Triton Poll

[Gary]

A lot of talk on this subject in the past couple for months. Lets seen if this splits the members. Whether it be cut or full price is the Triton TRB 001 worth the money or completely hyped up?

Is it a good all rounder or just a table cutter turner?

 

[Slim]

I don't think it fits in either of those categories. It lives up to the hype, but the hype is that it excels in a router table. I think it is a well known fact that it is too unwieldy and tippy for handheld work.

 

[BradNaylor]

I bought the Triton for in a table a few years ago.

And yes, it has well designed features for this application; namely the rack & pinion height adjustment and the fact that you can change the cutters from above the table.

However, for day in, day out trade use it is just not up to the job. The fine height adjuster broke on mine in the first week, and I had problems with the main height adjustment soon afterwards.

In the end I took it out of the table in frustration, replaced it with a DW625, and stuck it on a shelf. It's still there - and so's the DeWalt!

I'm not saying it's not a good machine - if I was using it at weekends in my garden shed it would be fine, but from my perspective as a pro woodworker tools must be able to cope with prolonged abuse, and the Triton failed miserably.

Cheers
Dan

 

[kafkaian]

Blimey Gary, let's have a few more categories otherwise it's either; a) good, b) damned

 

[Gary]

Blimey Gary, let's have a few more categories otherwise it's either; a) good, b) damned

OK what else do you suggest?

 

[Mike.C]

Gary IMHO you will not find many people who buy the TRB 001 for anything but table use, so the poll in this instance is a bit unfair. Most woodworkers have more then one router (or two, three, or four), and so use separate ones for table and hand use.

If you were to ask if the big Triton is the best table router?, then I would say it certainly is.

Cheers

Mike

 

[Rich]

If someone would be kind enough to lend me one I would be only to willing to give an opinion and vote, ah well I can dream can't I?.
Rich.

 

[kafkaian]

Blimey Gary, let's have a few more categories otherwise it's either; a) good, b) damned

OK what else do you suggest?

Perhaps you need two polls with a rating 1 to 5 for table and general/hand held use?

I mean I have three routers for different uses

 

[tim]

I bought the Triton for in a table a few years ago.

And yes, it has well designed features for this application; namely the rack & pinion height adjustment and the fact that you can change the cutters from above the table.

However, for day in, day out trade use it is just not up to the job. The fine height adjuster broke on mine in the first week, and I had problems with the main height adjustment soon afterwards.

In the end I took it out of the table in frustration, replaced it with a DW625, and stuck it on a shelf. It's still there - and so's the DeWalt!

I'm not saying it's not a good machine - if I was using it at weekends in my garden shed it would be fine, but from my perspective as a pro woodworker tools must be able to cope with prolonged abuse, and the Triton failed miserably.

Cheers
Dan

Interesting comments Dan - I have an almost opposite view. I have a 625 that gathers dust and I use the Triton hard most days. I found that I had to take the DW out of the table all the time to blow the dust out otherwise it would overheat and clog up.

I too had a prob with the height adjustment in its early life but is sent it back and the replacement has been trouble free. I find that the rack and pinion and above table changing great as you do.

I mainly use a Festool 1400 for freehand work and a crappy old 1/4"bosch green 600 as a laminate trimmer/ single hand arriser. The 625 hasn't been out of its case for at least a year.

Cheers

Tim

 

[Sawdust]

An interesting poll.

I have one that I got at the cut price and have to say that at the cut price and for use in a table, it's very good but there is no way I would pay £250 for it.

I think that overall it's about the same design/build/quality as my big Ryobi router, but certainly no better and if I was going to spend a lot of money I would still go for a Dewalt.

In a table the ability to change bits above the table is a Godsend but I do think the height adjuster knob is a bit clunky as is the fine height adjuster.

Out of the table for conventional router use I would choose the Ryobi every time.

All things considered, for £98 and for use in a table, I'm very pleased with it but it's not as good as the hype on here would suggest.

 

[WellsWood]

I seem to be with the majority here.
Good in the table with rack&pinion rise and fall etc., but great design let down by poor fine height adjuster and extrtaction, and that God-awful coarse thread on the collet amongst other niggles. Unwieldy and awkward for hand use (I'd go for my Ryobi 601 too) but haven't done that much so maybe improves with practice.
Overall I'd say it was still bordering on overpriced at the knock down £150 I paid for mine, but when I'm in a better mood I'd probably say it was a bargain. Mixed feelings are the order of the day it seems.

Haven't voted, sorry, my opinion just isn't covered by either option.

 

[tim]

I remembered this morning why my 625 fell out of favour for hand held use - the height adjuster had a bad habit of winding round on its own when used in unlocked, plunge mode to the point where the cutter could be left protruding after releasing the plunge.

The router couldn't then be put down until it had stopped completely - hence the OF1400 purchase because of the brake. Even threadlock fluid only helped for a short while .

Cheers

Tim

 

[devonwoody]

My triton router is over five years old and has a very low serial number and has never given me any grip. Mind you I am a careful owner of tools and dont abuse them.

Sometimes clean it with a duster.

Never had any other model.

 

[Jake]

Upside down, it's great, the "right way" up it is awful.

The rack and pinion mech is a fantastic idea, cheaply executed. There's nothing to match in terms of function, and the core of the machine seems well-built to me. A bit plasticky around the edges, but good enough for my purposes and nothing has gone wrong yet.

The above the table bit change is fantastic. I've never had any problems with the collet, and the coarse thread has (so far) only been a plus point for me in terms of speed of bit change. I prefer it to the more usual sort of collet.

 

[BradNaylor]

Reading through the comments on this thread makes me wonder yet again why no manufacturer has ever launched on the market a proper powered router table.

What I'm thinking of is a mini spindle moulder but designed to take router cutters, with a proper rise and fall mechanism, a cast-iron table, a decent fence, and a single phase induction motor.

I'm sure there would be a big market around the world for such a machine, both with hobby woodworkers and professionals.

As it is, we are forced to codge up our own solutions with a hand-held router mounted upside down, something for which none of them (even the Triton) is specifically designed.

So how about it, Messers DeWalt, Bosch, Festo et al?

 

[Fecn]

What I'm thinking of is a mini spindle moulder but designed to take router cutters, with a proper rise and fall mechanism, a cast-iron table, a decent fence, and a single phase induction motor.

Woodstar have at least had a stab in the right direction with their BS52 mini spindle moulder thingy... but they missed the CI tables & induction motor... I haven't actually used one, so maybe the fence and rise/fall mechanism aren't up to the job either.... but at least they're trying.

 

[OPJ]

I can't imagine that Woodstar model's really up to anything that a decent router in a home made table couldn't do, but this is the cheapest spindle moulder I've seen on the market. I think Metabo also do one for about £700?

And this one would be the most expensive router table (without router) I've come across.

If you compare these two prices with the the fact that some larger spindle moulders have a collet which will take 1/2" router cutters, it could only be a couple of years before that bridge is finally gapped. [/url]

 

[andy king]

hi Olly,

The Charnwood spindle is another clone, again a Kity one, the 429, although this one has an enclosed cabinet rather than the Meccano legstand of the Kity.
No doubt the patents are up on the Kity, so expect to see Axminster and Fox offering similar!
If they follow it up with the 439 planer and its as good as the Kity original, then definitely worth a look. Its the quietest, most stable entry level one I've looked at.

cheers,

Andy

 

[Gary]

And this one would be the most expensive router table (without router) I've come across.

[/url]

Not now!


http://www.rutlands.co.uk/cgi-bin/psProdDet.cgi/2040

 

[chippy1970]

I think this beats you both :lol:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Fest ... em-(CMS-GE)-Basic-Unit-377969.htm

then you need the following

http://www.axminster.co.uk/user_search/ ... ystem-(CMS)-Router-Insert-377970.htm

Over £700 and then you need a router on top of that