Thread: Chinese 710W trimmer router review

LOL. I was just thinking about putting an addition to the review I put a few months ago... They're crap from one end to the other. I take the router onsite because I couldn't careless if someone were to steel it, but I doubt anyone will when they realise it's not makita.

The castings are absolute crap. The inclusions of slag were making moving the router up and down in the base progressibly impossible. I was just about to throw it in the bin (after smashing it with a hammer) but ended up pulling it apart and seeing all the scoring on the router casing and base. I very aggressively attacked the spots with 60 grit sandpaper and ripping off all the slag occlusions and liberally slathered it in oil... It's been a week and so far it's working again.

In all honestly, unless you are dirt poor and have no alternative, don't bother with this crap.

Originally Posted by Handyman51

... however I noticed that as the motor came to a stop there was a nasty whine like an out of alignment bearing?

Originally Posted by The Spin Doctor

In all honestly, unless you are dirt poor and have no alternative, don't bother with this crap.

Thanks for the feedback Gentlemen. I think I made the right decision to not burden myself with their product.

Originally Posted by The Spin Doctor

LOL. I was just thinking about putting an addition to the review I put a few months ago... They're crap from one end to the other. I take the router onsite because I couldn't careless if someone were to steel it, but I doubt anyone will when they realise it's not makita.

The castings are absolute crap. The inclusions of slag were making moving the router up and down in the base progressibly impossible. I was just about to throw it in the bin (after smashing it with a hammer) but ended up pulling it apart and seeing all the scoring on the router casing and base. I very aggressively attacked the spots with 60 grit sandpaper and ripping off all the slag occlusions and liberally slathered it in oil... It's been a week and so far it's working again.

In all honestly, unless you are dirt poor and have no alternative, don't bother with this crap.

Are we comparing the same trim routers?

My posts were at the start of the thread, which was a few years ago. Compared Chinese copy with original Makita, as well as a aftermarket collet. The results are here:

Chinese 710W trimmer router review

Bottom line: the Chinese trim router + aftermarket collet produced as good a performance as the Makita + standard collet. A few years later is is still running smoothly ... although it only gets light use.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Not sure if we ARE comparing the same routers?(See images in the link) The current router has no spindle lock but requires the 2 spanners required to change bits. I also noticed the variable speed dial on the advertised item images has numbers to indicate the speeds. The one I was supplied has white lines of varying lengths to indicate speeds. I felt the bases supplied were of good quality but I am no engineer. I knew the noise coming from the router when slowing down and nearly stopped was not good. It may improve or self destruct?
As reported in my original post I was concerned that the router would fail out of warranty. After pursuing the issue of the fault the supplier and working through EBay I was given a full refund and retained the router kit.
I am tempted to buy another just to see if they are all the same quality or I just received a bad one.

Or should I just buy a Makita and save myself the days of Email negotiation?

Shared album - Lawrie Walker - Google Photos (Copy and paste to a new page in your browser search line)

Originally Posted by derekcohen

Are we comparing the same trim routers?

My posts were at the start of the thread, which was a few years ago. Compared Chinese copy with original Makita, as well as a aftermarket collet. The results are here:

Chinese 710W trimmer router review

Bottom line: the Chinese trim router + aftermarket collet produced as good a performance as the Makita + standard collet. A few years later is is still running smoothly ... although it only gets light use.

Regards from Perth

Derek

It's exactly the same as yours except the label isn't there, and the collet is the same in that you can see (no need to measure) it's out by about half a mm. You can see by the pics that the scoring from the slag inclusion are very deep, and all the sanding to make it work... Absolute garbage in a laughable way. If this is how they make product without a western company over seeing their quality control, then the US can expect they're armies hardware will be worse than the ruzzians

It's only convenience is I can leave it laying in a room, next to an $80 ozito chop saw, all week onsite and no one will even move them, let alone want to steel them.

Originally Posted by The Spin Doctor

It's exactly the same as yours except the label isn't there, and the collet is the same in that you can see (no need to measure) it's out by about half a mm. You can see by the pics that the scoring from the slag inclusion are very deep, and all the sanding to make it work...

Obviously not exactly the same as mine. Also, the collet on mine was useable, just not at the same level as the Makita. When I changed the collet, it was indistinguishable from the Makita. Not the same as yours - the question is why? Has quality deteriorated over the years? Did I just get lucky (as many on the UK forum appear to have as well)? I have no illusions about the longevity of this trim router inasmuch as I assume that the bearings and gears are not built as per the Makita. But so far there is no indication of this.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by derekcohen

Obviously not exactly the same as mine. Also, the collet on mine was useable, just not at the same level as the Makita. When I changed the collet, it was indistinguishable from the Makita. Not the same as yours - the question is why? Has quality deteriorated over the years? Did I just get lucky (as many on the UK forum appear to have as well)? I have no illusions about the longevity of this trim router inasmuch as I assume that the bearings and gears are not built as per the Makita. But so far there is no indication of this.

Regards from Perth

Derek

I can't see them selling too many of these through out the world that they would need multiple sweat shops cranking out the castings and cases... I suspect as time goes on and resources increase in price they look for cheaper alternatives. I would say they're using really poor quality recycled metal now and not even trying hard to remove the slag before they pour. So the crystals break off and jamb the base to the router body as you slide them up and down. I had to belt the base quite a few times with a hammer to separate it from the trimmer.

Don't get me wrong. In my present job I'd keep buying these ultra cheap garbage tools., but in regular life absolutely not. I work on a site where it's very cost effective to use such crap tools. In the morning if I were to take my good stuff on site it takes me at least 20mins to unload my tools into a house, and the same to pack up... It also takes about 10mins to move from room to room with them, and I have usually 4 or 5 rooms to work in... If I can dump them for the two days I'll be in each house and skip all the pack up and most of the move time they pay for themselves fairly quickly. And when they break or die, walk to the front door and look for the closest skip bin and lob it in and go back to work; take the bit out first of course! LOL.

Originally Posted by The Spin Doctor

In my present job I'd keep buying these ultra cheap garbage tools.

But how do you do quality work with crap tools? I just couldn’t do it. And then there’s the landfill and wasted resources issue.

Originally Posted by jack620

But how do you do quality work with crap tools? I just couldn’t do it. And then there’s the landfill and wasted resources issue.

A trimmer is just a tool that spins a bit at a high rpm. A drill, rattle gun, drop saw - the same. It's the guy using them that counts, not the tools. The best furniture was made at least 250 years ago. They didn't have power tools... If you ever get a chance to see the British Museum you will see first hand items that can't be made today, there is literally no one today that can do what they did... Because no one has any idea how they did it 2500, or 4000 years ago. Skill is in the hand not the tool.

I lose about $50 a day looking after expensive (about 3k) tools through unloading/loading and keeping an eye on them... Where as I can buy $400 worth of crap chinese, that no one would dare steel for the shame of it, tools that will last about a year, at least, and be further ahead by a few hundred. Waste doesn't even factor in to the real world. If only you could see what's disposed of on a large job site and when you realise that your home recycling bin is picked up and dumped in the tip... Recycling, especially plastics, is a sham. I'll let you google it...

Originally Posted by The Spin Doctor

Where as I can buy $400 worth of crap chinese, that no one would dare steel for the shame of it..

But you're happy to work with them? Each to their own I guess.

Originally Posted by jack620

But how do you do quality work with crap tools? I just couldn’t do it. And then there’s the landfill and wasted resources issue.

I often think about this when confronted with cheapo tools that aren't fit for purpose.....

Time, effort and energy were expended digging materials out of the earth (ore for metals, oil for plastics), which then undergo more work and energy to create the raw materials, which are then fashioned into parts using cheap labour, assembled into a semblance of a drill or other tool, shipped halfway around the world to Oz, only for someone to declare after 5 minutes use "This is a piece of crap". Item is then thrown out, probably ends up as landfill, and returns to the earth from whence it came. No wonder the planet is stuffed !

Originally Posted by jack620

But you're happy to work with them? Each to their own I guess.

Happy is a relative term. I'm happy to be putting about $50 extra in my pocket every day by using them and don't have to be concerned about leaving them where I stop for the day, theft and the likes... It out weighs that they don't do anything overly well. But what they do is adequate for this job. I certainly wouldn't take them on a good job where accuracy is important.

Originally Posted by jack620

But how do you do quality work with crap tools? I just couldn’t do it. And then there’s the landfill and wasted resources issue.

You have to adjust how you do things so. Once you figure out the limitations of the tools you can figure out ways to tune up the results. Hard to explain in 200 words or less, it's one of those things that is easy to demonstrate but not write about.

E.g. Everyone says you need to cut melamine board on a quality tablesaw with a scoring blade, if you want a good unchipped straight cut. Not true at all. What are you going to do if you're on site and need to cut a cabinet or panel down but still need to have a crisp unchipped edge? Clamp your level on the piece, run the circular saw along it, 3mm back from the finished edge. And then run the planer over it with a fence. Wala! Nice crisp straight, and if you measured well, square edge...

Also, even in a shop, you can cut melamine on a cheap portable tablesaw simply by double cutting it. Run it through with the blade 3mm up and then again 50mm. Nice clean edge...

Hi, I noticed that the UK forum reviewed an Anesty Router/Trimmer. As I received a full refund on the Vevor Router/Trimmer I bought initially I have ordered the Anesty. It will be interesting to compare the two.

I haven't pulled the Vevor apart but noticed if I spin it manually without the brushes it seems to be quieter. The brushes are not smooth on the contact surface. See What!