Pro Tool Reviews: I have a confession—I love routing. I find it therapeutic. There’s something about running a bit down an edge and adding an element of creativity that’s enjoyable. Recent upgrades in battery and motor technology are letting us cut the cord on trim routers and making the experience that much better. We decided to bring in the best cordless router models and test them head-to-head in a review that also happens to be great for my mental health.
3 comments:
I can relate with the writer of this article – I too find routing to be a relaxing shop activity. When I am using a router my two biggest concerns are accidentally cutting into the power cord and whether or not the router is a maneuverable weight and has a nice grip design. Therefore the cordless router design is appealing to me because there is no cord that I might accidentally cut. The light weight described in many of these tool reviews is also very appealing. However I do worry about being able to grip the top or around the main body of the router with my small hands. I guess that is less of a concern with these smaller trim router models, but I think there is an ergonomic change that can be made in larger cordless routers as they get developed that could be a solution to that challenge. The design of the Bosch Palm Trim Router is unique and appealing for this reason, but I understand the con that its design also limits the type and orientation of routing that the tool can use. I wonder if there is a way to incorporate a bearing into the base of a router so that the grip can rotate as you maneuver the tool?
As the cordless revolution continues I think we are finally to a point where I can start thinking about buying one of these cordless models instead of a corded model for a trim router. I think that with the advantages of maneuverability with a cordless router and the power from the battery technology at the moment it doesn’t make any sense to do anything else. That all being said I do find it interesting that almost every manufacturer has come out with a similar design for how the units form and function works. With the exception of the bosh all of them are simply copies of their corded counterpart with a batter on top, I would have expected more variety to compete. However it’s also really interesting reading this review to see how it seems almost unanimous that Milwaukee’s is just best and it’s not for any on reason but because just does everything better than all the rest.
Here we are once again with a battery powered tool review, as Mattox noted the revolution is getting to a tipping point where a majority of the tools we use are going to be battery powered. Hand routers are one of these examples, however, that doesn't surprise me (compared to the battery powered table saws or miter saws). I like the variety that pro tool offers in this article, hitting the major brands, and also the comprehensive summary they offer for each tool AND at the end of the article. The details that this article touches upon are also very well thought out, and things I absolutely would need to consider before purchasing. For example, micro adjustments and bit-changes happen so often for the projects we do that I would want that to be as smooth as possible. One interesting trend that I've noticed with a lot of these battery powered tools (not just routers) is that they change the ergonomics pretty drastically from the standard form. The Bosch router is a prime example of this, where your hand is pretty much right over the collet. I'd love to test one of these out, maybe Ben will purchase the Milwaukee that matches our battery packs soon.....
Post a Comment