OF 2200 accessories

[electricald]

Hello Brice,

My plan was to purchase the 2200 as to use around my shop. I am planning to get a router table and I have already looked at a PC that will permanently stay there. I am not of the mindset that the biggest is the best, but the first is, I want a festool router, second I do not like those handles on the other routers so that is one of the reasons why I am going with the 2200. I will say too that I have never used any of the Festool routers, so I have no frame of reference here.  There is no doubt that the other routers are great. I have other Festool gear and have not bought the biggest but the middle of the road. Thank-you for your points.

Dan

I think if you end up with the 2200 as your only router then the accessory kit is a good deal.  However, are you really sure you need the 2200?  Some people assume getting the biggest bad boy on the block is the best value. I'd disagree with that logic if a smaller tool fits your needs better.  Both the OF1010 and OF1400 routers are fabulous.  They are certainly worth strongly considering, if they will fit your intended usage.

 

[electricald]

Hello Bob,

Why did you go with the metric set?

Dan

I purchased the metric set when I got mine. Its definitely the best bang for your buck!

Bob

 

[electricald]

Hello Julian,
There is no doubt that the 1400 will suffice for my needs and I will refer to the last comments I just posted on that to Brice. I am not one to brag but I am one for quality and sometimes not always the biggest. Festool for me is quality gear. Again my plan is for a PC in a router table. As I have previously said in these forums, I am new to woodworking and rely on these info forums for guidance.
I do own the TS 55 BTW and it has sufficed for my needs. Is this overkill with the 2200, you are probably right. Again my reasons for the 2200 are purely subjective, but I have not ordered it yet. Thanks for the comments Julian, certainly food for thought.

Regards,
Dan

Yea, it'd seem the 1400 would be the best choice for one router if you were planning on only owning one.  That 1400 will spin any bit you can chuck into is as well as being able to do smaller stuff like 1/4" edge trimming bits with relative ease.

Unless you just like bragging rights, doesn't seem you'd want the 2200 unless you are specifically looking to run some heavy duty work or large bits or are just supplementing a smaller router you already have.

These folks will help you spend your $2000, but is it really the best advice in this case?  Lot's of folks spend their entire woodworking "career" with only a mid-range 2-2 1/4HP router as the only router they own and probably find that they never over-work it.

Like buying a TS75 for cutting up sheets of plywood = overkill.

JT

 

[Brice Burrell]

Hello Brice,

My plan was to purchase the 2200 as to use around my shop. I am planning to get a router table and I have already looked at a PC that will permanently stay there. I am not of the mindset that the biggest is the best, but the first is, I want a festool router, second I do not like those handles on the other routers so that is one of the reasons why I am going with the 2200. I will say too that I have never used any of the Festool routers, so I have no frame of reference here.  There is no doubt that the other routers are great. I have other Festool gear and have not bought the biggest but the middle of the road. Thank-you for your points.

Dan

Dan, I was skeptical about the handles on the Festool router too.  Turns out I really like the design, and almost without exception, other users do to.

 

[Bob Marino]

Dan,

There is a huge variance in weight between the 2200 and the 1400, let alone the 1010. I think even more than a sander, a router has to feel right in your hands and can even become a safety issue if it doesn't. Is there any way you can get to handle the routers; or at least the 2200?  That may decide the issue, one way or another.
Also, as Brice mentioned, many were initially skeptical of the handle configuration on the 1010 and 1400, most have come to prefer it.

Bob

 

[Sparktrician]

Dan,

There is a huge variance in weight between the 2200 and the 1400, let alone the 1010. I think even more than a sander, a router has to feel right in your hands and can even become a safety issue if it doesn't. Is there any way you can get to handle the routers; or at least the 2200?  That may decide the issue, one way or another.
Also, as Brice mentioned, many were initially skeptical of the handle configuration on the 1010 and 1400, most have come to prefer it.

Bob

The handle arrangement on the OF 2200 is great, and with one exception, feels so natural despite the 18# weight of the tool.  I rather wish that Festool would come out with scaled-down versions of the OF 2200 and retain the handle arrangements.  The one exception is that the plunge lock on the OF 2200 works backwards to what feels natural to me; as in "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey".  The OF 1010 and OF 1400 handles don't feel quite as natural, but they're certainly great routers. 

 

[electricald]

Bob/Brice/Sparktrician
I have no feel or even had one of these routers in my hand. There is one distributor in my area that may have it and I will visit them when I get back home. I live in NL, Canada and the resources here are very limited; there is only one Home Depot on this island. I have looked at the weight Bob and I know that it is substantial. It was one of the reasons I bought the TS55 and not the 75 saw. But the handle issue is , what seems to me to be, the biggest deal breaker, Brice's comments not withstanding. I seen the video (Festool TV) of a guy using the 2200 and he was using the edge guide and routing a piece and I noticed the angle that the handles are relative to the face of the wood. They are orientated in such a way that keeps the 2200 against the face of the material.
Thanks for your comments guys they are a big help and I appreciate you taking the time. This is about the only way I can get some sense of direction.

Sincerest regards,
Dan

 

[Timtool]

Dan i was also on the fence about the handles, coming from using and liking Bosch plunge routers. But i now personally find the OF1010 and 1400 handles ideal for routers of that weight/power. It makes them easy to use one handed, so that you can work faster and secure the workpiece, hold the base or the edge guide with the other hand. Which simply isn't possible with OF2200 style handles. I don't think anyone here will recommend the OF2200 as a first and only router, it's a specialty router dedicated to heavy routing tasks, most professionals i know will never even own a router of that power/weight. Not to mention it's DC is ineffective with the standard 27mm hose, you absolutely need the 36mm hose!
Again the most versatile and capable router in the range is the OF1010 IMO, especially if you plan on putting a more powerful one under a router table.

 

[Stone Message]

Yes the OF2200 is big but it is a gentle giant. I agree that it should not be your first or main router unless you are a kitchen installer or stair maker. I do not own the OF1010 but in my research I found the OF1400, which I was given for Christmas, to be the ideal go-to router. I think that your everyday router needs to be able to take 1/2" cutters.

Peter

 

[electricald]

Hi Tim,
While I was ordering the PS 300 jig saw from Lee Valley, I asked the sales rep if he had used it and he said he did. Of course I ask him how it performed and he also said that with it running and into a sheet of 1/2'' plywood he was able to push it with one finger at the back of the jigsaw. When I got it home and used it for a bit I decided to try it. So I ran it into a piece of plywood and then left it running and took my hands off it. It sat there running full speed and it didn't move. I thought might catch in the plywood after vibrating a bit and it would jump around, but it stayed put. I then used my pinky and pushed it from the back of the body and it just cut and I just went wow. I was quite impressed.
What you just mentioned about using one hand reminded me of the jig saw in a sense that it seems that the Festool line is very balanced and I am right handed and have used my TS55 with my left. So I can appreciate what you are saying, as well as Brice and others. Thanks for the input, I appreciate it.

Regards,
Dan

Thanks for the input

Dan i was also on the fence about the handles, coming from using and liking Bosch plunge routers. But i now personally find the OF1010 and 1400 handles ideal for routers of that weight/power. It makes them easy to use one handed, so that you can work faster and secure the workpiece, hold the base or the edge guide with the other hand. Which simply isn't possible with OF2200 style handles. I don't think anyone here will recommend the OF2200 as a first and only router, it's a specialty router dedicated to heavy routing tasks, most professionals i know will never even own a router of that power/weight. Not to mention it's DC is ineffective with the standard 27mm hose, you absolutely need the 36mm hose!
Again the most versatile and capable router in the range is the OF1010 IMO, especially if you plan on putting a more powerful one under a router table.