advice on what trim router to buy

[joeneary16]

hi i am looking for opinions on what is the best trim router to buy.
i know there is alot of choice on the market and some can be got with different bases

would like one that is easy to use one handed for applying chamfers and round overs
thinking of getting a Bosch GKF 600 Palm Router Kit from aximinister. any feedback on this would be great or if anyones knows of an alternative

regards
joe

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I got the Rigid equivalent from the US as I was able to get it from a mate for £60. I find the UK equivalent machines like the Bosch etc seem to be ludicrously expensive

 

[MMUK]

Personally I'd opt for the Makita RT0700CX2 kit with fixed and plunge bases. Don't buy from Axi though, they're about £60 more expensive than FFX or ITS.

 

[gwr]

I always used to reach for the Trend T5 for smaller work with no problems and felt safe and comfortable using one handed.

 

[Spindle]

Hi

I can't fault my Trend routers, both the T5 and T3 are great for profiling, trimming etc. If I had to chose between them I'd go for the more powerful T5.

Regards Mick

 

[John15]

I have the Bosch Trimmer router and am pleased with it. I find it can be easily held in one hand once you have started on a run (it has no soft start-up). I got it from Screwfix for £100 as the basic model without the add-ons.
John

 

[milkman]

Personally I'd opt for the Makita RT0700CX2 kit with fixed and plunge bases. Don't buy from Axi though, they're about £60 more expensive than FFX or ITS.

Just got this one. An excellent product except… the plunge-base lock is fiddly to lock hard enough so it doesn't come loose. Unfortunately Makita products are all serviced via returning the machine to Makita UK so I can't solve this without losing use of the machine for a while. At least that's what the dealer told me.
A nifty device and much easier to use than my 1/2".

If you do get one suggest you order the 8mm collet for it, buy a knuckle-sized philips screwdriver for the bases and have an 8mm spanner for some of the nuts.

Also the spindle lock is mostly pointless so you will need the two thin spanners that come with it to tighten off the collet nut.
(actually how tight does a collet nut need to be? Is it one of those things that self tighten during use?)

Also mine came in a systainer rather than the soft bag shown in many of the adverts.

Marko

 

[chippy1970]

+1 for the Makita, had it a couple of years now and it's very well built. I only bought the basic router not the set, you don't need the full set if you're just edging etc. I've got other bigger ones for more serious work.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

[nicguthrie]

I've just bought the Makita RT0700CX2 with extra bases from D&M tools. They seem to have it cheaper than anywhere else, at £199. http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/section//sn/MAKRT0700CX2 and it came in the systainer case, which many find a big bonus.

I did a humungous amount of research before buying it, and decided on it for a several reasons. It's a fair bit more expensive than the Bosch, but it has several features that the the Bosch hasn't got. I wanted to keep my workshop as clean as possible, and it has dust collectors on it that the Bosch and the Dewalt versions don't come with. The soft start is nice, and there were a couple of other features that I can't recall offhand that it had superior to the Boch too.

I fancied the Trend T5, especially as it was cheaper, but the details on it stipulate that it's intended to not be used for more than 15-20 mins at a time, suggesting to me that the motor may have overheating problems, or at least that the manufacturers are pre-loading their case against it being "overused" incase of it blowing... Didn't seem like a good sign to me.

I was actually on the forum to recommend both the machine and the company I bought it from, and saw this post just as I was about to open a new thread, so I've dropped my happy news of an excellent purchase here instead

I was stunned at D&M's service, I live in a very small town on the north coast, and many companies charge me up to £25 delivery (I've had that much charged on a DVD before now) and I've never found a company that delivers within less than 3 days up here. I ordered my router at 11am on wednesday, and it arrived by 2pm the next day - free of charge...

Machine is beautifully made, accessories are heavily built quality gear, and everything is contained in the one large and spacious box. I've not had a change to try it out yet, but I'm itching to put it through it's paces!

Nic.

 

[Grahamshed]

and another vote for the Makita RT0700CX2 kit. After extensive use for the last few months I still love it and have had no problems with the plunge base lock.

 

[carlb40]

Well although i don't have that highly recommended makita. I did have a play with it and the bosch and dewalt ones. The makita IMO was much easier to use, especially the height adjustment.

In fact there is a member on here who has the bosch and makita and now due to ease of use - uses just the makita.

 

[Grahamshed]

I recently had to shape 7 big perspex windows with my son for his boat. We cut them to rough shape with a jigsaw then used a template to go round the edges with the Makita (using the fixed base ) we had something like 5 to 8 mm to clean off all round and at the slowest speed the Makita preformed a treat. It was unbelievably easy and left a beautifully finished edge.

 

[owen]

I've got the bosch and its great. Only trouble I have is all the bits n pieces don't fit in the box.

 

[Lons]

I have the makita kit with systainer box and it's superb IMO.
Like Nic, I bought from DM Tools who were cheapest and next day delivery. i chose the Makita after looking at Bosch as well and I thought it was better made and worth the extra. I'm not disappointed. The only addition I would like but can't justify is the offset base.

Bob

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I've bought tons of stuff from D&M including my lathe and various other machine tools. They are a very good company. Some of you won't know they are the team behind the toolshow at Kempton Park in October which is always very well attended. They have a shop in Twickenham high street which is a veritable Aladdins cave of tools. Usual disclaimers...nowt to do with them just a happy punter.