That's $159, but oh well, what's $10? I have this and it's a good router, both bases, plenty of power, nothing weird. I've had some issues with bits sticking. I got a non-Hitachi collet (it's compatible with some Bosch collet) and that cured the issue.
I like the Hitachi at that price point. Quiet, light, well balanced, variable speed, works well, and is about as close to being on budget as a new reputable brand name router is going to get. Refurb or used might stay within budget.
Heck, if you're just shaping edges, unless it's really heavy cuts or hard stuff, I'd rather have something easy to hold and maneuver like a trim router. There was a fake Makita everybody in the router forums liked a while back that they were getting at Menards for really cheap. IIRC, it was also a bit stronger than the usual laminate trimmer types. If you went that way, you could put aside a big chunk of the money for a workhorse router next. Small ones will always be handy for something.
I agree about PC 690 being a great router but I think it has one of the worst plunge bases. If that Dewalt is in your area and budget, it seems to be a fair deal.
I have the Dewalt DWP611PK compact router, 1-1/4 hp with a fixed base, plunge base and carry bag. I recently picked it up and have put it to use and am very impressed with it. Plenty of power, easy to handle, has great features and appears to be of great quality. I got mine from Home Depot but see that Rockler has it on sale right now for $159. I have an older Craftsman router but wanted something with a plunge base for sign making and other purposes, thus went with the Dewalt. My Craftsman can now maintain it's residence in the router table and save the hassle of switching from the table to portable use. It may be $9 over your budget, but it is brand new and a great functioning machine.
Great little router. I got 5 of them. Remember is only has a 1/4 collect. I use my all the time for edge work. How big of router bit profiles do you need for your circular table work?
That Freud router is built like a tank. It has huge capacities for work, however as a handheld tool it might be a bit unwieldy for a person starting out. Kept in the router table, and you'll want for nothing. Pull it out, and like I said your holding a tank, but a very capable tank. For that money I'd suggest stretching your budget, and also buying a Bosch Colt trim router for your handheld stuff. Nothing at all wrong with the Hitachi, or DeWalley units, it's just the Colt works for what you want to do as a standard tool, so no need to buy a plunge base. I've seen them on sale at Menards with 11% off making them 54 bux + tax. For that much firepower, that is hard to beat. I've got a half dozen or so of them, and they work hard for a trimmer.
Just make darn sure you get to run that Freud, when Bosch bought them out, part of the agreement was they quit selling routers in the US, and it seems parts flow also stopped, so if they get broke, they tend to stay broke. So if you run that one, and anything EXCEPT a router sound is present, just walk away. I've got 3 of them all used fairly heavily for 7 years, a few years back, and I still count all of them among my living routers.
More importantly, How user friendly is the router you want. I have 3 routers. all Craftsman with 1/4" and 1/2" collets, because of the ease to use, 6 speed settings allow up to 3" width panel router bits, quick height and micro adjustment, With all three bases styles. All 3 are interchangeable. Each of the bases have multiple screw holes to attach to the bottom of the table. One is in my router table. I paid $100 on each router.
The FT2000E was my first dedicated table router. The motor has plenty of power, but is heavy for any hand held use. It's worth noting that the throat opening isn't wide enough to pass the bigger bits, like a panel cutter, making it a bit more tedious to work around. It's also no longer made. Otherwise, it's a great work horse for a router table. Looks like it sold already tho….
It's okay to change your mind AG …. OH! 2 of them. Why Not???
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