The ultimate endorsement

I'd be more interested to know his miter saw choice.  In his "Mastering the Miter Saw" DVDs, he uses a nice Bosch saw.
 
Well I have to admit I like my bosch 1617evs and use it more often than my of1400.  I'm still no used to the handle/trigger on the of 1400.  Feels awkward to me.  I also prefer the two wrench method to tighten the collet over the spindle lock.  However the I have the table widener base for the of 1400 and that comes in handy. 
 
A router is only a motor on a stick so any half decent machine will get the job done, I cannot bring myself to spend the ticket price for the festool. That said I do like the base of the of 2200.
 
It would be interesting to learn which Festools Franz/Frank has.

I would amend Festoolfootstool's comment to say "Any half decent router will do a half decent job" ::)

Having said that, routers, maybe more than any other portable tool, have their own personality.  You have to develop a feel for how that particular machine works with that particular bit on that particular wood and adjust your cut rate accordingly.

I do most of my joinery with routers and a lot of pattern work.  Both make high demands on the router - no room for chatter or run out.    The bits have to fit in the copy ring/bushing dead center.  I find that the Festool routers handle these demands with ease.

I never made a conscious decision to convert all my router work to Festool, but after I bought the 1400 the other routers just never got used.  After a year of gathering dust, they went on Craigslist and out of my shop.
 
I think it has  more to do with the cutter than the router, obviously there are limits to that statement.so dont jump all over me [big grin]
 
wnagle said:
Well I have to admit I like my bosch 1617evs and use it more often than my of1400.  I'm still no used to the handle/trigger on the of 1400.  Feels awkward to me.  I also prefer the two wrench method to tighten the collet over the spindle lock.  However the I have the table widener base for the of 1400 and that comes in handy.   

I also have two (2) 1617's & I love them -- they just feel right natural when you hold them in your hands.  I'm curious about the new model since they've changed them.  I like the OF1400 better for a plunge router.  I also have learned so much from Frank Klausz, he is just a straight forward no nonsense master that has so much to teach us all.
 
Festoolfootstool said:
A router is only a motor on a stick so any half decent machine will get the job done, I cannot bring myself to spend the ticket price for the festool. That said I do like the base of the of 2200.

There is some truth in that however the router is by far the most versatile portable power tool as the band saw is of stationary tools.
 
Totally agree with that although the domino must be lurking just around the corner
 
Festoolfootstool said:
A router is only a motor on a stick so any half decent machine will get the job done, I cannot bring myself to spend the ticket price for the festool.

It may only be a "motor on a stick", but like with ALL power tools, the quality of that motor is a big factor in the quality of performance, as well as a big factor in the price.

That said, it is the quality of the motors on Festool products that continues to impress me the most.
 
No fancy festools  there, the work that has impessed me most over the years has always been done by hand, thats were true skill is.
 
Richard Leon said:
I love my 1400 and its accessories but the PC sits in a router table and does its job very adequately. 

Me too! There are few routers more perfect for a table than the Porter Cable 7519.
 
joraft said:
Richard Leon said:
I love my 1400 and its accessories but the PC sits in a router table and does its job very adequately.  

Me too! There are few routers more perfect for a table than the Porter Cable 7519.

The 7518....

since it has multiple speeds.
 
I chose the Milwaukee 5625-20 for my router table.  It has more power than the PC and an electronic variable speed giving it a wider rpm range and full power at all speeds.  It handles my big panel cutter very nicely and is smooth as silk.
 
RonWen said:
I chose the Milwaukee 5625-20 for my router table.  It has more power than the PC and an electronic variable speed giving it a wider rpm range and full power at all speeds.  It handles my big panel cutter very nicely and is smooth as silk.

How can you tell, they're both rated at 15 amps? The Milwuakee is a newer design and turns a little faster at the top end. As far as I can tell they're both great for router tables and hand held if you don't need to plunge.

I chose the PC because the motor diameter is larger. I'm not sure that is better but it does allow the PC to fit the Bench Dog lift directly without an adaptor.
 
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