Popular Woodworking 2006-06 № 155, страница 80

BOSCH PR20EVSK

This router has the best feel of any we tested. The grip is a comfortable size and the soft rubber wrapped on the body provides a good grip and reduces vibration transferred to your hand. It's also one of only two routers with variable speeds.

The base has the benefit of both a gross and fine depth-of-cut adjustment that can be switched back and forth with a slight turn of the base. Very nice. The base attaches and locks in place on the motor easily with a quality turnbuckle latch. The fine adjust on the base is the only one in the test that calls out the adjustment range (one turn equals 3/64"). Changing bits is made more convenient with the tool's spindle lock, which is easily accessible. The soft-start feature also adds to the user-friendly feel of this tool. During testing we found very good power and performance. Visibility was very good, but we wouldn't mind if they added a work light like Makita has. While it's not a comment that we can support with numbers, the Bosch trimmer "felt" more smooth and solid during testing, giving a quality feel to the tool, which earned it our Editor's Choice Award.

The router as tested comes with a straightedge guide and plastic case. Available bases include offset and tilting, as well as bearing-guided accessories and a laminate seaming plate.

boschtools.com or 800-267-2499

CRAFTSMAN 27715

The Craftsman is one of two nearly identical routers in the test (compare it to the Ryobi).

Overall we like the size and feel of the Craftsman and we were initially pleased with the thought of the translucent base with a smoky finish. Unfortunately, we found that trans-lucency didn't translate into improved visibility. The base design has the base slipping over the motor to adjust the depth of cut and uses a convenient turnbuckle latch. Unlike some of the other "slipover" bases in the test, the Craftsman base does orient on the motor using a pin guide on the motor. However, we noticed that the guide channel in the base collected dust during operation, making the base difficult to adjust. Only gross height adjustments are possible with this router and we found that the balance of tight-fit and easy depth-of-cut movement was very tricky. When the adjustment was smooth the base would slip during operation. Not good. Considering the $100 price we would have liked to see a collet lock on this router, and we would certainly expect a base that doesn't slip during operation.

As tested, the Craftsman trimmer comes with the standard base and an oversized woodworking base with two large handles. Also included is a flush-trimming bit with bearings. No accessory-base kit is available.

craftsman.com or 800-549-4505

DEWALT DW670

The DeWalt is one of the three routers in the test that uses a non-slipover base design. This offers a fine-adjustment feature (though without graduated indication of depth change), but no gross adjustment for depth of cut. The DeWalt design uses a toolless attachment for the base, but this adds a rather large handle that is in the way. While the DeWalt includes a spindle lock to assist with bit changing, the base really needs to be removed to adequately access the collet lock.

The grip size is OK, but there was little attention given to ergonomics. During testing we found the DeWalt to have good power, but the base design makes it very difficult to see where the cut is taking place. The hole is small and because the base offers only fine adjustment there is very little travel in the base, making it a very short opening with poor visibility. The DeWalt was also the loudest router in the test, making it less appealing. But in short, the DeWalt isn't a bad choice. It has some upgraded features (a spindle lock and toolless base attachment), but they're cumbersome to use. Essentially this is a tool that could benefit from a redesign.

As tested, the trimmer includes the standard base and a bearing guide. The kit includes standard, offset and tilting bases, a laminate seaming plate and edge guides.

dewalt.com or 800-433-9258

FREUD FT750T

The Freud is similar to the DeWalt in design, with the base attaching to the motor body. Unlike the DeWalt, the Freud requires a wrench to tighten the base and does not offer a spindle lock. Like the DeWalt, the base design offers only fine depth-of-cut adjustment and has no graduated depth indicator. The base offers slightly better visibility than the DeWalt, and adjusting the depth of cut is a smoother operation with the Freud.

Power, on the other hand, was not as good as the DeWalt. While both the Freud and DeWalt are larger than most of the trim routers in the test, the Freud has the unpleasant distinction of the being the tallest, giving it an ungainly feel in the hand with a penchant toward tipping during operation. While priced competitively with most of the pack, the Freud router is lacking in features, ergonomics and power. This is another tool that could benefit from a redesign.

The Freud trim router is sold only as tested with a standard base, case and bearing edge guide, though tilting and offset bases are available as accessories.

freudtools.com or 800-334-4107

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Popular Woodworking June 2006