Well, I received my MFK700 today so I can finally do a review! I ordered the kit which includes the Vertical and 1.5 degree Horizontal bases.
I have to say, I'm impressed right out of the box. I'm typically one of those odd 'read the manual first' type of people but I decided to see how intuitive it was to use without reading the instructions. Even with the large number of knobs on the base, I was surprised how quickly I could figure out which one to turn to remove the base, adjust the height, etc.
Having only used a 2 1/4 HP router in the past, I really like how easy it is to handle. I also really like the offset vertical base, where most of the base can rest on the work piece. This makes it amazingly stable. I found I don't even have to think about keeping pressure in the right direction to avoid having the router 'tip' on me, it was just natural to keep it vertical while moving following the edge of a board.
The dust collection was every bit as impressive as I've heard. I could see a few little flurries getting away without the dust shroud, but once the shroud was added it caught pretty much everything.
The horizontal base is great for trimming edge banding. I'm a little disappointed it'll only trim about 5/8" thick (I forget the exact metric depth) edge banding but I suppose they had to limit the depth somewhat so the bit didn't end up right next to the knob you use to hold it down. Perhaps some day a 'for extra thick edge banding' horizontal base could be offered that is a little bigger so it's still safe to use but allows for longer router bits.
I was also surprised I couldn't find any markings on the base to indicate it was the 1.5 degree base. Considering I'm planning on adding the zero degree base before the sale is over, I hope it's easy to tell them apart. I'm not sure a zero vs 1.5 degree incline is going to be very obvious just by looking at them.
I also quickly realized that you have to remove the base to change bits. This isn't really a big deal since it just takes a couple turns of a knob to remove the base, but sometimes it's nice to have the base there as a reference when deciding how deep to set the bit. I guess that's good encouragement to just use the MFG scribed line on the router bit shaft when installing it rather then thinking about where I want it set in reference to the base, which is what I should be doing anyway!
Finally, here's a picture of my new router in action with a simple round-over bit. It was technically a few seconds after making the cut, but I had to take it myself and taking a picture while using a power tool just didn't sound like a very safe practice and I know how much Shane frowns on that. [tongue]
[attachimg=#]
I have to say, I'm impressed right out of the box. I'm typically one of those odd 'read the manual first' type of people but I decided to see how intuitive it was to use without reading the instructions. Even with the large number of knobs on the base, I was surprised how quickly I could figure out which one to turn to remove the base, adjust the height, etc.
Having only used a 2 1/4 HP router in the past, I really like how easy it is to handle. I also really like the offset vertical base, where most of the base can rest on the work piece. This makes it amazingly stable. I found I don't even have to think about keeping pressure in the right direction to avoid having the router 'tip' on me, it was just natural to keep it vertical while moving following the edge of a board.
The dust collection was every bit as impressive as I've heard. I could see a few little flurries getting away without the dust shroud, but once the shroud was added it caught pretty much everything.
The horizontal base is great for trimming edge banding. I'm a little disappointed it'll only trim about 5/8" thick (I forget the exact metric depth) edge banding but I suppose they had to limit the depth somewhat so the bit didn't end up right next to the knob you use to hold it down. Perhaps some day a 'for extra thick edge banding' horizontal base could be offered that is a little bigger so it's still safe to use but allows for longer router bits.
I was also surprised I couldn't find any markings on the base to indicate it was the 1.5 degree base. Considering I'm planning on adding the zero degree base before the sale is over, I hope it's easy to tell them apart. I'm not sure a zero vs 1.5 degree incline is going to be very obvious just by looking at them.
I also quickly realized that you have to remove the base to change bits. This isn't really a big deal since it just takes a couple turns of a knob to remove the base, but sometimes it's nice to have the base there as a reference when deciding how deep to set the bit. I guess that's good encouragement to just use the MFG scribed line on the router bit shaft when installing it rather then thinking about where I want it set in reference to the base, which is what I should be doing anyway!
Finally, here's a picture of my new router in action with a simple round-over bit. It was technically a few seconds after making the cut, but I had to take it myself and taking a picture while using a power tool just didn't sound like a very safe practice and I know how much Shane frowns on that. [tongue]
[attachimg=#]
