new router?

[jhwbigley]

i've got to arched top gates to make in the very near future, so i think i shall bite the bullet and buy a 1/2 shank router.

the dw625EK any good?


John-Henry

 

[OPJ]

Yep, the DW625's are very highly regarded round here.

Personally, I've used one and I find get 'hand cramps' after using it for a sustained period. I've never had that problem with my Makita 3612CX, which I prefer also for the fact that it has a trigger switch. This has to be held and cannot be locked in place. It's a favourite router for many kitchen fitters although, I find the fence rods are ridiculously short for a lot of the work that I do! :x

Makita seem to have improved on these things with their latest models though, which are currently going for almost £300... They also have LED lights around the collet. Like the 3612 series though, there is both a single-speed and variable-speed model available.

 

[p111dom]

It's a good router but you're better off spending the tiny bit more to get the Trend T11 which while being the same machine mechanically, is a little more versitle in the way the bit height is set.

 

[mailee]

I have the DW 625 and can't fault it, great machine. :wink:

 

[jhwbigley]

the dewalt appeals to me, it looks nice, well recommended, and best of all, price

http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/s ... DEW625EKAV


where as the trend is

http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/sn/TRET11EKAV

hmm

John-Henry

 

[FatFreddysCat]

The DW is a good router. My own experience is that about the only parts to wear out or die are normally the bearings or the electronic speed controller. The two bearings for my DW625 cost me about £16 recently (the Maks are about the same) but the cost of a controller is £178 on the Mak whilst the DW625 comes in around £53. Maybe why I've seen a number of Maks go through eBay recently with defective electronic speed controllers

 

[p111dom]

the dewalt appeals to me, it looks nice, well recommended, and best of all, price

http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/s ... DEW625EKAV


where as the trend is

http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/sn/TRET11EKAV

hmm

John-Henry

It's only £20 more and I don't think you fully appreciate the extra features you get for the money. It's definately worth it. Check out the Trend web site to see the height adjustment. This can be done from the top or the bottom of the router so you can adjust the height when it's in a router table. You may not want a table now but you will in the future and you'd be kicking yourself if you had the oportunity to get this feature for only £20 extra. You can buy an adaptor for the Dewalt which does the same but the last time I checked, it was £60+ and meant modifying the body and base, voiding the warranty. With that in mind the Trend starts to look cheaper and better value for money.

 

[jhwbigley]

the dewalt appeals to me, it looks nice, well recommended, and best of all, price

http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/s ... DEW625EKAV


where as the trend is

http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/sn/TRET11EKAV

hmm

John-Henry

It's only £20 more and I don't think you fully appreciate the extra features you get for the money. It's definately worth it. Check out the Trend web site to see the height adjustment. This can be done from the top or the bottom of the router so you can adjust the height when it's in a router table. You may not want a table now but you will in the future and you'd be kicking yourself if you had the oportunity to get this feature for only £20 extra. You can buy an adaptor for the Dewalt which does the same but the last time I checked, it was £60+ and meant modifying the body and base, voiding the warranty. With that in mind the Trend starts to look cheaper and better value for money.

I am walming to the trend, i already have a T5 aswell as the equivalent dewalt model.

i have this router table
http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/s ... RECRTDEAL1

its a ok table, but i would like to make my own at some stage.

i just don't like the 75 mm cutter opening in the base of the trend, any idea how big the opening is on the dewalt?

John-Henry

 

[FatFreddysCat]

The T11 is the one with the big (70+mm) opening. The T10 has the same opening as the DW625 - 50mm. If you don't like a big opening you could always bolt on a Trend GB/5 sub base or just make-up your own from Tufnol but I reckon p111dom has a valid point. The extra £20 is little more than the cost of a deWalt fine depth adjuster

 

[jhwbigley]

The T11 is the one with the big (70+mm) opening. The T10 has the same opening as the DW625 - 50mm. If you don't like a big opening you could always bolt on a Trend GB/5 sub base or just make-up your own from Tufnol but I reckon p111dom has a valid point. The extra £20 is little more than the cost of a deWalt fine depth adjuster

i think i'll make a sub base for the T11.

£20 is a lot for a student like me :shock:

John-Henry

 

[Pete Robinson]

I have a Dewalt 625EK and use it in my router table, its a good bit of kit but for hand had work I prefer to use my Makita 3612C this is mainly due to the on/off swith (the Dewalt is a bit more fiddly than the trigger style fitted to the Makita) the Makita also has a motor brake facility.

If you intend to use the router hand held I would suggest the Makita, for the router table I would recommend the Dewalt but both are a good choice.

 

[dicktimber]

Does the Trend T11 translate downwards in quality to the T5, or is the 1/4 dewalt and makita ( with the extraction through the column better value?

Mike

 

[p111dom]

I'm not sure what you mean there? The T11 is made in the same factory at the 625 and is identical in looks and quality (other than the colour). The added benefit of the height adjust from either top or bottom is a good addition over the 625 and this feature itself is good quality. The T11 is much better than the T5 but bigger and heavier. I've owned both a 625 and a T11 and I would recomemd the T11 even though it's more expensive as the features are worth the extra money. The T5 is largely under powered but is light and easy to use. I've currently started using my T5 more as a beefy laminate trimmer rather than a small router. Both the T5, T11 and 625 have poor dust extraction from a clear plastic port wich clips to the base reducing the plunge depth slightly and obscuring vision. But you have to go to a much more expensive level to get better than the T11. I have a Festool OF1400 and the dust extraction is brilliant. Power is good and it has some good features but it's quite heavy and costs nearly double the T11's price at £400.

There definately is a middle market for a powerful small 1/4 inch router which as far as I can see, the only router in this class is the expensive again OF1010.

That said, they have just re-vemped the T5 and given it more power which was my biggest complaint of it. I've seen quite a few older T5's go on ebay recently for as low as £41 and for that money, it's a steel.

 

[dicktimber]

Dom
sorry about the confusion.

Dewalt 621k/makitarp1110c or the Trend (new T5)
In your opinion which is the best buy for light repetative hand held work?
Do the Dewalts and Makita warrant the higher price tag?
Thank's Mike

 

[p111dom]

Sorry Mike, to be honest, I really don't know. I have the T5 and have had no problems with it but others have. It is under powered and tends to stall if pushed even slightly to it's limits. Other than that, it has the best range of bushes and accessories and works with all the Trend jigs. The new one might have addressed the power issue but I can't confirm this. The Makita and Dewalt are probably better machines mechanically but they are expensive and bare in mind that you'll probably end up having to buy a sub base (probably Trends one) to get the same versatility as the T5 which is money on top and takes away some plunge depth.

An example of it's versatility is here. It will be interesting to see what it goes for.

Or there's the router on it's own here. More expensive than they usually go for but perhaps in better condition than most.

 

[jhwbigley]

I have a T5 its not a bad little tool. can be a little under powered, but the latest model has over come this.

http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/s ... TRET5EKMK2

1000w motor and full wave electronics.

John-Henry