porter cable 690VS

[LCHIEN]

is the VS soft start?
Any quirks on this router motor?

I was thinking of getting one for my router lift that takes any 3-1/2" router motor - Bosch 1617, PC 690 or 890 series would fit. The 690 VS motor is $130 and the Bosch is like $170.

[cabinetman]

AFIK there's a 690LR VS, and a 690 LR. The VS is variable speed.

.

[Tom Slick]

I have a 690 vs, it does have soft start and no quirks.

[os1kne]

IIRC the VS are both variable speed + soft start. The LR stands for Latch Release, prior versions had a big wing nut-type lock. I like the latch better.

[LCHIEN]

C'man, the lever release is part of the fixed base; I'm inquiring about a motor only unit, so it would not have the LR designation but would have a VS for the variable speed.
The variable speed router and fixed base with lever release is designated the 690LR VS.
So the motor only is actually designated as a 6902VS.

[JimD]

I have one variable speed 690 and one fixed speed. The variable speed is soft start but it is not obvious to me why that would be important in a router table. Even hand held the fixed speed motor is fine for my use. The variable speed circuitry on mine does not increase current with load the way some newer models apparently do. This has not been a problem for me because I tend to take small "bites" mostly to avoid chip out.

Jim

[LCHIEN]

... The variable speed circuitry on mine does not increase current with load the way some newer models apparently do. ...

Jim

in other words, not constant speed/rpms.

[LarryG]

The 690 VS motor is $130

I've not gone router shopping for a while but I would think you ought to be able to buy the complete P-C fixed base router for not much more than that. IIRC the single-speed 690s used to go on sale frequently for $100-110 or so and the VS model for $140-150.

If you don't need the fixed base, you could eBay it and probably recoup more than the difference between the motor only and the complete router. (But if it were me, I'd keep the base and outfit it with a custom base plate, designed to handle some sort of specialized but still frequently-performed job. Admittedly, the viability of this would partly depend on how much hassle it would be to take the motor out of your lift.)

[JimD]

lots of bases and multiple routers are certainly handy. I have 4 bases for my 2 690 motors and don't consider that excessive at all. I keep an extra fixed base on my BT3100 extension table where I have an extra router table capability. I have another spare base on a flush trimming attachment for face frames. I have a third fixed base and my one plunge base for hand held use. I could admittedly get by with at least one less base but I like having multiple available.

[Knottscott]

Seeing that the primary purpose of variable speed is to slow down larger bits, I'd want to go with a bigger router than the 690......likely at least an 890 or 1617, or larger. The bigger routers will have a much easier time spinning bigger bits at slower speeds.

[greenacres2]

About a month ago i picked up a 690 (fixed speed) on CL really cheap. Motor casing is worn, so the base tends to slide, which is not good in my box joint jig. So...a few days ago i got a Bosch 1617 VS--definitely a soft start, and for me it just feels right. I'll probably end up putting the 690 in a table, but for hand work i'm gonna stick with the 1617.
earl

[LCHIEN]

my situation is this, I have a Bosch 1617 (fixed speed router) and a Bosch 1617evs. Between them I have 2 of the maple handled bases, one fixed table base with the above the table adjustment and one plunge base.
A while back I picked up the Jessem Rout-R-Lift FX for $120.
I was thinking about a router to permanently mount in the Jessem, right now the 1617evs is almost always found in the table in the bosch fixed table base.

The first thought was to pick up a Bosch 1617evs motor (actually called a 16176)
then the second thought was to get a PC 690 VS motor which is about $30-40 less and still fits the Jessem for permanent mounting and leave the 1617evs for handheld use.

I guess in the scheme of things the motor drops out of the 1617 base or plunge base with the push of a button, I could save a couple of minutes having another motor but its really extravagant.

Or, maybe I'll be patient and keep an eye out for a 1617evs or a PC 690/893 at a good price...

[leehljp]

I really like the 690VS with the soft start. If I had to make a choice, I prefer using the soft start VS as a hand held, since it doesn't "jerk" when starting. But in a table, the VS is a better choice.

[T...K21]

I favor the 690 especially with the "D" handle and "trigger" style switch for hand held applications then mounted the stock fixed base in my router table. I have a larger DeWalt (DW625) plunge router as well but I rarely use it.

[Knottscott]

Those variable speed controls from HF go on sale in the $10-$15 range, and they work, which would allow you to use your fixed speed 1617 in the router table too....