Thread: Choosing a Router

Fellow Woodworkers,

I just purchased a new large router and the experience was very interesting. I'm posting this to share information, but also to let the manufacturers know what happens at the sharp end.
I am a keen amateur woodworker and have owned a Dewalt621 1100w 1/4" router for 12 years which is still going strong , and a Triton 1400w 1/2" machine that recently died . Triton is now in receivership so I've given up on that. Not being rich, I flogged a few things on E-bay to raise the money to buy a new router and vowed to get a good variable speed machine, that I could afford, but that had a good reputation, a good warranty and solid back up. I read the review on Australian Wood Review issue 53 and I narrowed it down to the Dewalt625E-XE, the Hitachi M12V2 and the Makita 3612C.

I did some research and got the following prices; Makita 3612C from Express Tools @ $515, Dewalt 625E-XE from Norwest Tools @ $470 and the Hitachi M12V2 from Just Tools @ $450. From that I sadly discounted the Makita as being out of my price range .

I then went to the tool shops to have a bit of a feel of the DeWalt and The Hitachi.

The Hitachi machine is of very high quality with very good coatings and surface finishes as well as having a high power rating at 2000W. It also comes with a very impressive storage/ carry case that has to be worth having. It has a fine adjuster but I thought the depth adjuster was poor compared to the general fit and finish of the machine. The tool felt good and the plunge felt very high quality. The styling was odd and I don't understand why they go for a style that will fade and look junky in a few years while the tool will probably still be going strong. The price was good but I have to say the thing is massive and extremely heavy compared to the Dewalt. I plan to do a fair amount of hand held work, as well as mount it in a table, so that is an issue.

The DeWalt machine fit and finish was OK but not brilliant, the castings had a rough surface like a sand cast rather than die cast, which is odd. The power was slightly lower than the Hitachi at 1850W but, for me, that is not such a big issue. The depth adjuster was better than the Hitachi but still pretty poor compared to the excellent set up on my DW621. The plunge mechanism felt very good and the plunge lock is very well designed and feels good. There is no decent fine adjuster and what is there has a very poor design and the thread on the post is as rough as guts. That seems out of keeping with a machine of this price. The styling was good and will hold up over the years; Classic Dewalt yellow with no crappy bits of chrome plastic. Unfortunately this machine comes in a rough cardboard box rather than a proper storage/carry case. It does, however, have a 3 year guarantee.

Based on my experience with the DW621 over 12 years, the Australian Wood Review test, the warranty, and the weight of the machine, I went for the Dewalt. However, when I got it home I opened the box and was surprised to find the worst users manual I have ever come across. It's more like a disclaimer than something meant to inform the user. There are some assembly drawings but no adequate parts list to describe the parts, I still can't work out what some of the loose parts are and, because the instructions are so poor, how to use them. However, I'll I'll probably work it out.

All that said, I am happy that I picked the right machine for me but, sadly, I feel DeWalt will lose their position in the market by falling down on simple quality issues. It does not cost much to get decent surface finishes or write a decent users manual. If Hitachi had designed a machine of the same weight and power, Dewalt would be in serious trouble.