# What actually happened to Elu?



## LFS19 (10 Aug 2018)

I was always under the impression they we bought by black and decker and rebranded under the DeWalt brand.
What I don't really understand, though, is that there's a website for 'Elumatec', which Is what Elu was until they changed their name in 1984. They're still going, selling what looks to be big, industrial machines. They also have a HQ in the UK.

Don't really get it. Does anyone know the story? I presumed Elu was gone living on only in part by some of the DeWalt routers, but I've never seen any tools branded 'Elumatec'. 
Also, considering they changed the name in 1984, does that mean all my Elu branded stuff is at least 35 years old?!

Cheers


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## Shrubby (10 Aug 2018)

Eugen Lutz sold his power tool business to B&D in 1984 to concentrate on bigger machinery aimed at window manufacturing (there are a lot of strange Elu routers for cutting in window fittings) the Swiss B&D Delemont works made lots of the tools and Perles and GMM made others. Bean counters at B&D couldn't justify two professional tool brands and Elu was killed off in 1999 in Europe - slightly earlier in the UK, 1996 was the last catalogue I had
Quality declined markedly under B&D and Elu stickers appeared on lots of Italian black & decker/DeWalt stuff
Matt


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## acewoodturner (10 Aug 2018)

Elu used to be the 'industrial standard to buy' tool till B&D took them over- a bit like Festool are today for most things. The minute that happened the standard went rapidly downhill. Cheap Indian bearings in the routers for example which last about 10 minutes and render the router useless. 
Good second hand Elu tools are still available on Ebay and are far superior to new Dewalt tools. Everything B&D churn out under one of their brand names is rubbish and is cost controlled tightly by the bean counters instead of designed and made and then the cost worked out which is what Festool do. The quality difference is startling. I don't want a replacement tool , I want a good quality tool to start with and that's why I never buy B&D!

Mike


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## LFS19 (10 Aug 2018)

Shrubby":3s0g60o7 said:


> Eugen Lutz sold his power tool business to B&D in 1984 to concentrate on bigger machinery aimed at window manufacturing (there are a lot of strange Elu routers for cutting in window fittings) the Swiss B&D Delemont works made lots of the tools and Perles and GMM made others. Bean counters at B&D couldn't justify two professional tool brands and Elu was killed off in 1999 in Europe - slightly earlier in the UK, 1996 was the last catalogue I had
> Quality declined markedly under B&D and Elu stickers appeared on lots of Italian black & decker/DeWalt stuff
> Matt



Interesting, thanks for the write up!


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## LFS19 (10 Aug 2018)

acewoodturner":3sryo04l said:


> Elu used to be the 'industrial standard to buy' tool till B&D took them over- a bit like Festool are today for most things. The minute that happened the standard went rapidly downhill. Cheap Indian bearings in the routers for example which last about 10 minutes and render the router useless.
> Good second hand Elu tools are still available on Ebay and are far superior to new Dewalt tools. Everything B&D churn out under one of their brand names is rubbish and is cost controlled tightly by the bean counters instead of designed and made and then the cost worked out which is what Festool do. The quality difference is startling. I don't want a replacement tool , I want a good quality tool to start with and that's why I never buy B&D!
> 
> Mike



So if B&D bought the brand in the mid 80s, how much of the gear you see on eBay is lower quality B&D stuff after the acquisition? Does that mean my trusty MOF97 router from Elu is actually B&D??

I've also been eyeing up an old DeWalt planer, and upon closer inspection, this also has the B&D logo.


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## Lons (10 Aug 2018)

LFS19":w9dusyat said:


> So if B&D bought the brand in the mid 80s, how much of the gear you see on eBay is lower quality B&D stuff after the acquisition? Does that mean my trusty MOF97 router from Elu is actually B&D??
> 
> I've also been eyeing up an old DeWalt planer, and upon closer inspection, this also has the B&D logo.



What the other 2 guys said is pretty accurate.

I was selling DeWalt, Elu and some of the B&D professional range from my depot branch from around 1988 when I took over until 1992 when I moved on and to the best of my knowledge, both Elu and DeWalt tools were pretty much as original before they were bought by B&D. 
DeWalt were being assembled alongside the B&D range in their Spennymoor factory but the parts were shipped in and I believe weren't "cheapened" until around 1990 when we noticed the number of failures and complaints increasing.

My MOF 96e is vintage 1990 and one of the gooduns btw.

Bob


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## LFS19 (10 Aug 2018)

Cheers for the reply. 
So will the aforementioned cheapening of parts that occured around 1990 with DeWalt be the same for Elu too?

MOF97 was a typo, I also have the 96 but not the e.
Is there a way to tell how old a tool is?


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## Lons (11 Aug 2018)

Yep mine was also a typo, it's a 96e  ( it is late at night and had a couple of beers, :lol: ) Mine is version 02 btw.
It's so long ago I can't remember but sure it was coded on the plate so need to look at that and see if it rings any bells with me. I think they removed the "made in Switzerland" off the plate on later models.

I also had the larger 1/2" MOF 177e but sold it as it wasn't used a lot. Worst decision I ever made as I bought a DeWalt 625 a few years later and it isn't a patch on the old Elu where quality is concerned.

Reduction in quality was across the brands though for obvious reasons was staged over a period of time, what I would say is that if an old Elu or DeWalt is still in good working order after all those years then it's more than likely to be an original as the B&D later ones would probably have expired.


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## Nick Laguna UK (11 Aug 2018)

Shrubby":1lnybiq1 said:


> 1996 was the last catalogue I had


 - nice one - I still have my 1997 catalogue
I worked for B&D through the transition & heard similar comments from my dealers as echoed in comments above - reality is though the business model worked via massive marketing & innovation at the time - I remember the first 14.4v cordless launch at Shepperton Studios.
Cheers all, 
Nick (ex-Elu/Dewalt salesman)


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## Sideways (11 Aug 2018)

There's one safe way to tell the "proper" Elu kit.
Look at the power switches - all the original Swiss made stuff had orange coloured power switches and two tone (dark + light) grey bodywork.
Later Italian manufactured but Elu branded machines carried the Elu logo but the switches changed to blue plastic. The light grey disappeared from the colour scheme too. The Italian made machines just weren't as good.
The dewalt variants in black and yellow got worse.
Delving deeper, if you examine the exploded parts diagrams for the MOF96 and MOF177 routers, you'll find reference to "Type".
Type 1 and 2's were original Swiss made Elu's. By the time you get to type 4 I think you're post sale.
I can also confirm the connection with Perles (originally Swiss, now Slovenian). I have a small Perles 150mm circ saw that is identical to one of the MH(xxx) models sold by Elu many years ago except for the colour of the plastic. It's quite nice because it's small and light - a one hander - but the castings are not as well finished as they used to make for Elu.
Elu are well made tools that last and are maintainable. I'm on my third set of bearings for my original MOF96E and it still runs great. The MFF80 handheld planer has serious power and an accurately machined sole if you need to take the tool to the wood. When I bought a vintage MOF177E, it soft started unheld on the bench and sat there purring like a kitten 
The differences are definately more than skin deep. I had to replace an armature to renovate an otherwise good 96E and all I could get was a dewalt generation replacement part. The quality of machining and winding on the dewalt part was clearly inferior and despite top quality replacement bearings, that machine doesn't run quite as smoothly as my original 96E.


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## custard (11 Aug 2018)

Somewhere in the workshop I've got a MOF 31, Elu's very first router from the 1950's. It still works a treat.

If I can dig it out I'll post some photos.


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## LFS19 (11 Aug 2018)

Sideways":1g6kf9cb said:


> There's one safe way to tell the "proper" Elu kit.
> Look at the power switches - all the original Swiss made stuff had orange coloured power switches and two tone (dark + light) grey bodywork.
> Later Italian manufactured but Elu branded machines carried the Elu logo but the switches changed to blue plastic. The light grey disappeared from the colour scheme too. The Italian made machines just weren't as good.
> The dewalt variants in black and yellow got worse.
> ...





Lons":1g6kf9cb said:


> Yep mine was also a typo, it's a 96e  ( it is late at night and had a couple of beers, :lol: ) Mine is version 02 btw.
> It's so long ago I can't remember but sure it was coded on the plate so need to look at that and see if it rings any bells with me. I think they removed the "made in Switzerland" off the plate on later models.
> 
> I also had the larger 1/2" MOF 177e but sold it as it wasn't used a lot. Worst decision I ever made as I bought a DeWalt 625 a few years later and it isn't a patch on the old Elu where quality is concerned.
> ...



Thanks for the replies - interesting stuff!

My MOF96 has the grey colour you're talking about, but has a black switch and was made in Germany...

I'm guessing the Dewalt WD 1150 I've been eyeing up on eBay is to be avoided, then, in account of the fact it has a B&D sticker on it and was made in Italy.


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## LFS19 (11 Aug 2018)

custard":32az9sqs said:


> Somewhere in the workshop I've got a MOF 31, Elu's very first router from the 1950's. It still works a treat.
> 
> If I can dig it out I'll post some photos.



Wow, would certainly like to see that!


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## Benchwayze (11 Aug 2018)

In the early nineties I bought two 177e Elu routers to use with the Leigh jig. Unfortunately I found the jig too fussy to set up, and anyway I had decided to forget the idea of full self-employment. So I sold the jig and one of the 177e routers. (I got a Keller jig which is fine with lighter routers. Great for kitchen drawers and other quick jobs. I got it from Roy Sutton so that will give you an idea of how long ago that was.) 

I soon wished I hadn't sold the 177e when I bought a router table! The replacement was a deWalt, which I mounted in the table. As far as I could tell, the deWalt was an exact copy of the 177e; but for the 'livery'. I never had any problems with the deWalt, despite that I was informed, no router is really designed for inverted use. I found it just as reliable as the 177e. 

Ever changeable me, I soon got fed up fiddling with router tables, and now I usually figure out a way of doing what I need, with hand-held routing. When I found my other 177E wasn't getting used much, I cleaned and serviced the deWalt, and sold that. My 177e is still on it's original bushes, and has been serviced regularly. Although, I might soon have to give up machine woodwork owing to lack of strength and the fact I am getting doddery on my feet. For safety, another redesign of the shop is overdue, so Number One Son is on red alert! 

Anyhow, if you can find a lightly used Elu router on eBay ( or wherever), snap it up. It should last you until you can afford a rebuilt Wadkin, spindle moulder! :lol:


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## Jacob (11 Aug 2018)

I had a little B&D SR 100 router for many years, which was re-badged Elu. It was excellent quality and got a lot of use until I bought a bigger one and gave it away. 
Nothing sub standard about it.
I quite miss it as small size made it handy for little jobs


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## Lons (11 Aug 2018)

Jacob":nhlf12y5 said:


> I had a little B&D SR 100 router for many years, which was re-badged Elu. It was excellent quality and got a lot of use until I bought a bigger one and gave it away.
> Nothing sub standard about it.
> I quite miss it as small size made it handy for little jobs



There are still quite a few of those around and pretty cheap but the fact they are still around shows they were decent tools, however from memory ( I'd need to check back ), I think the B&D SR100 wasn't simply a re-badged MOF96 but was actually a reworked version of the ELU and that usually meant cheaper parts as it was aimed at the hobbyist user market.

If you want a lighter router you should look at the little Bosch or Makita, I have the Makita RT0700CX2 kit which I find very useful indeed.

cheers
Bob


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## custard (11 Aug 2018)

LFS19":y80itvu5 said:


> Wow, would certainly like to see that!



I've posted some photos here,

post1236050.html#p1236050

My mistake by the way, it's a 1950's MOF 11 not a MOF 31 like I previously said.


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## Sideways (11 Aug 2018)

People regularly talk about Festool as being a premium manufacturer because of their "system" of tools and accessories but one of Elu's strengths 35 years ago before I'd ever heard of Festool was their range of accessories. 
The routers standardised the 8mm and 10mm fence bar system, there were bushes, fine adjusters for depth and fences, small inversion stands, fences, pressure pads, feather boards.
A cast alloy table took all of the main circ saws and routers alike for portable inverted operation (not entirely unlike the Festool CMS).
The TGS flipover saw used an induction motor and operated in chop saw mode or inverted as a portable tablesaw.
The planer had an inversion stand and a tiny 3" thicknesser attachment.
Their range included saws, drills, routers, jigsaws, a biscuit jointer with precision fence, planer, superbly smooth recip saw, ...
Not too shabby a "system" really


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## Lons (11 Aug 2018)

I had a couple of the first ELU 9.6 cordless drills and they were excellent at the time, I "re-celled" the batteries a few times and only threw them away last year. I remember they were bloody expensive even with the discount I got as branch manager.


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## LFS19 (11 Aug 2018)

custard":2yk4fvqh said:


> LFS19":2yk4fvqh said:
> 
> 
> > Wow, would certainly like to see that!
> ...



Awesome; looks built like a battle ship. Great write up, too.


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## LFS19 (11 Aug 2018)

Lons":m7bzamuc said:


> I had a couple of the first ELU 9.6 cordless drills and they were excellent at the time, I "re-celled" the batteries a few times and only threw them away last year. I remember they were bloody expensive even with the discount I got as branch manager.



I see those pop up on eBay a lot. Presumably the batteries are an issue now?


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## redhunter350 (12 Aug 2018)

I have an original MOF96 however I would at some point like to acquire a 1/2 “ router so would be interested to know what’s the best option / make to buy.
Incidentally I have seen what looks like the Elu MFO96 in the Trend catalogue, any comments on this ?
John


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## SammyQ (12 Aug 2018)

Don't forget Perles!


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## large red (12 Aug 2018)

I have a Swiss made 177 the Dewalt 625 and Trend T10 clones along with far too many other routers from Festool to Katsu and if my workshop was burning down and I could only choose 1 it would be without hesitation the Elu, it's a design classic which is enforced by the fact that they are still trying to recreate it today


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## Benchwayze (13 Aug 2018)

redhunter350":sxo4jqbq said:


> I have an original MOF96 however I would at some point like to acquire a 1/2 “ router so would be interested to know what’s the best option / make to buy.
> Incidentally I have seen what looks like the Elu MFO96 in the Trend catalogue, any comments on this ?
> John



John. 
I see a lot of use for the Bosch 'Professional Blue' range. 
If you are a Pro, I suspect you'd plump for a Festool, but I have seen negative reviews even on those.

There used to be a guy on YouTube who stripped Festool's power tools, right down to component parts, gave an in-depth report on them. His commentary sounded as if he knew what he was on about. I'll try and locate one of the vids for you and send you the link.) It was a revealing series! I have a Bosh green upright router wich was the first one I bought. Still going strong too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oezp-_DcUgg

There you go! 

HTH 

John


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## Lons (13 Aug 2018)

redhunter350":3azc678e said:


> I have an original MOF96 however I would at some point like to acquire a 1/2 “ router so would be interested to know what’s the best option / make to buy.
> Incidentally I have seen what looks like the Elu MFO96 in the Trend catalogue, any comments on this ?
> John


OOPs
replied to the wrong post


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## Lons (13 Aug 2018)

LFS19":319xj7po said:


> Lons":319xj7po said:
> 
> 
> > I had a couple of the first ELU 9.6 cordless drills and they were excellent at the time, I "re-celled" the batteries a few times and only threw them away last year. I remember they were bloody expensive even with the discount I got as branch manager.
> ...


Yes don't think you can get the batteries although not at all difficult to buy cells and fit them yourself however it's really not worth the effort these days as modern battery technology is much superior and many cordless drills are cheap enough to throw away.

When the first Elu cordless were introduced they were a revelation, light and powerful enough for pro use with a price aimed at the pro market. We sold hundreds in a short time following the product launch. Those were significant sales in those days!


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## José Mota (17 Aug 2019)

Hi!

I’m a Portuguese woodworking hobbyist and we don’t have such a nice second hand tool market as you certainly have in UK. 

I was always under the impression ELU branded tools we’re old school professional instruments, but by some of the above posts I realized that ELU tools made in Italy aren’t as good as elder ones?

Going straight to the point, I’m looking to buy my first good table saw (I had a new Ryobi two years ago and it was just no good at all) and an ELU ETS 3151 A2 sawking just appeared. It looks to be in a pretty good condition, but tag says “made in Italy” and manufactured year is 1998. Is this a good tool?

Thank you for you time!

Zé


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## That would work (17 Aug 2019)

Hi
When I was an apprentice at Berthon boat Co in Lymington back in around 1978 the Joiner I worked with sold me an Elu jigsaw (owned by his neibour) for £40. I have used it heavily over the years and it is still going strong. Enough said?


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## Trevanion (18 Aug 2019)

José Mota":gfmqr1da said:


> Going straight to the point, I’m looking to buy my first good table saw (I had a new Ryobi two years ago and it was just no good at all) and an ELU ETS 3151 A2 sawking just appeared. It looks to be in a pretty good condition, but tag says “made in Italy” and manufactured year is 1998. Is this a good tool?



Depends on what you want it for really. It's designed to be a rough carpentry job-site saw rather than a fine cabinetmaking saw but if all you want to do is rip timber it'll do that fine, just don't expect it to be super accurate and able to do loads of jig work. These like many of the later (90s) Elu equipment has a DeWalt equivalent, exact same machine just different name on the side and different colours. DeWalt even still makes a few of the old machines, these saws included.


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## Argus (18 Aug 2019)

This is all very encouraging.

I have an ELU MOF 131 from about 1988, all nicely liveried with the two-tone grey and an orange switch. As I recall it was a mighty beast with a kick-back like a mule, but did it work! 

I made a lot of bespoke stuff with it..... big Oak solid doors and other heavy one-offs in those days and it did a brilliant job on hogging out meat for a final finish with hand-tools.

I went fully manual and quiet on the tool-side a long time ago and I haven't used it for at least 15 or 20 years...... it's been in the cupboard since, a bit grubby but I'll have to check it out to see it it still works and look at the electrics.


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## adamwroath (9 Mar 2021)

I know I'm a bit late to this thread but have recently been looking to buy an Elu MFF80 planer, however, I've also seen Elu MFF 81e models which look identical except for the blue trim instead of orange. Based on comments above, am I right to think this model was the same machine but produced following the purchase by B&D? The machine appears to have been made in Italy which would support that theory. Does anyone know if there were any other differences? Or if it was a good machine?
Thanks


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## KingAether (9 Mar 2021)

José Mota said:


> Going straight to the point, I’m looking to buy my first good table saw (I had a new Ryobi two years ago and it was just no good at all) and an ELU ETS 3151 A2 sawking just appeared. It looks to be in a pretty good condition, but tag says “made in Italy” and manufactured year is 1998. Is this a good tool?


 I have the dewalt equivilent and while its a powerful and quiet saw, i wouldn't buy it again. Dust extraction is not a thing, it takes about 2 minutes to stop due to lack of break, it starts to push on the bottom of the bed at a full 45 degree's angle, the fence is bad. If these arent an issue for you its as i said, great, but for me in a tiny shop and long hair its far to unsafe


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## Cabinetman (9 Mar 2021)

Jfyi, previous poster re-awoke an old thread from Aug 2019, when people could walk about and talk to each other and table saws were powered by steam engines, twas a wondrous time to be alive.


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## Derek Cohen (Perth Oz) (10 Mar 2021)

Sideways said:


> There's one safe way to tell the "proper" Elu kit.
> Look at the power switches - all the original Swiss made stuff had orange coloured power switches and two tone (dark + light) grey bodywork.
> Later Italian manufactured but Elu branded machines carried the Elu logo but the switches changed to blue plastic. The light grey disappeared from the colour scheme too. The Italian made machines just weren't as good.



I don't think that information is correct. Here is a Swiss-made 177e with blue power switches ...







Incidentally, one can fit the Dewalt DW625 dust extraction to the 177e, with a little modification.

I have two of these, one for hand use, and another in a router table, along with a MOF96 and MOF97 ...






Stripped 177e in router table ...






... with Router Raiser and Muscle Chuck for above-table bit-changing and adjustment ...






Dyed-in-the-wool Elu fan ...

Regards from Perth

Derek


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## Nick Laguna UK (10 Mar 2021)

If only at the time when I was working for Elu 25+ years ago I could have pointed customers via time travel somehow to threads like this. A marketing dream for longevity and re-assurance.
Yes it was more expensive, but it was also v good quality - how can you say that at the time to customers looking to save £50 on alternatives..
Yup - I still have Mof97E router / MBH220 SDS / MH80 saw & ST84E jigsaw too - all still going strong after these years


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## Lons (10 Mar 2021)

Nick Laguna UK said:


> If only at the time when I was working for Elu 25+ years ago I could have pointed customers via time travel somehow to threads like this. A marketing dream for longevity and re-assurance.
> Yes it was more expensive, but it was also v good quality - how can you say that at the time to customers looking to save £50 on alternatives..
> Yup - I still have Mof97E router / MBH220 SDS / MH80 saw & ST84E jigsaw too - all still going strong after these years


+1 Nick
My 96e is still going strong as is my jigsaw, sander gave up the ghost a while ago however (I still have the plate adapter for that somewhere I think) but the worst decision I ever made was sell my 177e as I ended up replacing that with a DeWalt 625 a few years later and it isn't nearly as well built.

I never saw you in the North East Nick, which patch did you cover? I was trying to remember the name of our B&D pro rep but can't, I remember his face from 30 years ago however. I left around '92/93 I think from memory maybe before your time.


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## TheTiddles (10 Mar 2021)

About 19 years ago I bought a Trend T5 as it was similar to the Elu I had grown up using (but had speed control, huge bonus). The Trend castings had the same identifiers on as the Elu made a decade or so before.

In the next ten years or so someone will say that their Katsu router is still going and that they don’t make them like they used to

Aidan


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## Droogs (10 Mar 2021)

@TheTiddles Tht's 'cos the on/off switch wont turn off lol

I love my katsii i do


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## Sideways (11 Mar 2021)

To Derek's info above, my personal experience of their routers up to this has been the Orange switchgear on the Swiss made and blue on the machines made in Italy but I can't argue with the name plate pictures you include so clearly the updated colours did come in before production ceased in Switzerland. Thanks for the correction.
Every mk1 or mk2 variant MOF177E that I've seen to date has been trimmed in Orange and made in Switzerland. Would I be right to guess your blue model is a MOF177E type 3 or 4 ?
Back in the days before Elu power tools were sold to Black and Decker, there was clearly a period of cooperation. You could buy a DeWalt powershop radial arm saw with Elu branding on it. I still own a sabre saw branded Elu that is a B&D design, but excellently built. It runs like a quality sewing machine.
At that time B&D I think still had an Industrial range of powertools that were very well built (back in the 80's), plain dark grey plastics, good bearings, etc. Easy to repair. Far better than the DIY and trade ranges. Sadly also long gone. I think my sabre saw is a B&D industrial model branded for or made under license by Elu.


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## Derek Cohen (Perth Oz) (11 Mar 2021)

Sideways said:


> Would I be right to guess your blue model is a MOF177E type 3 or 4 ?



I purchased that 177e (Made in Switzerland) on the bench brand new in 1990. At the time I purchased this, the other choice was a Festo (or was it Festool by then?) 2000. I preferred to smoothness and control of the Elu. Looking back, the area that was not up to snuff on the Elu was dust control (completely absent). I later rectified that by adding the DW625 kit. 

The router table 177e says Made in Italy, and that was purchased used via eBay (UK) about 3 years ago. The markings are the same. 

In my opinion, there are incredible bargains to be found on eBay (UK) in used 177e routers (there - I have effectively pushed up the prices of these machines 2x!). For instance, some may scoff at 2 1/4 h.p. for a router table, but this Elu seems to have power to spare. Run out is negligible. Throw in a few modern add-ons, and you have a inexpensive quality machine. 

Regards from Perth

Derek


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## dickm (11 Mar 2021)

Another Elu router fan here. One Mof96 (sold the other a few years ago), couple of MOF177e and a (slightly strange) Mof97, plus small Elu table for the 96. All bought secondhand, all work still working brilliantly, though they've not had so many outings recently for unrelated reasons. 
One of the 177s lives permanently in an adapted Ryobi cast iron table. It's the same as one that is (was?) marketed by Record, but doesn't have the gas struts, so is getting to be a pig to lift for an old codger. Does anyone know the specification of the struts and, ideally, whether the same model is fitted to any older cars which local breakers might have?


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## Phil Pascoe (11 Mar 2021)

Sideways said:


> At that time B&D I think still had an Industrial range of powertools that were very well built (back in the 80's), plain dark grey plastics, good bearings, etc. Easy to repair. Far better than the DIY and trade ranges. Sadly also long gone ...



B&D Professional. Black and grey. I had a quarter sheet sander, a brilliant bit of kit. Someone relieved me of it.


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## clogs (11 Mar 2021)

still run a B+D industrial jig saw.....it does the stuff I dont want to use my Festool for......
stupid switch tho......no idea on how long I've abused it....hahaha.....


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## alanpo68 (11 Mar 2021)

My first job was working in a Black and Decker service centre on a Saturday. The only time we ever saw an Elu tool was when we were unboxing brand new tools. They used to get put out in the B&D store below as reconditioned so that B&D could undercut the other tool shops they were supplying. Still got the Elu angle grinder I bought 35 years ago and it hasn't missed a beat.


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## Spectric (11 Mar 2021)

Sideways said:


> Look at the power switches - all the original Swiss made stuff had orange coloured power switches and two tone (dark + light) grey bodywork.


That confirms my old ELU router that is ok apart from the broken alloy locking lever is an original, it just sits in my shed and maybe will become collectable! I can say that the worst tools I have used have been Black and wrecker.


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## alanpo68 (11 Mar 2021)

Spectric said:


> That confirms my old ELU router that is ok apart from the broken alloy locking lever is an original, it just sits in my shed and maybe will become collectable! I can say that the worst tools I have used have been Black and wrecker.



The old Black and Decker Pro range was superb. The budget Black and Decker stuff is junk.


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## Thingybob (11 Mar 2021)

Still running my Elu 177e bought in 1994 fantastic workhorse


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## Sideways (12 Mar 2021)

Spectric said:


> That confirms my old ELU router that is ok apart from the broken alloy locking lever is an original, it just sits in my shed and maybe will become collectable! I can say that the worst tools I have used have been Black and wrecker.


There have been variants of the MOF routers made over the years.
The very first MOF96's (fixed or variable speed) needed a pair of spanners for the collet (type 1) then they were updated to add a pushbutton spindle lock (type 2), I think one variant was associated with component obsolescence (identical construction, just a functionally identical part changed) and I think the blue plastics came in with type 3 or type 4.
Something similar goes for the 177e though I think that had a pushbutton spindle lock from the off
Exploded diagrams and parts lists can be found online for all of these variants once you know they exist and sometimes you can spot it from the data plate.
*A lot of DeWalt router parts will fit the Elu's if you need a spare. The designs remained essentially unchanged it's just that the quality reduced so you may well find a DeWalt spare to replace your broken locking lever.*
I had to fit a DeWalt armature in a MOF96E type 2 that I bought water damaged. It is less well finished, has fewer, thicker laminations and is less well balanced than the Elu original armature. The Franken-router runs fine but even with new SKF bearings isn't as smooth as my type 1 that is 10 years or more older and is on it's third set of bearings.


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## pgrbff (12 Mar 2021)

I had both the 96 and 177e, both bought around 1985, they were my first proper tools. I also have a small circular saw and track by elu. The switch on the 96 started getting very awkward a couple of years ago and the shaft started squealing on the 177 last year. I still have them but next time I go to the dump they're gone. Both have been replaced with Festool.
Back in the 70's I bought a sander in Italy, I think it was branded Star. At the time I was under the impression that too was Black and Decker group.


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## luckypip (12 Mar 2021)

I have had a MOF96E type 2 for many years and it is still working well - a great machine, never given me a problem !


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## Chippysu (12 Mar 2021)

alanpo68 said:


> My first job was working in a Black and Decker service centre on a Saturday. The only time we ever saw an Elu tool was when we were unboxing brand new tools. They used to get put out in the B&D store below as reconditioned so that B&D could undercut the other tool shops they were supplying. Still got the Elu angle grinder I bought 35 years ago and it hasn't missed a beat.


Was that b&d on the Great West Road by chance?


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## Phil Pascoe (12 Mar 2021)

Thingybob said:


> Still running my Elu 199e bought in 1994 fantastic workhorse


I still use my 1990 1700w Bosch. Primitive, but it doesn't miss a beat.


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## Lons (12 Mar 2021)

Sideways said:


> The very first MOF96's (fixed or variable speed) needed a pair of spanners for the collet (type 1) then they were updated to add a pushbutton spindle lock (type 2),


From memory it wasn't a clear cut swap over, my MOF 96e is I'm pretty sure an early Swiss made MK2 but still has the spanner locks/no button lock, I think they were using up the parts as they crossed over. The MOF 177e I had did have the push button lock.


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## alanpo68 (12 Mar 2021)

Chippysu said:


> Was that b&d on the Great West Road by chance?


No it was London Road in Liverpool City centre.

Thought it was a good Saturday job at the time. If only I had known it was the start of a tool addiction. Just glad I didn't get a job in a bookmakers.


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## Droogs (12 Mar 2021)

Why? no space for a library?


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## Chippysu (12 Mar 2021)

alanpo68 said:


> No it was London Road in Liverpool City centre.
> 
> Thought it was a good Saturday job at the time. If only I had known it was the start of a tool addiction. Just glad I didn't get a job in a bookmakers.


I bet you are!  What Tool addiction, overhauling my stash of chisels at the mo, includes mine, my dad's, granddad's and a few found on market stalls, counted 22 firmers today, not got to the parers, gouges, carvers or turning one's yet! Decided to make two sets up, one with all at 25° the other 30°. Well I need an excuse to keep them all!


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## cowtown_eric (13 Mar 2021)

I presume they are totally modern cordless chisels!

Eric


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## Chippysu (13 Mar 2021)

cowtown_eric said:


> I presume they are totally modern cordless chisels!
> 
> Eric


Oh yes, and very eco friendly, only carbon footprint they leave is the bit I grind away!


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## Rollo (9 Oct 2022)

cowtown_eric said:


> I presume they are totally modern cordless chisels!
> 
> Eric


And brushless


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## Spectric (9 Oct 2022)

Hi Rollo

incase you have not noticed this thread dates back to 2021 and not all of these members may still be active.


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