Dewalt dw625 vs makita rp2301fcxk

[Wicky]

Hi sorry if this has been done before.
I'm looking at getting my first half inch router.
After doing some research these 2 seem a perfect fit.
All my gear is makita so was my first thought but these seem very comparible so unsure which would be the better buy.
Thanks in advance Aaron

 

[G S Haydon]

Hi Aaron

For me it's the DeWalt. It's not to the same quality as the Elu it copied when DeWalt bought the company but everything falls right to hand and it's still plenty good enough.

I might be bias as I've used that pattern of router for 24 years.

 

[Spectric]

I went for the Dewalt, again because it was based on the ELU and gets good reviews. You don't say if for handheld use or table.

 

[Wicky]

Seems you guys are going dewalt. I'm going handheld atm as still learning and haven't the room for a table yet. Thanks

 

[TheUnicorn]

I have no experience of either router, but just to say I wouldn't lean towards makita purely because you have other makita tools. That is a valid tactic for battery tools, but for mains powered there is no benefit, just pick the best tool.

I have a few dewalt tools, and am generally happy with them, however I was suprised to read their reviews on trust pilot, people generally seem to be less than impressed (to say the least) with the warrantee services and aftercare. I definately get the impression that the quality has gone down over recent years.

 

[ian33a]

I have a DW625 and have used it both as a handheld and in a table. It's a fairly heavy and powerful beast compared to 1/4" routers in general but I am very pleased with it. It's my first 1/2" router too.

 

[Inspector]

I have a Dewalt I bought for a WoodRat and one of the first generation Makitas (older model plunge). I haven't use the Dewalt all that much but would buy the Makita over it. Bought the Dewalt because it was the easiest to fit in a WR but it has a shorter plunge stroke than a Makita and the extra 10mm or so can make a difference especially as it is the thickness of many router tables. Find a store with them and see which feels better in your hand and ticks off whatever boxes you think are important and base the choice on that. The Makita.

Pete

 

[Barramonday]

I bought the Aussie variant of the Makita ( FC not FCXK ) last year to mount permanently in a router table. It's an excellent, well made tool, still made in Japan. It includes a bolt for raising and lowering the router from above when in the table.
I'd like to get another at some stage for freehand work as the plunge action is so smooth ( so much nicer than the Triton I use handheld ), has a nice soft start and light. The only down side I can see is that it doesn't include a dust shroud for attaching a vac and these don't seem to available here at least.
Makita stuff these days seems to vary greatly in quality but this product is a good one. No experience with the Dewalt.

 

[Spectric]

Bought the Dewalt because it was the easiest to fit in a WR

Did you also buy it because you can fit a plunge bar as well?

 

[Inspector]

Did you also buy it because you can fit a plunge bar as well?

There were plunge bars for others but if my lousy memory serves it was because the WR base was either drilled for it or the locations spotted so the drilling could be completed. I didn't have to take the few minutes to centre up a different router. Lazy in addition to the bad memory.

Pete

 

[Lefley]

I have a Dewalt I bought for a WoodRat and one of the first generation Makitas (older model plunge). I haven't use the Dewalt all that much but would buy the Makita over it. Bought the Dewalt because it was the easiest to fit in a WR but it has a shorter plunge stroke than a Makita and the extra 10mm or so can make a difference especially as it is

 

[Spectric]

Hi Pete

I think that because you see a lot of the Dewalt on the Rat website and a lot of Rat videos show users with the Dewalt that you are already going that route, and you know everything will fit and assemble ok along with the plungebars and the deal is done. I overcome the lesser stroke by using these cutters Deep Pocket but it does come in handy for those suprise jobs that look like they are going to be an issue so a real get you out of trouble tool.

 

[jrm688]

~30 years ago I bought the Elu identical to the DW625 except for the colour. They were the same price but the Elu came with a nice fence (available but extra $ for the DW). I have fitted it with the “ router-razer” for table use and a quick release chuck which also extends the shaft. A couple of years ago the magnet for the speed sensor came off the end of the shaft and it would only run full out. The local DW dealer had the new part for me in less than a week.

 

[Bill Derr]

I have both of them - both are good routers but I think the Makita is the better of the two personally, it seems smoother and results are more accurate to my eyes.

 

[Mickjay]

Hi sorry if this has been done before.
I'm looking at getting my first half inch router.
After doing some research these 2 seem a perfect fit.
All my gear is makita so was my first thought but these seem very comparible so unsure which would be the better buy.
Thanks in advance Aaron

I was in the same position as you a couple of years ago and eventually, after much umming and arring, went for the makita, no regrets at all. I like the fact I can adjust the height from above with threaded bolt whilst in router table and the plunge is really smooth whilst hand held.

 

[cowtown_eric]

Years ago I let the smoke out of a 1/2" router whilst cutting raised panels with a large cutter on a router table.

I went shopping for a new one. Off to the borg store I went and bought another 3 hp router. Brought it home and mounted the Panel cutter in it. For fun I pushed down on on tip and it flexed in relation to the bed. No fun at all when the bit digs in a bit and flexes- means tedious and time consuming scraping to get the panel usable.

Back I went to the borg with measurement equipment and the large panel raising bit. The one that I found with the least flex was an Hitachi m12V.

Not suggesting at all that this was or is the best most stable, but just mentioning that test to ascertain the stability of the plunge mount. I assume more modern high power routers have improved, but maybe the cost accountants want them made cheaper too!

Eric