I’m going to continue to review overlooked or undervalued Festool treasures. Now is the time for the
OF2000-E1 router. This is a big 3.5 HP production type, heavy duty router. The router has double sealed bearing, a plunge base, and is made in Germany.
The router has step-less electronic control with a drive shaft speed of 12,000 -22,0000 rpm.
This router has been officially discontinued, and can be bought for very attractive price: $344. Even though it is discontinued, it goes with the standard Festool 3 years
no hassle warranty. Festool commits to supply spare parts at least for 7 years after the product is discontinued.
This router ships in cardboard box. It comes standard with
- OF-2000E1 router
- Wrench
- ½” collet.
- Manual
The power switch is conveniently located on the left side of the router. Start is very smooth and soft. Noise level is surprisingly low.
Depth gauge easy to read.
Spindle lock is conveniently located and has easy access. OF-2000 accepts all OF-1400 collets, so you don’t need different set for each router.
Plunge lock located close to handle and easy to reach. Plunge action is very smooth.
Stepless electronic control dial located on the top of the router.
Why is this router outstanding and worth looking at? Unlike all of its other brothers, OF-1010, OF-1400, and OF-2200, this router can be easily adjusted for router table use. Again, the price tag is $344 which is less than the OF-1010 router ($370), but the OF-2000 is twice as powerful. It is $126 less than the OF-1400, and more than twice as cheap as the OF 2200. So, you are getting Festool's heavy duty router for price of its competitors. Once CMS finally reaches North American shores, you can have the luxury of a dedicated CMS mounted router.
Why is this router an excellent choice for router table mounting?
The first important feature for table based routers is ease of depth setup. OF-2000 has a nut that works as a fine depth adjustment. In other words, unlike OF-1010, OF-1400 and OF-2200, depth adjustment can be done with one nut that already on the router. All other Festool routers need some additional parts for pushing the router’s body.
The second important feature is ease for router mounting. Festool has a nice and simple solution: mount it with bars as it was implemented with CMS and Basis systems.
For custom made router inserts, there is a possibility for using existing router base’s holes. There are 6 shoe mounting M4 holes, but they are too shallow, and it would be too hard to find the appropriate length for mounting screws for different thickness of router plate. There are 3 bushing mounting M5 holes and 3 M6 rod fixating holes that can be used for secure the mounting router.
Conclusion: If you want to get a Festool quality heavy duty 3.5 HP production router for bargain, don’t hesitate and act quickly! These machines will vanish soon. This is a great router for a table mount and hand-held usage. The OF-1400 and OF-2200 will beat it for handheld operations; however, the OF-2000 will beat them in router table operations for a fraction of their cost.
Regards,
VictorL
