Lack of love for the DW625EK

[cantseeitfrommyhouse]

Yes, it may well be an industry standard tool; But alas, I hate it. :x

- It's too heavy
- The springs belong in motocross bike fork they're so stiff
- It has a flat spot on the edge of the base for no reason I can fathom other than to mess up your cut when you're using the base as a guide
- The height setting screw thread slips on the quick release (partly because of afore mentioned springs)
- The dust collection shroud has to be unclipped every time you change a cutter over 25mm in diameter and then gets right in the way of retightening the collet.

Any suggestions for a more ergonomic alternative? Cost not really an issue, so long as it's not just "scene tax".

 

[Doingupthehouse]

I know exactly what you mean! Hate mine as well. It's now sat in my router table (removed the plunge springs). It has horrendous run-out, exaggerated by the collet extension I'm using. I know the extension is dead true - chucked it up in my drill press to check, almost unmeasurable run-out. Will try a new collet, but will probably sell it tbh.

I now have a Festool OF1400, quite simply the best router I've ever used. Brilliant balance, fantastic dust extraction, guide bushes that don't need centering and the ratcheting spindle lock is great. I'm not wedded to Festool at all, but it really is very, very good much quieter than the DeWalt too.

I also have a little 30 quid jobby who's name escapes me, had it for years, great little router!

My next router will be the cheap little Katsu trim router though!

Simon

 

[ColeyS1]

I've used the 625 for the last 15+ years and never had an issue, other than when I tried using a collet extension on an old machine. I've seen my mates festool router and it did seem cleverly made. When he told me the price I decided the 625 was just fine for the time being !

Coley

 

[mbartlett99]

Shame, Dewalt usually put out a good product.

Can say I like my Triton 1/2" (doesn't need a router lift) and my Festool OF1400 for freehand.

 

[MattRoberts]

If you can afford to have just a 1/4" router, the dewalt 2600 is fantastic - light, smooth, good dust collection and powerful.

I also have the triton TRA001, but I wouldn't recommend that for anything other than going under a table. It's incredibly heavy, and a real pig to push around, and the plunge height adjustment is cheap plastic and fiddly

 

[PAC1]

If price is no problem then:
Festool
Bosch
hitachi
others
The flat spot is to run against a straight edge as Elu worked out that the chances of the base and the cutter having precisely the same centre was zero so the cheaper construction method was to machine a flat reference surface.

 

[acewoodturner]

Dewalt's stuff started to go down hill rapidly when the accountants became in charge instead of the engineers. I have knackered 2 sets of bearings on my 625ek router in no time at all. BSL is my local bearing supplier and the manager in there said Dewalt would struggle to cheaper bearings than the ones they used. After I put the new ones in it performed faultlessly and has done ever since. There jigsaw is a pile of crap and the locking mechanism is so loose it tilts over whenever it feels like. I mentioned this to the Dewalt demo rep at a show and he agred with me and also said Dewalt have been aware of this for years but have done nothing about it. That shows you what kind of company it is. However I love my 1600s radial arm saw and it would be the last machine to be sold in my workshop. Over 30 years old and as good as the day it came out of their factory

 

[cantseeitfrommyhouse]

Thanks chaps.

What's the upper limit with the OF1400 in terms of cutters/loading? What would one need the OF2200 for?

Re: the flat spot on the base... I can cope with the cutter and the base not being concentric by 0.02928101mm through a 5deg rotation of the base. However when you use the flat edge and the base rotates at all it'll jack the cut considerably more than that off line.

I'm quite keen on having a non-plunge small router for doing edge profiles as well a large one and my laminate trimmer.

I refuse to buy DeWilt again though. Having taken a 5 year hiatus from the tools to work in an office I've returned to find all my 18v tools obsolete thanks to their changing the batteries TWICE in that time. :evil:

 

[Doingupthehouse]

Thanks chaps.

What's the upper limit with the OF1400 in terms of cutters/loading? What would one need the OF2200 for?

Re: the flat spot on the base... I can cope with the cutter and the base not being concentric by 0.02928101mm through a 5deg rotation of the base. However when you use the flat edge and the base rotates at all it'll jack the cut considerably more than that off line.

I'm quite keen on having a non-plunge small router for doing edge profiles as well a large one and my laminate trimmer.

I refuse to buy DeWilt again though. Having taken a 5 year hiatus from the tools to work in an office I've returned to find all my 18v tools obsolete thanks to their changing the batteries TWICE in that time. :evil:

I think the largest bit it can handle is 63mm - my largest is 50mm at the moment, but it can handle that with no problem at all. Was cutting some very deep lock mortices with it last week, using a Wealden deep pocket cutter, no strain at all. Really big cutters I'd want to use in a table anyway.

I think the DeWalt stuff is now built to a price. I looked up some old instructions for removing the plunge springs and brass tubes, when I took mine apart, I found the brass tubes are now plastic! As for the dust extraction set up, absolutely awful, a complete afterthought. Apart from the the run-out problem, it's quite a nice router for table use, with the over-stiff springs and handles removed (I have a router lift).


Simon

 

[Beau]

How different is it from the old ELU 177E?
My old ELU is great and not got a bad word to say about but admit the dust extraction is a faff and don't use it but just shove on a dust mask. I regularly use the flat spot to run of a fence.

 

[Doingupthehouse]

Many moons ago, I owned an Elu planer thicknesser. It was absolutely superb, despite the alloy tables. Never missed a beat.

Simon

 

[otter]

I do love mine, having owned it for about 13 years. It's been absolutely faultless until the switch broke last week. Easy, simple fix, but a new switch is about £45! Am tempted to build a router table and stick it in permanently, wiring in a separate switch on the front of the table to turn it on and off. This would then facilitate the *neccesity* of having to buy a new 1/2" router as a hand-held. However, that would mean owning 4 routers - my old Dewalt, a Makita 1/4" hand-held, a Festool OFK500 laminate trimmer as well as a new 1/2". Can a man have too many routers???

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Thanks chaps.

What's the upper limit with the OF1400 in terms of cutters/loading? What would one need the OF2200 for?

Re: the flat spot on the base... I can cope with the cutter and the base not being concentric by 0.02928101mm through a 5deg rotation of the base. However when you use the flat edge and the base rotates at all it'll jack the cut considerably more than that off line.

I'm quite keen on having a non-plunge small router for doing edge profiles as well a large one and my laminate trimmer.

I refuse to buy DeWilt again though. Having taken a 5 year hiatus from the tools to work in an office I've returned to find all my 18v tools obsolete thanks to their changing the batteries TWICE in that time. :evil:

DeWalt changed battery design? - so I think have the others, Hitachi certainly.

 

[MikeJhn]

Not only changed the battery shape, but also the manufacturer of them, the previous 36volt range used the top of the market A123 LiIo batteries, very expensive, but last ten times longer than other manufacturers, I use them in some very high speed airframes and have been for near 10 years and they still take a full charge even if left for months on end uncharged.

Mike