DW625EK vs Trend T11 and hand held use

[Vikash]

My old 1/4" b&q £20 router just isn't cutting it any more, in fact it's cutting more of my hand where half of the plastic grip has fallen off.

Having read a lot of threads, I now fancy one of these two routers, but not sure if these large 1/2" jobbies will be usable for hand held use. I don't have a table (never used one), but plan to at some point.

I will use it mostly for speaker cabinet building.

- Suitable for hand held use?
- Does the large base hole in the T11 make it less usable on smaller pieces?
- Are there any other contenders in this category?
- How often do router designs/updates occur? These machines seem to have been around a while, which is good, but are there likely to be newer versions around the corner?

V

 

[woodbloke]

The bigger 1/2" routers can be used freehand but you'll need a physique like Arnie to use them for any length of time. For speaker cabinet building a decent 1/4" router (De Walt do a good one or maybe the Trend) would be more than sufficient. If you do decide to get a 1/2" (I have the Trend) then they're best mounted in a router table - Rob

 

[Paul Chapman]

If you want to improve the stability of a large, 1/2" router for hand-held use, fit a "square" sub-base. I use the Trend one (it takes the Trend guide bushes) or you can easily make one from MDF or perspex

Makes it really nice to use and very stable.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[paulm]

If you do go for a 1/2" then the T11 can be height adjusted from above the router table which, as you've mentioned possible future table use, would be a significant factor in choosing between that and the DW, otherwise I think they are more or less the same machine and both pretty good......

Cheers, Paul

 

[Vikash]

Thanks, I'm taking Rob's advice and considering a 1/4" seriously first. Having seen the size of some of these machines on youtube, I see what you mean.

The Festool 1010 EBQ looks like it's the muts nuts in this category. Bit pricey, mind, but not too dissimilar in price to the T11 I was considering.

The thing that boggles my mind is whether the Festool would justify it's quadruple price over something like the Trend T4 EK for example.

 

[FatFreddysCat]

The thing that boggles my mind is whether the Festool would justify it's quadruple price over something like the Trend T4 EK for example.

Possibly not, but Festo stuff is well made. I have a Festo OF1000E-Plus (110v) which is similar to the current model. It replaced a time expired Elu MOF96 and whilst I didn't see much difference in the quality of the manufacturing (as opposed to the 8mm deWalt I considered - nowhere near as well finished, and NOISY) I've founf the Festo much easier to control than the MOF96. The back handle means it can even be used one handed when doing shallow passes, like small chamfers and round-over cuts. One neat feature of the Festo is the adjustable foot on one side of the base which makes it much easier to template rout with minimal chance of tipping. What you will find is that it won't take such a big cut as the T11, so my toolkit has the equivalent (a DW625) as well

 

[Ironballs]

I've got the DW621 1/4" router and it is excellent, very solid, plenty of useful features and the extraction through the column is great

 

[Anonymous]

Vikash

I have the Dewalt in the WoodRat and the T11 for handhed use or in the table since my Triton broke.

I find the T11 fine for handheld work and would not hesitate to recommend it. Use for small items Not the right tool for the job - get a cheap 1/4" router for smaller jobs (I use a T5 and for box inlays a T3).

 

[pooka]

I used to use my DW625 for hand-held work (before mounting it in a table) and found it very comfortable and very good. The weight is only an issue when moving it to and from the item to be worked on - while cutting the weight is actually a benefit as it makes for a more stable router.

I have since bought the DW621 and I find this very good too. The DW621 is lighter and more manoeuvrable, and therefore more convenient for routing smaller items, but I sometimes do miss the weight of the DW625 during the cut.

 

[Vikash]

Thanks. I went with the DW621K in the end - gonna give it a whirl this evening. It already feels twice the size of that 'toy' I was using previously so I'm glad I didn't go for one of the half inchers. Best of all I saved my money which I can now put towards a bandsaw... 8)

 

[paulm]

You'll like the 621, as others have said it's a solid well made performer with great dust extraction.

Worth using the 8mm collet and cutters rather than the 1/4", the increase in shank diameter makes a very big difference in practice with reduced chatter and more aggressive cuts. Assuming they still ship with both collets as they used to of course.

Cheers, Paul

 

[Vikash]

H Paul, yes I'm very impressed with the dust extraction of all things. The garage is usually swirling in dust when I take a router to MDF so it's been a bit of a revelation to use the new shop vac extractor and the DW621K. Absolutely no visible dust to speak of.

As I've said, I previously used a budget machine and never so much as touched something decent like this. I love the way the depth stop and fine adjustment works, and same of the fence. I also like the switch on the handle and the locking mechanism on the other. Probably just getting excited by little things, but I think I'm going to enjoy using it...