Hartville Hardware Tool Sale

[Salty]

They had a full page ad this week and listed a PC 690LRVS router plus a 333K sander all for $149.00
Is that a really good price?
Would that be a good router for a router table?

[Red88chevy]

Regular PC 690 routers can be found from $99 to $149 at Lowes and Home Depot depending if they are running a special. So I think getting a sander thrown in for the same price is good. I use my PC690 in a table and it works great, would be even better with variable speed.

Doug

[Salty]

Doug, do you think it is at all bothersome to have to turn the router motor when making height adjustments? Does the power cord get tangled?

[plarval]

I saw the ad as well and was a bit disappointed. They usually have atleast one decent deal, but everything still seemed around it's regular price. Not enough excitement to warrant a trip.

[LarryG]

Doug, do you think it is at all bothersome to have to turn the router motor when making height adjustments? Does the power cord get tangled?

Not Doug, but I can sorta-kinda answer this question. My Makita 1101 is essentially a P-C 690 clone. When I had it in my router table, using the fixed base, I didn't find height adjustment to be a problem at all. Nor was the cord, as long as you leave enough slack.

Fixed-base routers that move the motor cylinder straight up and down (DeWalt, Milwaukee, Freud, etc) rather than turning it are a little nicer in this regard, but I certainly wouldn't let this one issue be the deciding factor.

Given that this is the VS version of the 690, $149 for that package is not bad at all if you can use the sander.

[Salty]

Thanks for the info Larry.
How about the variable speed. In what situation would that be a benifit.

Sorry for all the newbie questions.

[Salty]

Well, it was nice to see all the old acquaintances. There were about six power tool reps that I had not seen in several years. It was fun but got very crowded by mid morning.
I bought the PC 690 router deal. I needed a new router and did not have a sander so I guess I needed both.
Anyway, the Makita tool rep said it was a good deal so that was good enough for me!

BTW, I was told by a very experienced craftsman that the variable speed is necessary for the larger bits because the outside of the bit spins much faster than the inside so you would want to slow it down.