Bosch 1617EVS 2-1/4 HP Variable-Speed Router
All-Around Terrific Router!
The Bosch 1617EVS is, by far, the best fixed-base router I've ever owned. The design, coupled with the exceptional manufacturing quality, will meet or exceed anyone's expectations. Its variable speed, light weight, comfortable handles, large bit capacity, and power are just the beginning. The crowning achievement is the height control. This is ab
solutely the best in the industry, with no competition that I've found. You really have to try it to see for yourself. Bosch match speed to work piece & task with variable-speed function! What did Bosch do? They allow you to get a gross setting, that you lock in, by releasing the spring loaded motor locking lever, then you are able to fine adjust your setting with the fine adjusting knob. Once you get it precisely where you want it, you lock the clamp. If you make a test run, and it is off a hair, no problem. You loosen the clamp, without losing your setting, and tweak the fine adjusting knob, and reclamp it. Takes about 30 seconds to get the perfect setting that way. Once you experience the fine setting you can get with this router, and so easily, their is no going back. You have to love this router for that feature alone. One critical note: For under the table work, most fixed base routers, including this one, have a shifting anomalie. When loosening the collar to change a setting, the router is capable of shifting slightly off axis, leaving a slight angle to the work. Machinist level accuracy without controlling that variable is tough. It may not show in your work, but if you want a base that keeps total accurate alignment, as in now swaying left to right, you need a plunge base router to do it. Unfortunately the plunge base that comes with the Bosch two base kit, does not have any kind of fine setting adjustment to it at all. The Bosch 1619evs 3 1/4HP behemoth is great for that, and with the spring defeat button, enables you to make adjustments without fighting a spring upside down. Porter Cable in their 8529 2HP plunge router came up with a simple idea to take care of that as well. They made their adjustment knob work independently of the plunge. That way when you loosen the collar, you do not lose a setting, and are able to fine adjust and reclamp.
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