Need a decent 1/2" router Trend T9EK?

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
johnelliott Good question as I am also looking for a replacement, on the post I put up the replies seemed to say they were worth it but also many others Freud, makita and DW.
It'll be interseting to see what the conclusion is.

Bean
 
John

The consensus of opinion amongst people in the trade on the SFX site is that the DW625EK is the way to go.

The Trend is good but the DW is the professional's choice.

Cheers
Neil
 
John,
I have the DW625 which is similar to the Trend,both are good, from personal point of view the weight of them tire my arms if i use them for prolonged periods of time. I now have the Festool OF1400 which is a superb in-betweeny, good balance and smooth plunge, and light enough to use for lengthy periods of time but its costly, even the 1/4" collets are pricey but you get what you pay for.
The DW625, T9, CMT, Makita 3612 etc are all good, it really comes down to what you want it for, ie table mounting, worktop joints, mortising etc,
If i had to only own one router it would be the festool hands down
Kind Regards
Ian
 
The OF1400 looks very nice!
Does anyone know if there is a comprehensive range of guide bushes available, or is it a case of using the Trend unibase?
Seems a shame to "mess up" a nice new router with a round baseplate.
The Festool boasts automatic concentricity of guide bush too - presumably that would be void with a Trend base??
 
I owned a Trend T5 and was very happy with it when considering an 1/2" router. I looked at loads that are currently on the market (including T9) and read every review that came to hand.

The final choice?

Porter Cable 7529 - consistently voted best on test.
I would not hesitate to recomend it - smooth, quiet, reliable (so far) very nice depth stop, impressive fine adjuster for plunge.

Cheers

Tony
 
Tony,

You don't do the catalogue descriptions for Rutlands, by any chance?......

Rgds

Noel
 
Noely":b8esaahm said:
Tony,

You don't do the catalogue descriptions for Rutlands, by any chance?......

Rgds

Noel

Note to self. Must disguise writing style when posting to the forum :wink:
 
Seriously, wouldn't mind a PC but quite happy with the Freud.

Rgds

Noel
 
I bought a T9 about 2 months ago. So far I have been very impressed with it. It is a good, solid bit of kit with plenty of power to spare.

The only drawbacks as far as I am concerned are:-

1) The plunge springs are very strong - I alleviated this by purchasing the plungebar, so now I can plunge one-handed.
2) It is pretty heavy, so my arms get tired after about 30 minutes of use.

Other than those two minor niggles, I am very pleased with it.
 
i use the triton beastie, although it has a strong plunge spring ,this is not a problem when using its racking control knob to winch the cutter up and down. it does accept the standard trend guide bushes in its guide bush base plate which is an extra item.
if there is a limitation to this router it would be the base size, tremendous for stability but rusticating for tight locations
dave w
 
Gosh, so many choices eh :eek:

I use the Makita 3612CX - Which I love at the moment. You can read my review of it here

I know charley now has a DeWALT - and he really likes it. He mentioned to me its great having 2 big routers, otherwise you end up contantly mounting and un-mounting it from the table.

(James is now looking at getting another big router :shock: )
 
I am going to get the T9EK for a router table. I bought the T5EK a few months back for the Woodrat, and think it's pretty well put together, beautiful little motor on it, sweet as a nut.
A delight to use freehand, feels like it's floating on thin air.

I have to admit the fence had a few casting marks on it, but I cleaned them up with a riffler file and wet flatted them into obscurity.

The plunge was jerky as hell when I got it, but now it has eased up and is very smooth.

What I like about Trend is all the accessories they make. If you buy Trend you know all the extras are available for them and will fit out the box.
 
Thanks for all the replies.
I have now purchased a Trend T9EK. I got it from D&M for £259. The best my local tool shop could do was £315 and they didn't have any anyway. I did consider the DeWalt carefully, but what I particularly like about the Trend is the way one sets the depth of plunge. There is a large graduated knob on the side which raises and lowers the depth stop. Not only does this mean that I when doing deep work I can set more plunge looking from above, but the millimetre graduations are further apart due to the gearing in the system and are much easier to read.
I will write a review when I've used it a bit.
John
 
Back
Top