Grip on the 1400 router

[Bruce1620]

Hi,
I own older fixed base Porter Cable and DeWalt routers, and both have rounded knob handles mounted low down, close to the work.  I've got a project coming up where a plunge router will help and am drawn to the Festool 1440 but wonder if the hand positioning on it feels awkward, given that the handle requires a horizontal grip.  How do you all like this alignment?  Does the hand positioning feel natural?  Do you feel like you have good control of the router as you move it through the work?  Thank you for your feedback.

 

[AstroKeith]

I've had a few routers with 'conventional' twin knobs, and now I have the 1440.

I rather like the layout with the trigger switch on the handle, plus there are  times when I use it one handed for a moment (clearing cables etc). So its more like a single handed router, with the knob being used for stability, steering, comfort, etc.

 

[Coen]

The columns are pretty stable, contrary to a lot of other routers that have the two knobs. Maybe it's more awkward for unguided routing, but most routing I do is with bits with bearings, on a rail, etc. I also like have the switch nearby and the one-handed option is nice and I use it too.

 

[waho6o9]

It looks awkward no doubt. 

How do you all like this alignment?  Does the hand positioning feel natural?  Do you feel like you have good control of the router as you move it through the work?  Thank you for your feedback.

1) Strange at first but then its second nature.

2) Initially no, but after using it and testing out you it has working as one. 

3) Yes

The funny part is turning it upside down, it stays put and doesn't fall over. 

You're going to enjoy using your new 1400 if and when you purchase it.  Bank on it. 

 

[Crazyraceguy]

As a guy who owns a bunch of routers (18 I think?) I can say that pretty much any plunge router will take some getting used to for someone who has only ever used a fixed base model. They just feel different because of the higher mounted handles, so that particular handle shape doesn't matter much.
Personally, I like the way the Festool routers feel and perform, at least the smaller ones, I have never used the big OF2200.

 

[Stan Tillinghast]

I think the standard position when plunge routing is one hand on the handle and the other hand on top of the router motor. That’s on the Festool videos, I believe.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I think the standard position when plunge routing is one hand on the handle and the other hand on top of the router motor. That’s on the Festool videos, I believe.

I have seen that while using the LR32 system, but that is not a locking situation. It's essentially guided drilling. I almost always keep my other hand on the locking knob, at least partially. Sometimes I use that hand to bridge the gap to the workpiece to stabilize the movement of the router, depending upon the nature of the cut. Other times I hold the baseplate itself. Other than edge trimming of very light cuts, I don't see a router as a one-hand tool.

 

[luvmytoolz]

As a guy who owns a bunch of routers (18 I think?) I can say that pretty much any plunge router will take some getting used to for someone who has only ever used a fixed base model. They just feel different because of the higher mounted handles, so that particular handle shape doesn't matter much.
Personally, I like the way the Festool routers feel and perform, at least the smaller ones, I have never used the big OF2200.

I too love the handling of the Festool routers, the handles on the 900/1050 (and to a certain extent the 1400) make them incredibly easily to manoeuvre in operation, but I must admit the OF2200 really takes it to a whole new level!

It is a stupendously beautifully designed beast, huge amount of grunt, smooth and very quiet for such a powerful machine, but the balance in particular is just amazing! The last time I was so impressed by such a big beast was when I bought my ELU MOF177E many decades ago!

Using this giant panel bit set on the OF2200 was as easy as using a 1/4" roundover on my OF900!

I thought the 1400 was a really brilliant router, but the OF2200 is just a sensational router!

 

[nvalinski]

I like the pistol grip, particularly for plunging operations. I feel like I have slightly better plunge depth control vs. the two handled ones being able to press down on a horizontal handle. I essentially then keep a hand on the knob, sometimes dropping a few fingers to the workpiece to help create pivot points with my fingers and then steering with the horizontal handle at a more comfortable angle above. All stuff that you can do with a normal two handled router, but it just feels a little nicer to me. Not to mention having the space for a power trigger, trigger lock, and speed control right at your finger tips vs. needing to move your hands around a motor is huge.

Admittedly, the one thing I don't care for on the OF1400 that I've only seen the OF2200 solve is that bits larger than the dust hood opening either need to stay plunged or have not so great dust extraction. Definitely gone through my fair share of dust hoods forgetting about that and coming up with a spinning bit.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Admittedly, the one thing I don't care for on the OF1400 that I've only seen the OF2200 solve is that bits larger than the dust hood opening either need to stay plunged or have not so great dust extraction. Definitely gone through my fair share of dust hoods forgetting about that and coming up with a spinning bit.

I have never done it, but I can sure see the potential for that.

 

[afish]

Have you ever tried the Dewalt DW621 ?  This is my favorite plunge router.  It has the twin knob design and good ergonomics.  Good dust collection (for a router) Dewalt was ahead of their time with this router.  I have owned several and still keep one as a just incase measure.  You can find them second hand sometimes in the 100 dollar range.  If I had to ding it for something it would be the trigger its a little funky at first to lock it on but otherwise its a bargain of a router. 

 

[Willy Eckerslike]

Have you ever tried the Dewalt DW621 ?  This is my favorite plunge router.  It has the twin knob design and good ergonomics.  Good dust collection (for a router) Dewalt was ahead of their time with this router.  I have owned several and still keep one as a just incase measure.  You can find them second hand sometimes in the 100 dollar range.  If I had to ding it for something it would be the trigger its a little funky at first to lock it on but otherwise its a bargain of a router.

It was Elu (OF 97E) before DeWalt bought it ready cooked  - they just changed the colours. It is really nice to use.  The trigger mechanism can clog up with dust but responds well to a strip down and clean out.

 

[afish]

I never had one clog with dust.  I was referring to the way you lock the trigger on its kind of a 2 step pull with finger and push down with thumb to lock it on.  It works fine until your trying to do some strange out of position routing or needing to work left handed for whatever reason then it can get tricky to try and lock it on.  For the money its the best sub 3hp plunge router out there IMHO.   

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I work left-handed every day [unsure]
The only time it's an issue is when there is some kind of trigger lock that gets in the way. It hasn't been a problem with either of the OFs that I have though. I suppose that it's because I don't really use a router as a "trigger" tool, like a jigsaw or drill. I always lock it when I turn it on.

Personally, I like the plunge-lock mechanism that Porter-Cable used. The spring-loaded lever that you had to pull and hold off, then it was as simple as release to lock. This is/was the most intuitive and simple design I have seen, but when Dewalt and P-C ended up in the same corporate family (Stanley) they seem to have abandoned it too.

 

[afish]

I work left-handed every day [unsure]

Oh, your one of those  [eek]

 

[luvmytoolz]

Have you ever tried the Dewalt DW621 ?  This is my favorite plunge router.  It has the twin knob design and good ergonomics.  Good dust collection (for a router) Dewalt was ahead of their time with this router.  I have owned several and still keep one as a just incase measure.  You can find them second hand sometimes in the 100 dollar range.  If I had to ding it for something it would be the trigger its a little funky at first to lock it on but otherwise its a bargain of a router.

It was Elu (OF 97E) before DeWalt bought it ready cooked  - they just changed the colours. It is really nice to use.  The trigger mechanism can clog up with dust but responds well to a strip down and clean out.

I think it was the MOF177E they first rebranded and changed to the black and yellow from memory! When it was released the ELU MOF177E was so far as I'm concerned the best designed and most reliable router on the market!

I bought mine new decades ago and it still performs flawlessly like it's new!

 

[tsmi243]

some kind of trigger lock that gets in the way.

That's exactly what the 621 has, it's "some kind of" trigger lock.  It works, but I have to re-learn it every single time.  And it can't be done left-handed.

Otherwise, it's the perfect router. 

 

[afish]

The Elu OF 97E was the comparable to the DW621 2hp.  The MOF177E was the bigger 3hp unit which Dewalt also had a clone of.  The 621 had integrated dust collection built into one of the guide tubes. Im not sure when the Dewalt unit hit the streets but it has to be close to 20 years ago.  I always liked it from day one and still have one.  Its my go to plunge router and will probably always have one on hand.  The on/off trigger is its only downfall its built into the right knob and isnt set up well to be ambidextrous at all.  It would drive a lefty crazy. I see them on the used market for around 100 bucks from time to time   

 

[mcooley]

No grip on the "trigger handle" has always bothered me but they also do it on some of the other tools for some reason. The Domino for all its usefulness seems to lack a truly ergonomic place for your hand when plunging. And the Track Saw lacks a proper rubber grip on the protruding plunge handle at the top of the unit. Anyhow the 1400 works well for me aside from some omissions like the one above and lacking a way easier dust shroud. Not sure why the shroud has to be like a "puzzle part" and not a material that is more flexible, plus, no light under the motor body is a real bummer. Same could be said for the Carvex jigsaw dust port. Why not something that can just bend?

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Yes, definitely "one of those".
The only place where it's really an issue is with corded drills. The palm of a left hand goes right across the trigger lock, so if the bit grabs, two problems happen at once. First, the motor is still running, which is bad enough, but it is also trying to spin out of your hand. For a righty, the grip actually pushes harder into your hand.
Like I said, even though the smaller OFs have a trigger type switch, it doesn't bother me, because I don't use it like that.
The thing about being a lefty is that you are always having to adapt, so it just becomes a way of doing things. Since virtually everything is built for right handers, when they do run into a situation where they have to do something backwards, it's a much bigger issue.

They do have one of the big 3HP Porter-Cable plunge routers over in the solid surface department and I have used it a few times while helping out. It has he trigger in the right handle, but it doesn't bother me because I have both hands on it anyway. The grips are symmetrical, so it doesn't feel odd. I couldn't use the 1010 or 1400 with the opposite hand though.