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With the Amazon price drop & DeWalt $30 rebate, I took the plunge (
) on the DeWalt DWP611PK. I am *very* impressed! I like my Colt routers and use them often, but IMO the DeWalt is clearly superior (although durability is unknown). $150 (net) seems like a very fair price for all this functionality.
The only things that I prefer on the Colt are the:
1) Rubber grips (vs. the dimpled aluminum on the DeWalt)
2) Offset base which has come in handy a few times (no equivalent on the DeWalt)
3) Less-cheesy wrench (the DeWalt is flat stamped steel)
4) Hard case (the DeWalt comes with a canvas bag)
Except for the offset base, none of these are a big deal to me.
A lot of the dado-style & circle-cutting work that I do is with small bits where a 1/4" shaft works well (and a smaller/lighter router is easier to handle), but without a plunge base I was reluctant to use the Colt (I'm not comfortable plunging fixed-base routers...). The DeWalt plunge action is very smooth, and feels similar to my Bosch 1617 (but obviously with less tension).
DeWalt obviously did their homework, and hopefully the DWP611 is reliable. The overall quality is higher than I expected, with minimal slop and very precise adjustments. The little DeWalt has an abundance of small refinements that I'd read about in the reviews but are even more impressive in-person. One surprise is that the motor can easily be re-oriented 180 deg; this is helpful for handling the power cord or aligning the power switch with the correct base edge. And the clear polycarbonate bases are one less thing that I need to replace!
Now all we need is a router with the same power & weight - but cordless!
Mini Mr. Fusion, perhaps??
(photo from http://www.ketzer.com)
) on the DeWalt DWP611PK. I am *very* impressed! I like my Colt routers and use them often, but IMO the DeWalt is clearly superior (although durability is unknown). $150 (net) seems like a very fair price for all this functionality.The only things that I prefer on the Colt are the:
1) Rubber grips (vs. the dimpled aluminum on the DeWalt)
2) Offset base which has come in handy a few times (no equivalent on the DeWalt)
3) Less-cheesy wrench (the DeWalt is flat stamped steel)
4) Hard case (the DeWalt comes with a canvas bag)
Except for the offset base, none of these are a big deal to me.
A lot of the dado-style & circle-cutting work that I do is with small bits where a 1/4" shaft works well (and a smaller/lighter router is easier to handle), but without a plunge base I was reluctant to use the Colt (I'm not comfortable plunging fixed-base routers...). The DeWalt plunge action is very smooth, and feels similar to my Bosch 1617 (but obviously with less tension).
DeWalt obviously did their homework, and hopefully the DWP611 is reliable. The overall quality is higher than I expected, with minimal slop and very precise adjustments. The little DeWalt has an abundance of small refinements that I'd read about in the reviews but are even more impressive in-person. One surprise is that the motor can easily be re-oriented 180 deg; this is helpful for handling the power cord or aligning the power switch with the correct base edge. And the clear polycarbonate bases are one less thing that I need to replace!
Now all we need is a router with the same power & weight - but cordless!
Mini Mr. Fusion, perhaps??
(photo from http://www.ketzer.com)
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