Router Bits Reviews

I actually bought this in error but it turns out to be a good purchase. Works great on aluminum, copper and brass.

Long lasting, you'll lose this before it wears out, order two.

Bit Set is fine, but whoever designed the packaging should be FIRED!! Amazon was great about sending a replacement. Arrived with the two bits rolling around loose in the box in *both* shipments. Bubble Pack has no permanent seal. Bits were bouncing around loose in the shipping box and Amazon's "Air Bag" packaging didn't protect them, they just slid though them and banged into each other causing chips on the blades.

Someone needs to let the manufacturer know their packaging is defective. Amazon???

Well, even though a lot of people have said they come rolling around in the box I ordered it anyway from Amazon. Yep. They sure do come that way. You know, just a piece of tape to hold Freud's packaging together would help alot. I have no other choise seeing as there isn't a place for me to get this bit within 200 miles. Made a waste of my 2nd day delivery fee.

I have found that the packaging that Amazon does is perfectly fine; the internal packaging by Freud leaves something to be desired and allows for the possiblity of chipping in transit. The adjustability of both these bits is amazing; that, I believe is unique on the market, and is an important feature when dealing with various thicknesses of plywood on different projects. Also allows you to set the tightness of the joint to your own preference.

As a negative, I found that the slot cutter chewed up my cherry wood on one side somewhat, and I never did figure where the blame should be laid. Other than that, I was pleased with these bits.

This is a precision part, nicely designed and easy to adjust and to adapt to different uses. In case you were wondering, it comes with all the knobs and all to attach it both to the Bosch router and plunge base.

There have been a couple of reviews saying that it is kind of delicate. That is not good; tools need to have a ruggedness factor built in because they do get misused and they shouldn't break if they are misused only a little. Since I believe these other reviewers, It loses a star.

this little guy is a work horse, it gets used almost every day, very precise. i wish it only came w/ different widths of plastic guide plates the stock ones are too thick for some jobs. it would cut down on the amount of clamping and re-clamping

This product is big and was easy to setup and was a joy to use. We are remodeling our house, I bought this guide to make fluted columns. They turn out beautiful. Anyone who has a Bosch Router has to buy this product. Dennis Hammonds of Dennis Hammonds const.

Lets start with the case; IT IS ABSOLUTE JUNK!!! I had read the reviews but figured everyone else was super sinical. Those socket sets that cost $2.99 come in a better case, PERIOD. But, i would not keep the case even if it were steel and here's why. In order to fit everything in the case you have to attach the trimmer to the plunge base. For those of you who use the plunge base primarily this probably be a huge problem.

I also own the porter cable trimmer and as far as I am concerned the to compare equally when attached to the basic trimmer base. This trimmer will do anything my porter cable trimmer will do. would I buy it again, yes.

I read the other reviews praising or kicking this product. I just got it today and have not used it yet. The instruction
manual is a joke!!! If I did not have a mechanical mind, I would
have returned it. There are no instructions to do anything on
this router. I was able to figure out what was needed to change bases etc. It looks like it will do the job I wanted if for, the
price was ok. The edge guide adjust plate did not fit but I think I can fix that. The overall package was not what I expected
from Freud. I wish it had come with a "Porter/Cable" guide adpter.

I ordered this tool because I needed a smaller router to do trim and decorative work on box's and tables. The price and listed attachments were the big selling point, also the Freud name. I exclusively use their saw blades and router bits, and have never been dissapointed in their performance. The package arrived fairly quickly and the shipping box was in good shape, however when I opened the box, removed the bubble packing and lifted the plastic case out of the box (by the handle), the hinged side of the case failed and dumped all the contents on the floor. Luckily it landed on the carpet and I don't think anything was damaged, but it still was not a good beginning. I have to agree with the other folks reviewing this product, the manual is the pits. There is no parts list that I can find, so I'm not sure I recieved everything or not. I downloaded the picture from this web site and will compare it to what I recieved. The fit and finish of the tool and attachments seems adequate and does have more "metal" than most of the competition. The controls are fairly easy to reach and the handles on the plunge base are comfortable. It does take a little muscle power to "plunge" the router down, but I like the return tension. I have only "played" a little with the router (just recieved it yesterday), but I think it will do what I want it to. I like the soft start and the variable speed and the spindle lock. It will probably take some time and thought to figure out exactly how to use the attachments as once again the "manual" is dismal. The machine is a little larger than I imagined, but I do like the large base. All in all I am not dissapointed but I was hoping to be impressed and I am not. I'll keep this tool and I'm sure it will do the work that I want, but I did expect more from Freud. I rated it a 3 because of the "manual" and the case.
PS....It's now the end of November and I have had a chance to do some "serious" work with this router. I upgraded my rating to 4 stars because of the way this little router performs. I just finished doing some "raised panel" work on a walnut bookcase. Wasn't able to do it on the router table as the original design was changed (after assembly)by the "client" (granddaughter), so using a homemade jig and crossing my fingers I was able to do the panel work with this little router. It performed admirably and I was very pleased with the results. I was able to maintain control and it had no problem with the medium size panel bit.
Am starting to be impressed.
Update...April 2005...I've had this router a couple years now and it has done everything that I ever asked it to do. I keep meaning to buy another "out of the table" router to handle on the bench routing, but haven't found any jobs this little guy can't handle. For flush trimming it is the cat's meow, of course you would expect that, it is a trim router after all but it does the job so well and effortlessly that it puts a grin on your face. Cutting profiles, small dadoes, t-joints, plunge cuts for shelve hangers, are just some of the duties that this router has performed flawlessly over the last couple of years. I use it for freehand carving, initials mostly, on large chests and boxes, and with the speed dialed down it is extremely easy to control. Have become very impressed with this little router and highly recommend it.

I purchased this router because I go tired of swaping my DW 621 on and off the drop in plate in the router table. In many ways the 1700 is what is was promised to be. It does adjust from the table top and is also locked from above. Bits can be changed from the tabletop. Its so easy to use that I didn't use my existing drop in router plate but just mounted the 1700 directly to a new 1/2 inch thick router table which is located on the extension of my Jet Supersaw.

At first I was disappointed as the above table adjustment mechanism didn't work without backlash. I called Customer Service and they suggested adjusting the lock mechanism and stretching the lift mechanism spring. This worked fine and eliminated the backlash and made the lift work better. Customer Service also offered to have the router sent back for spring issue but it took about 5 minutes of my time instead.

Because I decided to mount the router in a 1/2 inch thick table top I had to modify the adjusting wrench. You can also use a metric allen wrench.

Bottom line the router does what was promised and doesn't require an expensive lift or drop in router plate. It needed a few adjustments but it is rock solid now.

The above table features on the router are terrific...I can't believe all table mountable routers don't incorporate these features...especially the bit changes. Sure beats kneeling down and praying to the router table gods while I change bits! The auto collet lock is extremely clever and allows one handed bit changes.

This is a nice router with great features. It's well made, powerful enough, and priced competively. It's also pretty quiet, and comes with two collets...1/4" and 1/2". No complaints so far.

Finally someone put some useful features on a router for table use. Above table bit changes are a Godsend, and the above table height changes make it really easy to dial in the height. The auto-collet lock is pretty slick too.

Nicely made router. Extremely quiet, is well balanced for hand use, and seems to have plenty of power. The extra collet will be handy. Wish they'd included a plunge base and dust chute. Nice deal all the way around. It does all the things I expect, and does some things no others do in this price range.

I purchased this set at a woodworking show with the understanding that it was a quality set of bits of professional grade. When I received my set however I was initially surprised by the flimsy case that the bits were in. I do a great deal of on site repair handyman type stuff and my router is my best friend but after a week the case looked like it had been through a war since the covers broke off and I had to dig all of the bits out of the bottom of my tool box. I am also not impressed with the carbide. It performs like a low grade C1 carbide and I found that when I ran the 1/2" roundover through some clear white oak the bit chipped in 3 places. I have also found that the rabbeting bits (as well as many of the other profiles) do not have enough relief in the body behind the carbide which created a great deal of pitch buildup and burned my material profusely. The price is great but only if you plan to throw the bits at the neighbor's dog but if you plan to do any woodworking I would save my dollars for better bits! Try Woodline's 30 pc Professional set I have been much happier with these!

A great set, great value for the money. You can buy this set on E-Bay for $36 INCLUDING shipping.

This is an excellent set for several reasons, not the least of which is the price. The thirty-six bits cover a wide range of shapes - four rounding bits, seven straight, and a host of others as well). This is a well thought out set that will cover most home router uses with plenty of durability.

For someone looking for a good way to start a bit collection, this is as effective a purchase as you can make. While I would prefer 1/2" shanks, the carbide tips make up for this by guaranteeing sharp cuts in both soft and hard woods. The case is handy, if a little cheap - I just screwed it into the side of the cabinet over my router table, where it will always be handy.

OK, it works and works well, other than the sloppy stops the Omnijig employees.

But this price for a piece of machined aluminum? What does it cost Porter Cable to make this accessory? $2?

PC does have to cover the development costs and should charge a premium for a jig that is somewhat of a standard in woodworking. Check out the price of the Omnijig. Trust me, you've already paid for this accomplishment when you purchased the original jig. And the design of this jig hasn't changed in years and years. PC is way behind the times.

I'm thinking (hoping) that there is a special place in hell for those individuals in companies, like Porter Cable, who decide to rape their customers, who have already paid a hefty tab for the jig, when they want to purchase an accessory for that jig.

Shame on Porter Cable. If had it to do over again, I wouldn't buy a PC dovetail jig.

This is a good piece of hardware. But a couple of things to be aware of: 1) This is a "tapered" jig. So if you look carefully on the front right side of the male slot, you'll see it's about 1/8" narrower than the left side. This is how it gets one side tighter than the other. One side slides in easily and eventually gets tighter as the male part gets increasingly wider. 2) Pay particular attention to making sure your M and F pieces align on the left side and that your boards are the same width. This important for achieving the tight fit at the other end of your boards. (I first did a test cut using 2 different widths of boards, and they didn't fit, and I freaked...at first)I agree with other writers that the whole OmniJig could use a major upgrade, putting precision adjustment knobs instead of trial and error stop blocks for example, would really help....Tom O'Brien...All Quality Woodworking

Sustantially made and very easy to set up and operate. I'm very pleased with it but initially, I was having trouble with an obvious gap between the male and female board when they slid together. I was baffled because the joint itself fit well. Then came the ah-hah moment. Be sure that when cutting the male board, you leave the female board in the top clamp at least far enough under the rear of the template to support it but leaving enough room for the bit to move freely in the front slot. Doing this supports the back of the template which otherwise can tip slightly backwards under router and hand pressure causing an irregular cut on one edge of the male board. When I made that change, they fit like a glove. My days of dados have been drasticaly reduced.

Unbelievable!! I open the Amazon box and the box is all torn up. I pulled out the plastic container and I thought I was dreaming but the fluid was ~25% gone, no seal under the cap and build-up around the cap screw lines...IT WAS USED!

I had been cutting a fair amount of douglas fir and white pine and the blades on my table saw and bandsaw were getting kind of pitchy. I sprayed some BladeSaver on the blades and before my eyes the pitch and gunk dissolved. All without odors or toxic waste. Way better than kerosene or oven cleaner. Faster too.

My blades now sparkle like new and "seem" to cut better, although the cutting part is kind of subjective. However, it is logical that cleaner blades would cut better. I'm guessing that this bottle will last about 10 cleanings, maybe more.

Highly recommended.

I used bladesaver to clean my saw blades that I have been using on my skill, Table and compound miter saws. This stuff lifted and seemed to melt the black burned on build up from the saw body and teeth, it worked just like the package showed. A freind of mine uses oven cleaner to clean his saws, I showed him my saws and let him try some of the bladesaver on his saw he was amazed at how fast it worked with out the nasty smell of oven cleaner. I am very impress with how little it took to do such a great job. The large 16oz bottle should last me a while. If you want to clean your saw quick and easy! I recommend you use this product!

When I received this Router it looked like it had never been touched there was dirt & saw dust in the screw slots the router plate was chipped and scratched badly plus the 1/2 collect was missing and the thumb switch would not lock I excepted more from a factory reconditioned product. I sent it back and got a new Dewalt 618 router combo and have used it a lot and could not be happier

if your lookin to get a hard working 2 h.p. plunge router but are "ify" about spending alot of cash than you got to get this p.c. recon. has plenty of power and easy to handle works great as hand held and as an undermount...gulit free spending

This is the perfect router for fine woodworking inlay work, with the soft start woodworker's won't need to worry about moving jigs and guide plates on start-up, it is also nice for those of you that install Soss hinges, and of course Porter Cable is second to none when it comes to routers, I rate this as a top buy for all you woodworkers.