How are Milwaukee brand routers? (1 Viewer)

[Jeffrey Noel]

Well, it's time for a router, after I suffered through my first sub enclosure without one. That sucked!
I was searching for routers, mainly Porter Cable and Dewalt, but then came across the Milwaukee 5615-20. Here's a pic:

It seems to be a good 1 3/4 hp router, with a decent price of around $150 brand new.
So what do you guys think? Is it worth it? Is Milwaukee a pretty good brand?
Here's a link of where I found it:
Milwaukee Router
EDIT: I forgot to ask if any of you can tell if it would work with the Jasper jig?
Thanks!

 

[Jack Gilvey]

I handled that one at Sears for a bit and it's really nice. Still, I'd go the extra $50 for the Dewalt 621 plunge (or the Porter Cable), definitely worth having that capability.

It's brand new, so you'd best check with Jasper as to fit since it won't be in their list yet.

 

[Jeffrey Noel]

I am not too happy because I was going to buy the Dewalt 621 plunge router that Bob posted saying Amazon was selling refurb ones for $145, but what do you know, my financial aid check came too late to buy one! Dammit! Guess I'll have to spend it on school!
What exactly are the benefits of plunge routers as compared to fixed base routers?

 

[John_Lee]

Not much difference if you use the router in a fixed position, ie, on a router table. Plunge routers give you a little more flexibility in 'free-form' routing because you can set the plunge depth, start the router, place it on the material, plunge, route the desired contours, then release the plunge. You get clean points of entry and exit on your material.

 

[Jack Gilvey]

What John said. I know that some people use the Jasper with fixed-base routers, but for someone who's as inexperienced a woodworker as I, plunge is the way to go. Seems like it would be safer, also.

 

[James Slade]

I used a Jasper jig yesterday for the first time. The package said it would fit all Sears routers. Wrong. My father has a Sears Profes and it didn't fit. This isn't really a problem though. Just center the jig on the router and drill the requireed holes to mount it. It only took 5 minutes, and worked like a charm.

 

[Jeffrey Noel]

Thanks guys. I'll be buying a plunge router, as it seems the best option for someone that's never used a router before!

 

[Steve Elias]

The Milwaukee router is an average router, IME. For another $40(?) dollars, you could get a 2HP Bosch router (fixed or plunge variety). I've used several different routers in the $150-$250 price range, and I still prefer my old Bosch 1613EVS for non-router table use. For router table use stick with a fixed based router. Anyway, the Milwaukee router you reference is a solid router, and it will serve you well, especially if you're only looking to make some holes in MDF for speaker cabinets. The Bosch I mention has (IME) better microadjustment, has 1/4 more HP (which matters if you rout in hardwoods), and had less play in the spindle (although the difference in spindle is unlikely to noticed by most users). All in all, I imagine you'll be happy with the Milwaukee router, but for a little more money you can have a better tool. Just my opinion.

Now if you want a corded hand drill, Milwaukee is the very best.

-Steve

And one other thing... You'll need to take hand off the Milwaukee's handle to turn the router on and off. You can turn the Bosch on and off while keeping both hands on the handles.