# Maybe Bobj3 was right



## TheOakDude (Oct 11, 2011)

Hi there,
seems I may have got it wrong........
After me singing the praises of Makita. 
Only 2 months after purchase of rp2301fcx the power handle came loose, sent it back and it was returned fixed.
Again now some months after that, same happening again.
Have again sent off to makita for them to either replace or fix. I feel they should replace at this point.
Twice now been left without router due to build probs.
Maybe should have got DW625 instead. Really rather disappointed. Every other Makita product I have ever had was built like a tank.
Will keep advised as to the outcome.
Paul


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

Hi Paul

The big black knobs on the DW625/T10/T11/MOF177 routers can and do come loose over time - but all it takes to correct the "problem" is a #3 Pozi screwdriver. I'm surprised that the Makita isn't built like that. The other nice feature about the DW design is the massive range of properly designed collets rather than having to use reducers (which I detest - they're nothing but troubke)

Regards

Phil

Edit: Looking at an exploded parts diagram it does seem that you have to remove the outer half of the plastic handle by removing a machine screw. Having done that you then have access to the screw which holds the inner half of the handle onto the body ofthe router. A bit more complex, but probably not that awkward. A spot of Loctite on the inner machine screw threads will prevent the screws from loosening in the future


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Paul, I agree with Phil on this; a dab of thread locker makes more sense than shipping a router off for repair.


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## TheOakDude (Oct 11, 2011)

Thanks guys,
probably will do this if it happens again.
Its a spanking new piece of kit, this shouldnt happen on a top of the line tool.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Don't despair Paul, your Makita will still be routing when others are dead and buried. If the problem really was only a matter of a screw coming loose, whilst unusual for Makita, it could happen to any brand is is easily fixed permanently as described by Mike.


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## PRDarnell (Mar 21, 2012)

If Loctite Blue or Red won't keep the connection from loosening see if you can find Vibratite or Vibratite VC-3. It isn't normally available at retail hardware stores but can be found at machine shop suppliers. I used Vibratite for a internal connection in a HD belt sander 10 years ago and it is still holding. VC-3 wasn't available at the time so I can't vouch for its holding power.


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## TheOakDude (Oct 11, 2011)

*the plot thickens*

OK guys here we go.
My router was returned today.....i think..wow that was quick.
It hasnt been touched. still exactly the same problem as it went out with.?????????
Called supplier and he is looking into it to see what they can do.
I also called Makita UK, they were surprised it hadnt been replaced as with a 2nd fault thier policy is to replace it????
I have told him al about router forum etc so we will see what happens.....I really dont want to have to admit to Bob3j he was right. But I will if he is.


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## Neil Tsubota (Mar 20, 2010)

*Switch to a Festool Router.....*



TheOakDude said:


> Hi there,
> seems I may have got it wrong........
> After me singing the praises of Makita.
> Only 2 months after purchase of rp2301fcx the power handle came loose, sent it back and it was returned fixed.
> ...


Why not switch to a festool router ? (more $, better quality, and a 2+1 guarantee !)


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## TheOakDude (Oct 11, 2011)

How much is a 2.1kw 1/2 in router from festool??????
Makita was £289.00 now going for £319.00.
If I was a pro user, maybe, but I suspect I could buy a new Hang glider for the price of a festool. I know which one I would choose.
Lets face it, previously, both De Walt 625 and Makita have been very reliable and industry standard.


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

TheOakDude said:


> If I was a pro user, maybe, but I suspect I could buy a new Hang glider for the price of a festool.


The new OF2200 is £744 on its own - or 2.3 times the price of your Makita, but hang on there, that doesn't include the accessory kit (with stuff like a side fence, etc). Combined they are £1023, or 3.2 times the price of your Makita. And they are seriously nice bits of kit, but even as a pro you need to do a helluva lot of _*extra*_ work to pay for one of them. To date I have justified the purchase of their smaller router, a trimmer and a saw with another three items on the "nice to have" list. The OF2200 isn't one of them

Regards

Phil


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Paul, if they do not get this resolved soon please send me a private message. Dealing with companies is what I do.


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## TheOakDude (Oct 11, 2011)

Thanks indeed Mike,
I have been able to approach this whole thing knowing that you are there to help should it be required. It has enabled me to not be angry, rather more patient in my dealings. So thank you.


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## TheOakDude (Oct 11, 2011)

*Bob was right!!!!!*

OK guys are you ready for this.
Received a spanking new Makita RP2301FCX via courier this am. Not bad turnaround to be honest. BUT.......and this is where it gets somewhat unbelievable....
Handwritten on the despatch note from the manager of the service dept. 
"The slight movement on the handle is a characteristic of the machine"
So a top of the line supposed industry standard Precision power tool, which is potentially very dangerous, is supposed to have a loose handle.
Surely this cannot be true, it has to be a design fault. They have taken my complaint and are escalating it to see if indeed they have had other complaints of a similar manner but even this New one, has a slightly wobbly handle, which upon my experience will get ever worse until I invalidate my warranty by opening it up and using threadlock.
The question is, do I put up with this and say OK I will threadlock it, or do I get a refund and buy a De Walt 625 and take approx £100 to spend on other things.
I cant help but feel that there is also an inherent safety issue, who knows what will happen down the road, will it become really wobbly all of a sudden when I am cutting, fall off maybe??who knows??Makita certainly dont.
Any and all advice would be appreciated here.
thanks
Paul


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

:0 !! 319.00 GBP = 503.921 CAD... 
That's a lot of cash for a router. For _that_ price they should send a repair guy to _your_ place.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Dan, our friends in the UK pay a lot more for a router than you do; much like you pay more than US members do. It isn't right but it is the way of the world.

Paul, if I were in your shoes I would use the thread locker.


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## malb (Sep 15, 2008)

Many threadlocks will disolve plastics so be extra carefull if you go down that path, getting it on the the handle or handle support when inserting the bolt could damage these items which would not be covered by warranty.

Tamiya used to make a metal/plastic compatible threadlock called Tamiya Liquid Threadlock for use with RC cars. It was available in small tubes from RC hobby shops for a couple of dollars and is safe with all plastics. Never had problems with small bolts/screws/nuts working loose using this in models.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Paul, I don't think the use of threadlocker will void your warranty, especially if the factory admits that it is an inherent problem. Threadlocker is only one of several fixes, admitedly, none of which should be necessary. Like most everyone else here, I would just add some threadlocker, preferably one that had some gap filling capability. (See the Loctite line, they have quite a variety.) If it was a machine out of warranty you could use some metalized 2 part epoxy in the hole. If you put the screw in clean, it would lock in as well but a thin coat of machine oil would prevent that. Last resort is a helicoil, but it is a permanent fix. These were a common fix on chainsaws. When a screw got loose it would usually wear the threads enough that it wouldn't stay put anymore but a helicoil solved the problem for the life of the saw. Few problems are unsolvable, you just have to decide how far you are willing to go. Do you like the Makita enough to want to keep it?


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## paduke (Mar 28, 2010)

Is this large of difference in prices due to taxes? As in 200 USD difference in prices


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

paduke said:


> Is this large of difference in prices due to taxes? As in 200 USD difference in prices


Hi Bill - only partly. Almost all prices quoted here in the EU are inclusive of sales tax (VAT) which for us in the UK is currently running at 20% - they hiked it because of the banking crisis. Most EU countries have rates of 17% to 23% (although Hungary is actually 27%). Having lived in the USA I know that there is a State sales tax payable on items bought in state, but nowhere near as high as what we pay. That means that a router advertised at £320 here is actually £256 + VAT here (or about US $410 + taxes)

Still higher that prices in the USA, but we do suffer a little from being a smaller country with a smaller market (which means that some importers tend to try anhd hike prices at times), although part of the trick is to really look around, which is why I've bought a DW625 not so long back for £225 incl VAT (or US circa $290 + taxes) which doesn't compare too badly with US prices, does it? If you think our prices are outrageous, take a look at prices in Germany or even worse Denmark/Sweden - against them we don't do too badly a lot of the time

Regards

Phil


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

I obviously haven't shopped for a high end router lately!
Makita RP1801F 3-1/4 H.P. Plunge Router - JCCayer.com
That's $$$CDN

Phil; our taxes out here in B.C. are currently at 14% and Canada is 1/2 the population of Britain. Our neighbours to the South consider Canada to be a Socialist aberration...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

*You Can't Buy...*



TheOakDude said:


> OK guys are you ready for this.
> Received a spanking new Makita RP2301FCX via courier this am. Not bad turnaround to be honest. BUT.......and this is where it gets somewhat unbelievable....
> Handwritten on the despatch note from the manager of the service dept.
> "The slight movement on the handle is a characteristic of the machine"
> ...


*...this kind of bad publicity!*
I ran into a very similar situation with a Moen faucet (under warranty) last week. I phoned their Customer Service and got a very knowledgeable woman on the line. She instantly recognized my issue and had the solution before I could even finish my explanation. That told me that they had a major epidemic and hadn't done diddly about redesigning the parts!!!
The fix worked, but shouldn't have even been necessary.
Put a fire under their feet, OakDude! (This was a good start, here.)


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Dan, you mean a bunch of beer guzzling hoser's eating donuts and wearing touques? Take off! :jester:

If this has anyone confused just google "Bob and Doug McKenzie."


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## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

Maybe. I can think of a caveat to that.

Wobbly when new with the screw tight also means the mating surfaces do not align. ( --> <-- ) The thread sealer would prevent the screw from loosening, but the play would still get looser as it rocks and the mating surfaces wear further.

Now if the mating surfaces are machined/poured correct ( --| |-- ) and it's "just" the screw being loose in a new product, then the tightening thread sealer would take care of it. 

Darn. Me and my coworkers had never had any kind of problem with a Makita tool, whatever it was. A service center sending that note, denotes a design fault of such... That's how I understand that. As customer- Fix, replace or refund.


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

*What the heck.........?*



Mike said:


> Dan, you mean a bunch of beer guzzling hoser's eating donuts and wearing touques? Take off! :jester:
> 
> If this has anyone confused just google "_Bob and Doug McKenzie_."


Great White North: Kanadian Korner - YouTube


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

MAFoElffen said:


> Darn. Me and my coworkers had never had any kind of problem with a Makita tool, whatever it was.


Hi Mike

I have to agree with you about Makita tools. Whilst I'm not a fan of their routers I do have quite a respectable amount of money tied up intheir other power tools, especially the cordless kit. I can't recall having any serious probems with Makita stuff, ever. Shame on Makita UK I say!

Regards

Phil


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Mike said:


> Dan, you mean a bunch of beer guzzling hoser's eating donuts and wearing touques? Take off! :jester:
> 
> If this has anyone confused just google "Bob and Doug McKenzie."


That's "Take off, *eh*", eh


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## paduke (Mar 28, 2010)

DaninVan said:


> I obviously haven't shopped for a high end router lately!
> Makita RP1801F 3-1/4 H.P. Plunge Router - JCCayer.com
> That's $$$CDN
> 
> Phil; our taxes out here in B.C. are currently at 14% and Canada is 1/2 the population of Britain. Our neighbours to the South consider Canada to be a Socialist aberration...


Not anymore USA= United Socialist of America with Obama as prez


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## breezy (Nov 4, 2011)

DaninVan said:


> I obviously haven't shopped for a high end router lately!
> Makita RP1801F 3-1/4 H.P. Plunge Router - JCCayer.com
> That's $$$CDN
> 
> Phil; our taxes out here in B.C. are currently at 14% and Canada is 1/2 the population of Britain. Our neighbours to the South consider Canada to be a Socialist aberration...


That is compatible with the prices in Australia. Using exchange rate of 1 AUD = 1.0402 CAD.
SYDNEY TOOLS - Makita 1850W 12mm (1/2'') Plunge Router
Our Goods & Services Tax is 10%.


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

breezy said:


> That is compatible with the prices in Australia. Using exchange rate of 1 AUD = 1.0402 CAD.
> SYDNEY TOOLS - Makita 1850W 12mm (1/2'') Plunge Router
> Our Goods & Services Tax is 10%.


Apples and pears, though. The OP was talking about the RP2301FCX - more powerful and variable speed. What price are they in Oz? BTW that's the cheapest I've found to date

Regards

Phil


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## TheOakDude (Oct 11, 2011)

Price for rp2301 fcx now gone up to £336.00.....Barking mad
I really do like the router but cant seem to accept the fact that I may be stuck with a wobbly handle ongoing, not for that kind of money.
I think I will go for DW625 and spend the change on something else.
Very very dissapointed in Makita, as others have said everything else I have of theirs is top drawer.
I will put on a tool review soon so everyone can see my experience and hopefully steer well clear of this particular model of router.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Paul; on Jan1/2007 1 British pound Sterling = 231.9 Japanese Yen
Yesterday, July 7/2012 1 BPS = 124.1 JPY
Makita still has a Head Office in Japan, that might (partially) explain why the huge drop in purchasing power of the Pound Sterling, re their products.
Network in Japan/Makita Corporation


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

DaninVan said:


> Paul; on Jan1/2007 1 British pound Sterling = 231.9 Japanese Yen
> Yesterday, July 7/2012 1 BPS = 124.1 JPY
> Makita still has a Head Office in Japan, that might (partially) explain why the huge drop in purchasing power of the Pound Sterling, re their products.
> Network in Japan/Makita Corporation


Hi Dan

If Makita didn't have a major manufacturing facility here in the UK perhaps that would be significant, but I did enough Economics at college to understand that taking spot currency values isn't any way to judge a currencies' performance. In any case large exporting corporations like Makita always buffer themselves against exchange rate shock by forward buying Foreign Exchange. What you need to look at is the exchange rate fluctuations over a period. For example taking the Japanese Yen/USD and Japanese Yen/GBP rates over the past 5 years shows that the rise in the value of the yen against the pound has pretty much tracked the rise of the yen against the dollar, no more, no less. The figures available through Oanda. BTW the Canadian dollar has performed similarly to the USD apart from a drop in value of the CDN for a couple of weeks in January 2009 which graphically illustrates the danger of using spot values when making comparisons. 

The other thing which might be of interest would be to track the value of the Euro against the USD and Yen over a similar period

As a point of interest relative to _income_ we actually haven't experienced a huge drop in purchasing power here in the UK in recent years which you imply. I shouldn't believe everything you read - it's all lies, damned lies and statistics! 

Regards

Phil


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

TheOakDude said:


> Price for rp2301 fcx now gone up to £336.00.....Barking mad


Hi Paul

Where is your price from? Folkestone fasteners are listing at £287 including VAT

Regards

Phil


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## TheOakDude (Oct 11, 2011)

Hi Phil,
toolstop, they were the best price I could find when I bought, £289.00 but it seems to have gone up a lot. Can get DW625ek for £225 there also. They have been really very very good with their handling of my issue. If the prices are close I would use them again without hesitation.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi

I guess I should say why I don't like the Makita,,,,I have one I got from my son that they used at work, that just gave up ,handles/knobs would not say in place and many other errors ,,I said it can't be that bad so I did a repair job on it and used it a time or two and I said now I know why it was down all the time for him and why they got it out of the shop,real junk router ! ! !

I know many have one and like it ,that's great but it's not for me..

I now have the DeWalt routers now and they work great and they don't fall down all the time..BUT I'm not a big fan yet because of the price I do like the Craftsman routers for the price and they run just like the DeWalt routers and hold up as well for 1/2 the price.
I wish the guys in the UK / AU could get one to try out but the DeWalt will do the trick..

===


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

Hi Bob

Are they fixed base or plungers? Fixed base don't sell too well over here

Regards

Phil


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Phil

"Craftsman" they come both ways but the norm, they come with both in the combo kit. from 80.oo to 150.oo USD ,,,,the norm ,,sometimes for less on sale

==



Phil P said:


> Hi Bob
> 
> Are they fixed base or plungers? Fixed base don't sell too well over here
> 
> ...


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

That's cheap, Bob, The only tools we see at those sort of prices are the cheap Chinese plunge routers

Regards

Phil


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## breezy (Nov 4, 2011)

Phil P said:


> Apples and pears, though. The OP was talking about the RP2301FCX - more powerful and variable speed. What price are they in Oz? BTW that's the cheapest I've found to date
> 
> Regards
> 
> Phil


Oz price is SYDNEY TOOLS - Makita 2100W 12mm Plunge Router
which at current exchange is 325 GBP.


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## TheOakDude (Oct 11, 2011)

*Bob was right!!!!!*

Courier arriving in the AM to collect the spanking new Makita, in return for DW625 and an evolution 3 saw blade and 3 bessey duoclamps 45cm, still, I feel dissapointed.............I really thought I'd made a good choice after researching a lot....we live and learn.
Stupid of me to expect Bushido to extend to power tools.


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

Hi Paul

Good luck with the DW625. It might be an older design, but it srill has a lot going for it

Regards

Phil


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## Neil Tsubota (Mar 20, 2010)

How much is a "pain-n-the-neck" worth to you ?


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## TheOakDude (Oct 11, 2011)

Bit of a strange post Neil.....confused, please explain further what you are talking about..
thanks
Paul


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## TheOakDude (Oct 11, 2011)

Very impressed with DW625, strong motor and genuinely built like a tank, no wobbly bits..........I imediately missed the braked motor of the makita but hey, also doesnt have ability to adjust height above table like the makita but again...no issue.
Still no contact from Makita customer services, not even to acknowledge my complaint...
I will never buy Makita again, it only takes one experience like this to splat the brand for me. Things do go wrong, but its how they deal when it does that matters. On that count Makita have FAILED FAILED FAILED.
Tool review soon.
thanks everyone for the advice and guidance.
1 last thing.


BOB YOU WERE RIGHT MATE


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Paul; "Things do go wrong, but its how they deal when it does that matters. On that count Makita have FAILED FAILED FAILED.
Tool review soon."

And this is the INTERnet...a lot of people will see that and pass it along. Manufacturers can't afford to get smug and arrogant in this economic climate.
Your experience with M. echoes mine.
Since I moved to Porter Cable and especially Bosch, I don't need the pretty blue machines any more. (To be absolutely fair, my builders saw is a Dewalt and it's been outstanding!)


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