhaps it's a price error! Still I got mine

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Stevezm,

What a traitor! A B&Q own power tool? Mind you as you say £50 for that IS cheap and if you don't give it too much stick it will probally serve well.
I would'nt like to be a kitchen fitter with one though.

Back to today. Another1/2 day wasted but lots gleaned.

Guess what, Metabo 1/2" router is a Trend 1/2" router. If you don't beleive me look at the photos. Local Metabo dealer was extremly miffed to say the least 1. cos I cancelled the veiwing of the Metabo he got in for me and 2. He's been selling Metabo for years on quality and was I quote ,"gobsmacked" when I told him.
I must stress I repeated what I had been told by someone that knew and I think it only applies to 1/2" models.

Next surprise was I went to see a Festool. Very dear at £365 + vat.
Didnt like it. I plunged the router with the bed half off the counter and it groaned and shuddered as it went down! On mentioning this to the onlooking staff member he said why I would want to use it like that, why don't you try using it wholey on the counter surface like it should be used!
I said you'd use it overhanging if you were routing an edge. Duh!!
He said it was a demo model, gave it a squirt of oil, I tried again no groan but still shudder. Got a new one out the box, same prob. No fine height adjustment on this one that we could see so wrote it off. The router itself did look exellent quality/ finish though. Tried a DeWalt worked nicely but I didnt want to buy that one. Oh, and guess what, the Festool is a Mafell!
apparently!

Looked at a new Bosch 2000 at £265 + vat. Seemed ok, perhaps a bit too gimicky? I don't know. Lovely fence on that one though.

Finally, spoke with Rutlands (I'd never heard of them before this forum)
and quizzed them hard about the Porter Cable. They do a returns policy if unused. So, given they assured me it was one of the best available plus Charley here vouched for it plus good reviews elsewhere plus US stuff is usually over engineered, I ordered the 7529 at £239 inc. We'll see!!

One question on the Porter cable for ANYONE

I've ordered the 7539 which is 1300 w. I wanted around 1800w because of better power. Rutlands were talking about the 1300w PC having more torque or something like that and that lower wattage didnt always mean lower power. Can anyone confirm this cos I don't want to end up with something underpowered.

Anyway, this is turning into an essay! Wifes gone to bed so it doesnt matter too much tonight!

Regards

 

[Anonymous]

Don't actually know what it means when B&Q say "out of stock"

I was in B&Q Warehouse tonight for other things, and looked at the self same router that Stevezm bought. It was on the shelf but I didnt clock the price.

Yes, £50 is cheap isnt it?!

 

[Anonymous]

Yep Matstro

The HP is a better indicator of the power of the Machine same as an engine just because it has a big motor doesn't mean it will produce a bigger Punch.

Porter Cable use the HP as a power indicator which is better than showing what juice it uses. Output is what it's about and the PC motors seem to be very efficiant. However the 1300W Motor may not give the dort of power of a 1800W Router. But is the PC Rating it's output or input?

For instance the Dewalt 625EK 1850W Router Gives out 1250 Watts of Power and doesn't have the same motor here in the UK as it's 3HP American Brother. Damn Confusing

MAybe someone can shed some technical light on the issue

 

[Anonymous]

To be honest, I havnt got a clue. This particular PC is 1300w 2 hp.
Thats all I know.

As Stevezm says,

Can anyone out there give us all a lecture on wattage and power?

Charley, you use this router, how does the power compare with bigger ones you may have used?

 

[wood1000]

I have used the 3¼ HP Porter Cable 7539. It rocks!

 

[Anonymous]

Wood1000,

I expect it does! Mines 2hp so it probally won't........

Over where you are whats the PC competition. ie whats virtually comparable or does it stand alone above all other routers.

Why is it in US thats things are better but cheaper than over here in many cases? I think we all get a bit envious sometimes. Stevezm all the time!!!
well, with woodworking tools anyway.

 

[llangatwgnedd]

There is not much visabilty With the Performance Router is that why they are selling them off?

 

[Anonymous]

SDP

Yep in a recent review the visability was an issue but that is the case with any fixed based Routers. Although other brands have slightly better visabiltiy. But for Table use it makes no difference and the winding adjuster, which can be easily extended, makes it better in many ways than a plunger.

I don't want to deffend this Router, If it breaks in the first 3 years it's covered by B&Q and to be honest at the Price it is as close to a disposable Router as you can get. I comes with 15 FREE cutters (about 10 ½ inch and five ¼ inch) they are not goog cutters as you would expect but the will get some use and be binned when the lose their edge, rather than re-sharpened.

 

[kityuser]

please, people:

The HP is a better indicator of the power of the Machine

lower wattage didnt always mean lower power.

I`m not normally this piccy, but somebody is feeding you guys with some pooh!

power drawn (power is draw by a machine not supplied to it!) by an electrical load is defined by " Power = Voltage * Current " (where the current drawn by a electrical load is related to various things such as motor winding resistance etc)


Unless there is a vast difference in the effeciency of these tools (which i doubt) then the watts (power) drawn by the device is a good representation of its mechanical "power" . (100% effeciency would presume all available electrical power is perfectly converted to mechanical effot, which of course is impossible, e.g. friction, heating effect, noise production.)

Therefore when somebody says

lower wattage didnt always mean lower power.

I`d ask the question " where does the extra power come from then? if its not the electrical supply?"

horse power is SIMPLY another measure of power, therefore as both are just units of power watts and HP are interchangeable (i.e. the same) except for a scaling factor. (such as cm to inches).

I`m sorry rutlands are wrong

The HP is a better indicator of the power of the Machine

...... *trying not to laugh*


sorry to get all "lecture" but I hate to see people getting blinded by supposed "technical" talk which is fundamentally wrong!

in general "quoted higher power machine" = higher mechanical effot available (assuming all power tools are approx the same effeciency)


(1HP = 745.7 watts)
from
http://www.allmeasures.com/conversion.asp
VERY useful site!

 

[Anonymous]

stevenprigg,

Wanted a lecture, got one!



Bosch do a 1300w and numerous people have said its a bit underpowered for 1/2" bits and that an approx. 1850w would be better. This is the yardstick I have used when selecting one to buy. I specifically asked Rutlands whether at 1300w the PC would be underpowered compared to 1800w, they inferred no, and mentioned matters of torque.

I guess there is another point to be made here. If I'm using the router mostly freehand then weight may become an issue? and that in fact the 1300w might be better cos its lighter? I'm not going to use it with huge great fielded panel cutters etc.

So, the bottom line for me anyway, is this 1300w PC router erring on underpowered or not?! The Bosch is considered so,so I assume the PC also?

Can anyone continue this discussion?

Regards

 

[sawdustalley]

I hate a 1250w router from B&Q. It takes 1/2" bits and seems to be fine for me and what I use it for.

I'm sure it will be fine.

 

[Charley]

I wouldn’t call the PC 7529 underpowered at all. As I said before it handles the big raised panel cutters fine and in all the time I've had it, its never slowed down once It was the first 'expensive' tool I bought and haven't regretted buying it

 

[Anonymous]

Ok, thanks for that.

It's coming tomorrow. I'll post what I think of it!

I suppose whats underpowered in one persons eyes is ok in anothers.

If used for kitchen worktop work I would imagine the more power the better. 38mm chipboard with laminate on top takes some cutting.

Thanks again

 

[Anonymous]

FWIW, torque is a measure of angular power. Torque = Horsepower*5252/RPM.

At top speed, the larger motor will have more torque. Depending upon how the speed is limited to the motor this may or may not be true at lower speeds. Assuming both motors have similar speed control mechanisms (and therefore similar delivery of horsepower), then at a given rpm, the larger motor will always have more torque.

From my (limited) experience, once you reach a certain level of power, you don't really need more. Especially with a router as the quality of bits, and the wood 'ripping' when you try to remove to much material are more significant. e.g. you might be able to remove 1" of material at a time with an 1850W router, but would you really want to?