How much better are the Festool Routers?

[luvmytoolz]

The 1400 is truly sensational as is the 2200, but I will say the only thing I don't like about the 1400 is that despite not being overly heavy, in my opinion the handle is a bit too bulky, making it hard to wield one handed, but maybe that's the idea, I don't know.

Simple finger grips moulded into the shape would have solved that, seems a bad design deficiency to me.

The 1010's handle design is a lot closer to the handle on my 40+ year old OF900, which is absolutely fantastic for one handed use, so the 1010 wins there.

 

[Cheese]

I don't have a wide selection of bits (none of the 1/2") so I'm open to any of the lineup. The 1010 is more pocket-friendly, but I'm not adverse to the 1400 or even the 2200 (though that is more of a stretch).

Well if you don't own any 1/2" diameter bits, then it's safe to assume that you don't do any large scale projects that would require the need for the 1400 let alone the 2200 router. I own all of the Festool routers but I enjoy using the 1010 the most. It's just fits that sweet spot and becomes the first router I reach for every time.

 

[Fourmi]

Dust collection on Festool routers is better than most, it does depends on what you are doing though so don't have your expectations too high. If you are template routing with the bit hanging off the edge, doing inside corners where it's not practical to use the dust catcher, you will have dust everywhere - but it's like this with all routers.

I have all the Festool routers (2x MFK700's), all the Mafell routers, a good selection of Virutex speciality routers, cordless is taken care of with a Hikoki 36v - Makita 18v trimmer and all the bases - Bosch 12v trimmer, I also have a good old trusty Elu 177E and a few other routers. They are all used regularly, I make custom bases so often a router is used for one task only, but I can pick it up and get to work without changing bits, adjusting it etc.

For sheer brute power, the Mafell LO65 wins hands down, OF2200 next - but the Festool has better accessories and dust collection so is used more.

For simplicity of use and my main site router, the new Mafell LO55, that toolless bit change and the accessories are a winner. Dust collection is on a par with the OF1010R which was my main site router until the Mafell was released.

For edging, the Mafell KF1000 has a super smooth and powerful motor, ruined by a Virutex base - the MFK700's win for everything here - dust collection, accessories, ease of use. I would happily buy another 2 or 3 motors if Festool didn't make us buy a whole new kit.

Maybe an unpopular opinion - the OF1400 is my least loved Festool router, it's OK nothing more. It is permanently left in a custom made base for one task only, it has enough power for the job, dust collection is OK.

If you can get two routers, get the OF1010R and OF2200 and you'll be very happy. If you live somewhere you can get the Mafell LO55 instead of the OF1010R, you'll be even happier.

 

[mino]

...
If you can get two routers, get the OF1010R and OF2200 and you'll be very happy. If you live somewhere you can get the Mafell LO55 instead of the OF1010R, you'll be even happier.

Great write up. So comments only.

The Mafell LO 55 is about 50% more expensive. One can get the OF 1010 R with a full accessories bundle for the price of a bare LO 55.

Which goes to the point - the OF 1010 R has an unmatched range of accessories available. This makes it THE router for a hobby user. Nothing else comes close.

Sure, it is no MFK 700, but it *can* do 90% of tasks the MFK can, if not as conveniently.
Sure, it is no OF 1400, but it *can* do all the light tasks (better) and most of the heavier tasks too (thanks the 8 mm collet option).

For a professional user with multiple routers, the Mafell is a very good product (and their spindles are phenomenal).
For a hobby user, the OF 1010 R it is. The versatility makes this not even a contest. And that ignores the re-sale aspect where the OF 1010 is much easier to pass on, even 10 yrs down the line, if not utilised.

 

[HighlandMarine]

Lots of great info/advice in this thread, and I’ll tick one more for the OF1010R with the light ring as a first router. Add a 2200 when you have a job/project that calls for it.

 

[rmhinden]

Lots of great info/advice in this thread, and I’ll tick one more for the OF1010R with the light ring as a first router. Add a 2200 when you have a job/project that calls for it.

Another option is an OF1010 and a router table with a 3hp motor w/ 1/2" bits.  That meets my needs, so far I haven't had the need for a bigger portable router.

If I add anything, it will probably be a small palm router or a MFK 700.

Bob

 

[woodferret]

To the OP, you can just get the DWP611PK if your pocket book sensitive.  It's about $50 extra for the dust shields to bit both the fixed and plunge bases. 

It's no OF1010, it does cover most hobby user needs with decent dust collection.  The Festool is still a tiny bit better.  I do grab the OF1010 first, but I do miss the fixed base that the dewalt has (just the way one dials in depth) if I'm doing sensitive things like roundovers.  The MFK covers that fine control, but that's a whole different $ layout with some other limitations. 

The only thing missing from the dewalt set is microadjust on the plunge, and the deflector ring.  The later, you can rig up something with a custom base - it doesn't fit 100% of the time on the Festools anyways depending on the geometry you're routing.

 

[squall_line]

I feel like one of the things that draws people to the OF2200 over the OF1010 or OF1400 is the familiar style of the handles on the 2200 compared to the classic PC 690 and other full size routers.  The 2200 looks more like the router that people are used to seeing, so that's what they're drawn towards, while the 1010 and 1400 with their offset handle may make people wonder what they're supposed to be used for, since they look neither like a typical full size nor a palm/trim router.

Just a thought or perspective having come from a Skil full size plunge/fixed base router.

 

[bwehman]

The OF 1400 was actually the gateway drug that brought me into the Festool universe. I had a massive client project to do and had this complicated router cut I was kind of stumped by, and then saw that Festool routers had centerlines scribed into their bases and THAT was the single feature that hooked me. It solved the problem I had and just made me realize how clever and intuitive the rest of their system was.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Dust collection can also depend simply on the direction you move the router.

On the OF1000 (not sure about the 1100 versions) the dust port in the base is biased to one side of the bit so if you plow a dado in one direction most of the dust will be collected by the hose but if you go the other way the debris will pack the groove instead. But you can just go back the way you came to suck it out.

 

[rst]

When I do dados, I start an inch or so from the end to stop the chips from shooting out the back.  I also back up every so often to clear the chips in the slot.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

[member=79486]Fourmi[/member]  your story is very similar to mine, as far as multiple routers, set for specific tasks.
The main difference is that I don't have an OF2200. I have yet to come across the project where I would absolutely need one. For me, once I go that big, it becomes a router table operation. For that, I highly recommend the Triton (TRA001) The ergonomics are perfect for table use.

I would entertain the idea of Mafell, but their presence in the US is not so great.

Finally, the OF1400, far from my least favorite router. It is my top pick for 1/2" shank bits, outside of the table. It is the one I have sitting with no bit installed, so it can be ready for anything where I don't have a pre-determined set-up. The only issue I have with the OF1400 is with bushings. The only ones available from Festool are metric, which means calculating off-set is a problem, until metric sized bits become more commonly available. There is an adapter to use Porter-Cable bushings, which is a marginal help, at best. For shallow cuts, everything is fine. Deeper cuts expose a problem though. The collet nut is essentially the same diameter as the inside of the bushings. If you plunge into it, the bushing will spin right off.

For me, the least used and completely disliked, is Porter-Cable 690. It is just clumsy and top-heavy, in comparison to so many other offerings.

Battery powered 1/2" router = Milwaukee. The kid who works with me, as an apprentice, bought one a couple of months ago. He is already deep into that platform, so it made sense. I tried it a few times, with good results. It is a bit less stable than the corded model that it is copied from, because of the battery. It is more top-heavy on edges, but when still workable. I didn't try any big bits, but it worked fine with a 3/4" diameter flush-trim.
I have no interest in another battery platform, so it's a pass. If Makita did something similar, it wouldn't take an arm twisting  [blink]

 

[mino]

...
I have no interest in another battery platform, so it's a pass. If Makita did something similar, it wouldn't take an arm twisting  [blink]

Well, they just did:

That said, there will be no LXT version ..

 

[sancho57]

I used to have the big Porter Cable 3.25HP router. I was happy with it. It did a great job. I used it to to build a large kitchen full of hickory cabinets including raised panel doors and drawers. I took a Fetool end user class in LV taught by Steve Bace.

Steve took a Festool 2200, set it on a MFT turned it upside down and turned it on. It ran beautifully, sat there a ran very well balanced.

So one day I was in my shop set my porter cable router on my MFT and accidentally turned it on, it fell off the MFT and chased me around the shop.  Thats when I learned how nice the 2200 really was. I use it in my router table and out of te router table for larger bits. They sell a nice accessory kit for it to.

I own 3 Festool routers and are happy with all of them. I own the 2200, 1010, and 700

 

[Fourmi]

For that, I highly recommend the Triton (TRA001) The ergonomics are perfect for table use.

I had one in the Triton table and sold it, replaced it with a fixed motor in an Incra setup.

I agree about top heavy battery routers. The Hikoki 36v is surprisingly powerful, I have a custom offset base on mine.

The guide bushes are one of the negatives on the OF1400. I have an Albin Kraus base for my Mafell LO65 - it is a specialist Austrian made base for solid surface work - the guide bush is magnetically placed - it literally takes a second, best guide bush mounting system I have ever seen.

I understand the comments about the OF10101R over the Mafell LO55 - all fair points - but the toolless bit change is a game changer!

 

[luvmytoolz]

[member=10147]jobsworth[/member] The 2200 aside from being a beast is by far best engineered and performing router I've ever used. It is astoundingly good and worth every single cent.

[member=58857]Crazyraceguy[/member] Dude, I think we need to take up a collection for you, I really feel bad you're missing out on this phenomenal machine! ;-)

 

[MikeGE]

@Crazyraceguy Dude, I think we need to take up a collection for you, I really feel bad you're missing out on this phenomenal machine! ;-)

That's how addiction begins. The first dose is free, and after that monkey is firmly planted on one's back, there's no turning back. [big grin]

 

[luvmytoolz]

[member=58857]Crazyraceguy[/member] Dude, I think we need to take up a collection for you, I really feel bad you're missing out on this phenomenal machine! ;-)

That's how addiction begins.  The first dose is free, and after that monkey is firmly planted on one's back, there's no turning back.  [big grin]

Routers are like M&M's, I just can't stop at one! ;-)

 

[rst]

For 30 some years I used a PC 7518 with a vac pattern to thumbnail rout 24” x 24” - 3/8” acrylic  ash register quards.  I made batch’s of 50-100 a couple times a year.  I wore a leather apron as the corner pieces of acrylic were painful when ejected. I used a snow shovel to clean up into a trash can. After buying a 2200, the the half cut deflector made I much better.  Still had to use the snow shovel as way too much volume for vacuuming. I did the process in our parking lot except in the winter months I assembled 4x8 sheets of cardboard into an enclosure to limit the sun read of mess.  The have another 7518 in my router table. Recently sold the one I used freehand for what I paid originally

 

[Crazyraceguy]

[member=58857]Crazyraceguy[/member] Dude, I think we need to take up a collection for you, I really feel bad you're missing out on this phenomenal machine! ;-)

That's how addiction begins.  The first dose is free, and after that monkey is firmly planted on one's back, there's no turning back.  [big grin]

I guys have obviously either missed out on how many I have or have the addiction just as bad as I do. You're just encouraging the badness at this point....  [big grin]

2 OF 1010
2 MFK700
1 OF1400
2 Milwaukee 5615
1 Porter Cable 890
2 Triton TRA001
3 Makita LXT
1 Makita RT0701
4 Bosch Colt
2 Rigid 2401
1 Shaper Origin
1 spare spindle for Origin

21 and a half  [eek] and you pushers are twisting my arm?

Actually, I have kind of been looking on Recon.  [unsure]