MFK 700 Love It, Hate It, Compared to 1010

[Notorious T.O.D.]

Hi all,

I am thinking about buying a 700 router / trimmer and just wanted to get some input from those who own them.
What do you like, don't like and compared to the 1010 if you have one of those too.  Seems like when it was announced a bunch of people really were hot on it... But have people decided it is not as useful nor worth the additional money over a 1010 with the edging guides?  I would likely use it for dovetail jigs, Leigh and Keller, and routing edges and 1/4" grooves and dados.

Looking for your experiences and thoughts.

Best,
Todd

 

[BarryL]

Todd my personal feeling on this is that I wish I had purchased the OF1010 instead.  I spent like 510 on this or whatever it was and for that I could have had a smaller router yet very capable...along with some accesories for it.  I just didn't feel it was powerful enough for what I was thinking I could use it for...like cutting circles...I tried to use it with 1/4" spiral cutting bit and it kept shutting down on me.  If I was going to be using it with the jigs you are talking about...I am certain I would rather have the 1010...especially for dados and such...just my thoughts.

 

[webfarmer]

Notorious,

I am certainly not an expert, but have the pleasure of owning both tools.  If you can only own one, the 1010 would get my vote.  I have had good success doing dadoes and grooves, as well as dovetail work.  Not quite as handy for edges, but even so, I can control the 1010 better than any router I have owned.

I had a big project that needed a great deal of edgework, so I added the MFK to the arsenal.  I love it, but it is  limited in the number of bits that you have room for, especially in horizontal mode.  I put this in the "splurge" category, or "merry Christmas to me."

I looked at the problem like this; right or wrong:  1) I could have done all the edging with the 1010, but needed a few more accessories.  2) The cost of the accessories had me well on the way to purchasing the MFK, so for a few hundred dollars more, added the extra machine.

That's my limited experience so far....

Regards,

Brett

 

[Warrior]

you can buy the 1010 and the edging plate and have leftover for bits and such. I vote for the 1010.

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

I guess I should have mentioned that I have both the 1010 and 1400 routers as well as a fixed base Elu, plunge Elu, and the Bosch 1617EVS set as well as a PC Trimmer set with bases which is about 15 years old but still in excellent shape.  The things that appeal to me regarding the 700 is of course the dust collection, variable speed and the fine depth control.

I have thought about selling some of the older routers, but am not sure I would get enough to really make selling them worth while vs just hanging on to them.  I may sell the pc trimmer and bases as it works ok but the depth adjustment is somewhat of a joke and it has no variable speed.  The different bases are probably worth more than the router itself at this point too.

I don't seem to be hearing the love of the 700 as some of the vidoes on youtube stated when it first came on the scene...at least not so far...  I guess I ccould always buy and try and go from there...

Best,
Todd

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Todd,

I cannot contribute to the main discussion as I do not have either an MFK 700 or an OF 1010.  But for those older single speed routers, have you considered using one of those variable speed control boxes that are available for ~$30 to $40?  Some are designed with a belt clip.  I have used one of these for many years with my older routers and single speed belt sander. 

Dave R.

 

[mwhafner]

I don't own either, either.  I am looking at the MFK, I just don't have any projects coming up that would justify it. 

At times, I do a lot of hardwood facing for cabinets and shelves.  For this, I don't see how you can beat the MFK 700. 

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

Dave,

The Elu fixed base and the PC laminate trimmer are the only two that I wish had variable speed.  I do have a motor speed controller for an older Dremel motor tool that would probably work if it is rated for the current levels of these motors.  One might be able to hook up a plug with an inline dimmer switch to sort of build your own variable controller too.

I have just generally thought that routers spin at higher than needed rpms for the speed that most people feed them through the workpiece.  One thing that seldom gets mentioned is the fact that having good duct extracton helps keep bits sharper longer since you are not recutting the same chips of wood.

But I still favor my shaper and feeder for many profiling jobs due to the fact that the wood can be climb cut, which is when the wood is fed with the rotation of the cutter rather than against it, resulting in a very smooth cut and no tearout.  This is not recommented for cutting with routers or with shapers without feeders, however because it can be very dangerous if you cannot control the workpiece and rate of feed.  I did notice that Marc Sommerfeld does do some climb cutting in his making kitchen cabinets video. First time I had seen that in an instructional router video.

Best,
Todd

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Todd,

i should have added that some of the latest models of those speed controllers have circuitry that maintains the chosen speed setting as the load increases, much like Festool and other brands built-in controllers.  Woodworker's Supply has them.  Electronic Speed Control

Dave R.

 

[AlexThePalex]

Hello good people this is my first time post here. I'm the proud owner of my first Festool ever, a RO 150 FEQ now since a couple of weeks. I found this forum while I was doing research to get the sander that best suited my needs. I enjoy reading it and I love to tap in on all the accumulative woodworking knowledge that's collected here.

I have been working with many different types of power tools from many other manufacturers for a long time now and even though I don't own any of the above mentioned Festool routers I am familiar with routing.

And my two cents I'd like to add to this discussion are that the MFk700 and the OF1010 aren't really in the same league. Of course the 1010 can do what the 700 can, but the 700 is specifically designed for trimming edges. And Festool is all about making jobs easier for the professional and increase productivity.

So if you're a professional who has to trim 400 foot of edges instead of just a single cupboard, you're definitely much better of with the MFK 700 than the OF 1010 because it handles MUCH easier.

And that's the consideration you have to make about the MFK 700. It is not better in general than the OF 1010, and like some people already said, if you had to choose only one, you'd be best of with the OF 1010 because it is an all-purpose router. You can't replace the OF 1010 with an MFK 700 while you could do that the other way around.

But if you'd have to trim lots of edges on repetitive tasks, you'd surely be very happy to have the MFK 700 on the side. And after you've done enough meters with it, it'll start making you more money by saved time than the OF 1010 will.

Anyway, since you've got so many routers already and you're a Festool lover, just get it anyway.  ;D

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

Alex,

First, welcome to the FOG and thanks for sharing your insites on the 1010 and 700.
I am blessed with a lot of routers after all these years of working wood and I think I will follow my plan and likley get the 700, try it for the things I planned to use it for and see how I like it.  If not I can either return it in the 30 days and get something else Festool or if over time I change my mind o needs I can always sell it I guess.

I still have a few things left on my list of Festool wants but I am trying to knock them off by going higher cost ones first at this point...although many of them seem to end up in the same $400-$550 price range...LOL

Best,
Todd

 

[Warrior]

My .02:

I owned the MFK and returned it in favor of the 1010.

I find that the edging capabilities of the 1010 surpass that of the MFK. 3/4" hardwood edging anyone? It takes maybe 10 more seconds to set up vs the MFK. I guess the only edging operation that I would prefer the MFK would be edging a curved top. For regular routing the 1010 is just a better router.

Eiji

 

[daves1996]

I guess I should have mentioned that I have both the 1010 and 1400 routers as well as a fixed base Elu, plunge Elu, and the Bosch 1617EVS set as well as a PC Trimmer set with bases which is about 15 years old but still in excellent shape.

I have thought about selling some of the older routers, but am not sure I would get enough to really make selling them worth while vs just hanging on to them.  I may sell the pc trimmer and bases as it works ok but the depth adjustment is somewhat of a joke and it has no variable speed.  The different bases are probably worth more than the router itself at this point too.

Best,
Todd

Hey Todd, have you considered modifying your PC trimmer base to allow for horizontal routing and add DC capabilities.? I have done it to mine and it works great. I will have to add some pictures (keeping my fingers crossed) to show how I modified mine.

Dave[attachthumb=#]

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

No, I never really thought about going into modifying it although it looks like you have shown it can be successfully done.  Since I have the 1010 I would probably just get the edging plate for it if I didn't like the 700.

I thought that some of the Festool dealers might chime in on this topic but so far none have.  Among the things I want to add to the Festool routing capabilities are the 32mm hole system and the MFS guide rail system so those are still on my list.  I have been going through my tool collection and basically taking under utilized or tools I feel I can do without and selling them to raise funds for Festool tools that I feel will be more useful in my current conditions, basement shop again, and situation.

Best,
Todd

 

[daves1996]

The pictures are not great but I did upload them on my first try. I cut a hole in the Plexiglas on the back to accept my vacuum hose and I can see my cuts. This setup is fantastic for trimming laminates and veneers. I also made a sketch up of it.

Dave

 

[bellchippy]

My two pence worth

The OF1010 has some good accessories which make it very useable but it is not a good router.

problems i have found include

Play in plunging mechanism causing distortion when router reaches the end of its plunge.

The locking mechanism moves the router off the plunge stop no matter how hard you press down.

The bearings get very warm even on small runs of work.

I am a great Festool fan but this is the worst router they make.