joiner_sim
Established Member
More reviews like this one at http://www.simonswoodwork.tk
Price Paid: £9.99 (April 09)
From: Focus DIY Stores
The Review
Router's don't come cheaper than this one! Being knocked down from £24.99 to only £9.99 theres seems there must be a catch. Buying cheap is a false economy, but buying expensive doesn't nessecarily always mean it's going to be top quality. So if you're on a tight budget and after a new router give this little one a chance!
It has a variable speed of 11,500 to 31,000 rotations a minute and when its on its top speed it felt like it was going to take off, I found just above half way was a nice speed for the job I was using it for. - Routing a groove out for 6mm MDF. The router has a depth gauage and a plunge lock that work very well. Being able to plunge 37mm, it can tackle most of the smaller jobs. When I tested it out I had a straight 13mm long cutter in, and I could actually plunge the whole 13mm of the cutter, without having to bring the cutter a little out of the collet. The collet can take 6.35mm & 8mm cutters.
The router comes with a parraell guide which was quick, easy and accurate to use. Another suprise inside the box was an attachment for cutting holes, was far as I'm aware you usually have to buy something seperate to do that sort of thing. A guide bush was included, I never tested it but it looked fine. Theres already fitted onto the router a good extraction system if you want to hook it up to a vaccum, unfortunatley thats still on the wish list of things to buy, so cannot comment too much on that. If the router happens to fail on you, don't worry it comes with a 2 year guarantee that states repair for a free of charge where possible!
Nearly forgot to mention there's also 5 different sized straight cutters also supplied with this router, you couldn't ask for much more! Well not at this price you couldn't, but seeing as I'm reviewing it, theres two minor things I wish I could of asked for. Firstly, the only thing that;s annoyed me about this router is its on/off switch. It is a trigger only push button, which means you cannot just worry about holding the router, you also have to make sure you keep the button pushed. There are things you can do to get around that little problem, although I'm not recommending any
. The other small thing which I'd ask for is a carry case, but come on..... even some of the expensive ones one come in a cardboard box, so not to worry!
The Verdict
Value for money? Yes, this is definatley one of those bargains to be had in my opinion, well thats if you're after something on a budget! So much comes with this thing you can't believe they are selling it and making any profit. And if it lets you down within 2 years make sure you've still got your receipt and its under guarantee!
Recommend it? It's recommendable, but only to those who are after a bargain and doing light DIY/ hobby work. No way is this any good for everyday trade use, I just couldn't see it withstanding the abuse it'd get!
Best features? The parallel guide, hole cutting attachment and the router bits you get along with the router.
Worst features? That annoying push to operate button, an on/off switch would be much nicer.
The Rating This budget branded router gets a 7 out of 10.
Being a cheap tool, it probably won't last, but at the price it's worth a try. It looses one point because of that annoying push to operate button! And the other two points are deducted simply because there's much better out there on the market, but it comes at a much higher price!
More reviews like this one at http://www.simonswoodwork.tk
Price Paid: £9.99 (April 09)
From: Focus DIY Stores
The Review
Router's don't come cheaper than this one! Being knocked down from £24.99 to only £9.99 theres seems there must be a catch. Buying cheap is a false economy, but buying expensive doesn't nessecarily always mean it's going to be top quality. So if you're on a tight budget and after a new router give this little one a chance!
It has a variable speed of 11,500 to 31,000 rotations a minute and when its on its top speed it felt like it was going to take off, I found just above half way was a nice speed for the job I was using it for. - Routing a groove out for 6mm MDF. The router has a depth gauage and a plunge lock that work very well. Being able to plunge 37mm, it can tackle most of the smaller jobs. When I tested it out I had a straight 13mm long cutter in, and I could actually plunge the whole 13mm of the cutter, without having to bring the cutter a little out of the collet. The collet can take 6.35mm & 8mm cutters.
The router comes with a parraell guide which was quick, easy and accurate to use. Another suprise inside the box was an attachment for cutting holes, was far as I'm aware you usually have to buy something seperate to do that sort of thing. A guide bush was included, I never tested it but it looked fine. Theres already fitted onto the router a good extraction system if you want to hook it up to a vaccum, unfortunatley thats still on the wish list of things to buy, so cannot comment too much on that. If the router happens to fail on you, don't worry it comes with a 2 year guarantee that states repair for a free of charge where possible!
Nearly forgot to mention there's also 5 different sized straight cutters also supplied with this router, you couldn't ask for much more! Well not at this price you couldn't, but seeing as I'm reviewing it, theres two minor things I wish I could of asked for. Firstly, the only thing that;s annoyed me about this router is its on/off switch. It is a trigger only push button, which means you cannot just worry about holding the router, you also have to make sure you keep the button pushed. There are things you can do to get around that little problem, although I'm not recommending any
. The other small thing which I'd ask for is a carry case, but come on..... even some of the expensive ones one come in a cardboard box, so not to worry!The Verdict
Value for money? Yes, this is definatley one of those bargains to be had in my opinion, well thats if you're after something on a budget! So much comes with this thing you can't believe they are selling it and making any profit. And if it lets you down within 2 years make sure you've still got your receipt and its under guarantee!
Recommend it? It's recommendable, but only to those who are after a bargain and doing light DIY/ hobby work. No way is this any good for everyday trade use, I just couldn't see it withstanding the abuse it'd get!
Best features? The parallel guide, hole cutting attachment and the router bits you get along with the router.
Worst features? That annoying push to operate button, an on/off switch would be much nicer.
The Rating This budget branded router gets a 7 out of 10.
Being a cheap tool, it probably won't last, but at the price it's worth a try. It looses one point because of that annoying push to operate button! And the other two points are deducted simply because there's much better out there on the market, but it comes at a much higher price!
More reviews like this one at http://www.simonswoodwork.tk
