Bosch Colt vs. Dewalt DWP611PK vs PORTER-CABLE 690LR vs festool MFK-700

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mkasdin

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I'm in the market for a new small router. I currently own an antique (30 year old)  Makita router that I'm not crazy about and never saw much use.

I was leaning toward the Bosch Colt for the $120 cost but after reading the reviews on Amazon I'm warming up to the Dewalt? If money was no object I would buy the Fe$tool mfk-700, but it's a pretty penny and overkill for just hanging doors.

I'm also thinking that if I get a smaller router then in the future I Would skip the Festool OF-1010 and instead have a yellow/blue small router and then get the Festool OF-1400 EQ. Which I think would be a wiser investment.

So what's the better router Dewalt or Bosch? At the moment Festool mfk-700 is not in the running due to financial constraints.
 
I think the Dewalt is a solid contender. I have something in the back of my mind about the Bosch having issues with the collet dropping the bit.

The current  Makita is a good option too, you can get some really good base accessories for it.
 
I own both the DW611 and Colt (and PC7311), and agree the DeWalt is the better router.

In particular the Colt collet sucks, they break easily. Also the height adjustment on the DeWalt is smoother.

Especially nice if you sprint for the kit with the plunge base.

RMW
 
Do you have a bigger router?  I'm sold on using 1/2" shank bits whenever it's practical.  I have a couple of trim routers, but I only use then for small tasks - chamfering and actual trimming.  If I were only going to get one router, I'd get the Bosch 2 1/4 HP.  But if you already have a big router and just need a trim router, I've been happy with the Bosch Colt and (surprisingly) the Rigid trim routers.  I think the PC 690 is an oversized trim router or an under-powered large router, and I have no experience with the Festool.  The DeWalt is in a class by itself - kind of like a smaller PC 690 w/o a 1/2" collet option, but otherwise it has the design advantage hands down - if you get the plunge base option.  While I really admire the design, the fact is that I don't use it much.
 
My vote is for the Bosch colt. It is a solid router and there are a ton of accessories for it. Plunge base, offset and tilting base will absolutely make tasks easier.  I have had one for a few years now and will pick up another when my other laminate trimmer (an old craftsman) finally dies.
On your other point the Dewalt 618 is a solid router, and I have 11 dewalt routers, and one porter cable.
 
I've ended up selling my Bosch Colt and Festool MFK-700 in favor of the Dewalt 611.

It's a joy to use.  Simple to set up and adjust.  Works well in both the fixed and plunge base.

The LED lights make it so much easier to see what I'm doing when I use it without a template to mortise anything.

I have both dust collector accessories and they work surprisingly well.

I also have a OF1010, OF1400 and OF2200 but the little Dewalt holds its place as my trim router.

The Porter Cable 690 is not a trim router.  I owned several Made in USA 690's and loved them for many years until I discovered Festool routers.
 
Not a big fan of either DeWalt or Bosch, but I have both the 611 and the Colt.  DeWalt pretty much nailed the smallish router with the 611.  I use the Bosch mainly for trimmed excess off inlays.  Both are worth the money and get a lot of use.  The MFK just didn't suit the way I work, needs to be way more flexible - small plunge router with good visibility and dc is what I'm still looking for - 611 is closer, but I would like it to be smaller.  Festool still has an opportunity for a truly useful small router.

If I had to choose between the 611 and the colt, I would go for the 611.
 
I have all three. I don't like the Colt adjustment mechanism but I keep the thing setup with a round over bit. The 611 is really a nice little router and the dust collection is pretty good, I use it frequently when I have a job like cutting grooves for inset backs, etc. I only use the MFK for trimming solid edge banding.
 
rvieceli said:
You may also want to get these two accessories as well:
https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DNP61...ie=UTF8&qid=1466010874&sr=8-3&keywords=dewalt+611
https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DNP61...ie=UTF8&qid=1466010874&sr=8-7&keywords=dewalt+611

amazon also has a $20 off $100 promo on Dewalt good through June 19th. That looks to be a Dewalt promo so it should be available at other retailers as well.
Click to expand...

Money off tools is always a good thing. Thanks for the promo hint, I was planning on getting it from the orange box store. The $20 off is a Fathers' day promo ends on the 21st
 
I would go with the Dewalt.  I own the Bosch colt and like it a lot.  I feel like Bosch's quality has dropped HUGE over the last 5 years.  I have one of the original Colts and have never had any problems with it.

If you can find Bosch that is made in Switzerland I feel it's Festool quality.  Now with the majority of the Bosch products being made in China the quality has dropped.  I have owned a lot of Bosch over the years and with the tools getting up in age and being used every day I have been replacing them.  I started replacing with Bosch and discovered the quality issue,  that's how I got my start with Festool.

 
If possible, get your hands on these routers and see which feels best in your hands. Many like the dewalt 611. I never liked the way it felt in my hands as its fatter than the others kind of a goldilocks size. I also did not like the height ring when holding the router in use.  I like the feel of the makita but noticed wiggle in the plunge base. For plunge base stuff I use some old hitachi tr8's and dewalt dw614(elu) which I got cheap and I mean cheap on eBay. For light trim stuff I use the ridgid which is surprisingly simple and good.
 
I use the Makita's 700's,  I have a pair of them and with the accessories kit I can d everything I need to do. I bought them before I found out that my others had disappeared from storage and I had to replace my Festool and other stuff.  I own three other Makita routers ( plus many other tools of there's ) that date back to the early 80 s and still use them in my business,  they make a good tool and you should give them a look.
 
I have a Colt and would try the DeWalt if getting one now.  I've had the collet slip a little once or twice.  I was taking a pretty decent bite when it happened - I may have been the problem.  The collet looks like my old junky Craftsman, however not my PC 690s.
 
I've had a couple of DeWalt routers for about 15 years and they are still working like the day I bought them. They are a joy to use and I've never had a single problem with either of them.
 
Thanks to everyone for their feedback. I paid the money and got the dewalt 611 Kit with plunge base. They had a $20 off fathered day promotion so I treated myself to a new router. It actually killed two (festool) birds with one stone for now. The MFk-700 and the of-1010 router. My next router purchase is an of-1400 so the dewalt kind of fills the void between the two festool routers for about the cost of an empty systainer. Then again I'm dreaming for the day I can get a Domino...
 
I've got the Makita RTO700.
It's now my favorite tool.
Since I got it I've found it never use my Festool 1010 anymore.
(Which I used enormously for the previous 10 years)

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 
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