Wood Routers Reviews

Although wood routers can shape and cut soft metals as well as wood, we found the best comparison tests and reviews of routers in woodworking publications. Most recently, Popular Woodworking reviews nine router combo kits that come with both a plunge and fixed base, and Fine Woodworking tests wood routers for use in a router table. Trim routers, also called palm routers or laminate trimmers, get even more comparison reviews -- in Wood Magazine, American Woodworker and Woodworker's Journal.

At the other extreme, big 3-horsepower plunge routers are tested in Workbench magazine, Woodworker's Journal and Wood Magazine. All these wood-router reviews are based on objective tests, and Popular Woodworking even performs endurance tests over at least a two-year period. We also find useful information about wood router durability in owner-written reviews at Amazon.com and several other retailer sites.

Most new wood routers now use soft-start motors that keep the router from jerking out of control, and many add electronic feedback control (to keep speed steady even when the bit hits harder wood). Dust control and self-releasing collets are also becoming standard. For example, the Hitachi M12V2 plunge router (*est. $210), a budget pick in several reviews, adds dust collection and self-releasing collets to the well-reviewed Hitachi M12V. It's accumulating some complaints, however, in owner-written reviews at Amazon.com, for various quality control problems.

Wood routers are the most versatile workshop tool. The basic concept is simple: Interchangeable cutting bits mounted on the shaft of a high-speed motor, which can make a wide range of tasks possible. Wood routers not only round or smooth edges, make grooves and cut simple hinge mortises, but they can also cut complicated joints, millwork or imitation lathe-turnings. Routers can turn plain wood into picture-frame moldings or tongue-and-groove flooring, in addition to other projects.  ... Continued

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

The Bosch 1619EVS is the top-ranked big plunge router, but recent reviews favor the smaller Triton MOF001KC if you don't need that much power, with the Hitachi M12V2 a budget choice. The two top-ranked Milwaukee fixed-base wood routers are also tops in reviews. Among combo kits, the DeWalt DW618PK is recommended in as many professional reviews as the Bosch 1617EVSPK, but has a longer warranty and fewer user complaints about breakdowns. The Bosch Colt PR20EVSK gets the nod among trim routers, also called palm routers or laminate trimmers.