Choosing a Router

In India, woodworkers do not have much of a choice when it comes to power tools. Only a few of the top power tools manufacturers distribute their products in this country; other makes are imported by dealers who often provide little or no service. The few tool manufacturers who are in the Indian market often do not market their latest offerings here and many fine tools available in foreign markets are not released here.

Among the foreign power tools manufacturers with a presence in India, I would rate Bosch as the best because of the sheer range of products it has introduced in the Indian market and a somewhat decent level of service. Next is Hitachi with much fewer product offering, higher prices and somewhat iffy after sales service. Makita earlier worked through a dealer but has started direct operations since 2008 with little positive results. Festool too has opened a branch in India but I found its product prices ridiculously inflated and sales practices somewhat dubious. Other makers have little to no presence or at best have Indian dealers, who import their products, slap on costs, duty and so on and sell those products at least double the international prices; often these importers sell obsolete models and provide no after sales service.

The Indian woodworker thus has two choices: accept whatever is on offer by the handful of companies like Bosch, Hitachi, Festool or Makita; or get a router from abroad. Rather than getting ripped off by local dealers who offer little support, it is better to import now that so many import options are available to the common man.

There are basically three kinds of routers avilable in India: palm routers like the Bosch GMR1 meant for trim and other light work, medium duty routers in the 1200 to 1400 watt range like the Bosch POF 1400 and the heavy duty 2 HP class models like Makita's 3612C. Each class of router has its own uses and relevance; it is up to the user to decide which one he needs.

Apart from the power rating of a router, the other key features to look for include vairable speed (large bits need to be run at a much lower speed), soft start (which prevents overload on the electricity circuit and tripping), easy bit changing mechanism, dust extraction options, edge guide and a good height adjustment mechanism. Inbuilt LED lights in some models are an added advantage. The ability to attach guide bushings of various sizes is another essential requirement.

Let us first see what is on offer from the four foreign tool makers with an India presence.

Makita   

Makita 3612

This company sells three router makes in India: two half inch shank models, one 1,850 watts machine (3612C) and another 1,600 watts machine (3612BR); and one small 3/8th inch shank 860 watts machine for trimming work. The 1,850 watts machine 3612C appears to be the standard variant - this is the classic Makita router, renowned the world over for its ruggedness, build quality and solid power. Several model numbers of this machine sell in different parts of the world so it is difficult to say what all features are provided in the "C" variant sold in India. In India, the 3612C is sold with a 12mm collet and the company does not provide the alternative 1/2 inch collet. But this appears to be a good machine with variable speed (9000 to 23,000 rpm) and electronic soft start, which is a very comforting feature. It has a dust extraction nozzle and a safety button. A good buy if you get a good price. It sells for a little less than 300 pounds (about Rs. 22,000) in the UK, where the variant sold is the 3612 CX which includes a stackable case and jigs. In India, Makita has priced the 3612C at a whopping Rs 35,000 but street prices could be lower at Rs 24-27,000. One big advantage of the 3612C is an optional template guide adaptor for Port-Cable type bushings.
***** Classic Model 3612C 

Hitachi   

Hitachi M 12SA2

This company's India operations are marked by lethargy and lack of initiative. Their website http://www.hitachi-koki.in/ tells their lackadaisical story. The latest catalogue is still of 2010 and the site is hardly updated ever. The products sell because of the Hitachi name and little else. Their offerings too are meager. The company offers two routers - the M 12SA2 a 12mm (roughly half inch shank) 1700 watts heavy router rated at 3 ¼ HP (List price Rs. 16,000) and a lighter M 12SC machine rated at 2 ¼ HP (List price Rs. 9,500) that can be fitted with both 6 mm (roughly quarter inch shank) as well as the 12 mm shank bits. Both routers are, however, obsolete machines that are sold only in Third World markets. They are both fixed speed models that have been replaced by variable speed models in most first world markets. The company does not sell its new M12VE plunge router model in India. The two models on offer are good accurate routers but buying fixed speed models in today's day and age does not make much sense.

Festool
Festool has two router sets for sale: the lighter OF 1400 and the more powerful OF 2200. Both are ½ inch shank machines that come in their own containers called systainers by Festool. The smaller one costs about Rs. 60,000 while the larger one costs Rs. 1,40,000. There can be no doubt that the Festool machines are par excellence if you can afford them. The prices quoted are before taxes and not MRPs or list prices. There is no dealer discount available and these prices are on an average 60 per cent more than prices for the same in UK markets. The question is whether paying that much extra for a router is worth it.

Bosch

Bosch POF 1400ACE

This company currently appears to offer only two routers in the Indian market: one old 900 watts router 900 CE (List price Rs 16,000) with 6 and 8 mm collets and a small palm router, the GMR1 Professional. At one time it also sold a heavy duty professional machine, the GOF 2000 CE (List price Rs 39,000) with a half inch shank as well as a DIY machine, the POF 1400 ACE (List price Rs 8900) which comes with a 6 mm, 8 mm and  ¼ inch collets. The good thing about Bosch is that the prices are list prices and dealers often offer good discounts on them. The machines too are robust and user friendly.




DeWalt

DeWalt 625

My initial review did not mention the DeWalt routers because I knew little about them until someone pointed it out to me in this forum. Since then I have acquired an older model router, the famous DeWalt 625. It is old, as I have mentioned, in the sense that a newer model DeWalt 626 has come out, but it is nevertheless a superb machine. I bought the older model for two reasons: the new one was not shippped to India and was significantly more expensive. I needed a heavier router with a half inch shank and settled on the DeWalt 625. I can vouch for the superb machinery of this router which cuts through the heaviest of wood without chatter or protest. This model is based on a older but great router model developed by the famous German router maker Elu, which was acquired by Black & Decker, the owner of DeWalt, several years ago. DeWalt has great technology going for it although Bosch too has come out with several first rate routers with a lot of key features that outshine those offered on most DeWalt models.The DeWalt 625 comes with both 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch collets, which is useful if buying router bits from the United States where the imperial system is still very much in vogue. All my router bits have either 1/4 or 1/2 inch shanks and I am not going to invest in metric size bits in this lifetime. So be sure what kind of bits you are going to be using and remember that most router bits made in India are 6mm, 8mm or 12mm. However, most router manufacturers today offer collets for both the metric and imperial systems. But you will have to pay a lot extra for those non-standard collets and it is better to buy a router with the collet sizes of your preference.
***** Classic Model 625

The other reputed router makers include Trend (UK), Triton (Australia), Porter Cable (USA), taken over by Black & Decker), Freud (USA) and Skil (UK). Many more companies make routers, very good ones too but after doing a bit of research, I found that these are the popular ones.

Endico

Endico Router

This is a Ludhiana based company that makes several types of plunge routers (see http://www.endicopowertools.com). Their routers come with 8mm and 12 mm shanks and with different power ratings up to a maximum of 1300 watts. These routers are very reasonably priced (the most expensive one costs about Rs 7,000) and comes with a host of useful accessories such as edge guide, pilot light and so on. The only problem with these routers is they are all fixed speed types running at 21,000 rpm. They also do not have soft start electronics in them. Otherwise great routers that can take pretty much anything thrown at them.


Import Option

As for the routers and other tools, I would recommend you check out three websites.I find it cheaper and faster to order items directly from abroad than go through dealers in India.

Amazon.com's export sales division has started shipping to India as of February 2012. Their service, prices and product range is excellent. This would be my online importer of choice. You can see which products they ship to India by going through www.junglee.com.

Axminster: At this British site (www.axminster.com) you can get many European items at very very competitive rates. They charge you for shipping but you have to do the customs clearance part yourself. Very fast delivery within a few days!

ebay.in - Everything inclusive of delivery to your home. Limited range of items and reports of unreliability.

Concluding Thoughts

My word of advice would be that a good router alone cannot assure quality, precision work. Routers need jigs and fixtures to work efficiently as well as a range of bits for a variety of jobs. I would buy a medium quality router and invest in bits and accessories. I would also spend time in making jigs, guides and fixtures.

There are hundreds of router models out there with varying features, prices and promises. I now realise that rather than trying to figure out which is the best possible machine in the market perhaps it is more important to first decide out how much work you want to do and what kind of tasks you have in hand. Then go backwards and choose a router. For most DIY purposes any router with variable speed and soft start would be good enough. I have learnt how to do pretty good edge treatment with a Bosch palm router by taking small incremental cuts that do not strain the motor.

For those who have the cash and are serious about woodworking, I would suggest buying a half inch shank router. These machines tend to be more powerful and the solid half inch shank is more stable, vibrates less and can carry out heavier tasks, even though there are many occasions when a smaller, lighter quarter inch shank machine might be more appropriate. The price difference between quarter and half inch shank router bits is negligible, particularly if they are sources from American companies. But the half inch shank bits are solid and reliable.

Router work is potentially dangerous, so a proper understanding of routing methods and practices is a must. Please use all safety precautions, including hearing, eye and breathing protection, and learn safe routing procedures. A tungsten carbide tipped solid steel router bit rotating at speeds of more than 20,000 rpm can be lethal!

Indranil Banerjie, 27 May 2011
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