# What is your experience with Triton service?



## salavat (Apr 18, 2020)

Hi,

I am newbie here, live in Moscow, Russia and recently joined this forum. Recently I got Triton TRA001 router (already have Bosch and Einhell routers). It came a new from a private sale, the seller did not have warranty document, so I was wondering whether there is a way to track the warranty period without it (I am aware that in some case private sale will void warranty at all, but so far I do not have any info on this).

Basically I wrote Triton Co this question and also asked how come that they (as manufacturer) provide 3 yrs warranty and Russian distributor decreases it to 1 year (which is against the law in Russia, by the way).
Never heard anything back from them, at all. It is my first Triton instrument (and kinda likely it will be the last one), I only can compare their service to Bosch, which I find a very good one (I have many Bosch instruments).

1) Is Triton acting always the same way (not responding to requests)?
2) What is the length of warranty for Triton routers in your country?

Thanks!


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Welcome to the forum Salavat. I can not answer your question,as I do not have a Triton tool. We have had several threads on here lately about Triton routers. Is there something wrong with your router that you need warranty information for it? 
What kind of woodworking do you do?
Are you shut down in your country like we are here?
Good to have you here,enjoy your stay. Someone will be along to answer your Question.
Herb


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## salavat (Apr 18, 2020)

Hi Herb,

We are in lockdown (Moscow at least), and I am hiding away from virus in a countryhouse))

No, my router so far is fine, but I read many threads (in Russian forums at least) about different problems with TRA001, so having warranty would make me feel better.

I am just a beginner, trying to make some very basic furniture, main reason to get 1/2' collet powerful router was to be able to make all those nice bells and whistles, which make furniture look great)). I like American style of wood furniture (no surprise, it is a great combination of different styles).


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## roxanne562001 (Feb 5, 2012)

Welcome to the forum


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Hey, Salavat; welcome! Your English is excellent, by the way. Please stick around; we'd love to have some insight into woodworking in Russia. For example, I'd never heard of the Einhell brand. Sounds German or Swiss(?)...
You can post pictures that are on your hard drive, but not from the 'net until you have 10 posts...you're almost there!


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

I presume you will be using your router in both your router table and freehand? Maybe the Quarantine has the customer service Departments closed at this time.
Herb


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Re Salavat's Einhell brand. Apparently available in the US but not in Canada.
https://www.ebay.com/str/einhellusa/Tools-Workshop-Equipment/_i.html?_sacat=631


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## salavat (Apr 18, 2020)

DaninVan said:


> Hey, Salavat; welcome! Your English is excellent, by the way. Please stick around; we'd love to have some insight into woodworking in Russia. For example, I'd never heard of the Einhell brand. Sounds German or Swiss(?)...
> You can post pictures that are on your hard drive, but not from the 'net until you have 10 posts...you're almost there!


Thanks. Einhell is a German brand, which is kind a entry level (in terms of quality), like generic brands for tools you see on Amazon. Einhell TE-RO 1255 E is 1200 Watts (sorry do not know how much that in H.P, which you use to measure power of the tools), adjustable speed, 3.25 Kg (sorry again for metric quotation), 6 mm and 8 mm collets, basically good for hand routing.

I am not that aware about woodworking in Russia, but there are dedicated to woodworking shops (at least 3 in Moscow), where you can get almost every type of equipment made in US, Japan, etc. We do have some choice of power tools in Russia, but in US have way more tools (from the same brands as Bosch, Makita, DeWalt, etc) ))), so that makes me jealous sometimes :smile:

Main forum for woodworking in Russia is forum.woodtools.ru


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## salavat (Apr 18, 2020)

Herb Stoops said:


> I presume you will be using your router in both your router table and freehand? Maybe the Quarantine has the customer service Departments closed at this time.
> Herb


Herb, I am not sure 6 Kg router (Triton) would be comfortable to used freehand )). I got JET JRT-2 router table, it made for Triton routers (basically router plate comes drilled for Triton routers), so I think that would be main use of that router.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

We like "watts"...it's less likely to be manipulated for marketing purposes than HP.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

salavat said:


> I like American style of wood furniture (no surprise, it is a great combination of different styles).


Hi Salavat and welcome. Western culture is the best there has ever been at stealing ideas and improving on them. Even our language is stolen from several others. And some of us speak metric fluently.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

salavat said:


> I am just a beginner, trying to make some very basic furniture, main reason to get 1/2' collet powerful router was to be able to make all those nice bells and whistles, which make furniture look great)). I like American style of wood furniture (no surprise, it is a great combination of different styles).


Привет N/A and welcome to the forums....

We can take some of that newness off of ya..
head *over to this link* for a bit of education on routering and it's accessories...

feel free to ask any and all questions that you may have...
enjoy!!!


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I have the TRA001 and it's been trouble free. It is too heavy for me to use freehand, so mine is in the table. Very powerful router and good safety interlocks. You either have or could order the crank for above table adjustments. If you want a good introduction to using that particular router, go to youtube and look up woodworking videos by Marc Sommerfeld. I learned more watch him work than anywhere else. He uses the Triton as well. He doesn't wear a mask or use the safety devices because they're shooting video, but you should always wear the mask and safety glasses. 

Nice to have someone from Russia. An interesting place that has sure changed from the old Soviet Union days. I hear life is pretty good there for the most part. Hope you manage to stay clear of the virus. A couple of Los Angeles universities did studies and found very high infection rates vs hospitalization and death rates, which means the virus is highly infectious but not much more lethal than the ordinary flu.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

DaninVan said:


> We like "watts"...it's less likely to be manipulated for marketing purposes than HP.


I like HorsePower, 
Watts is a district in LA,
HorsePower is what you ride out of town on.
Just saying,
Herb


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Herb Stoops said:


> I like HorsePower,
> Watts is a district in LA,
> *HorsePower is what you ride out of town on.*
> Just saying,
> Herb



..not at the Sheriff's request, I hope...:grin:


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

I drove through Watts (accidentally!) in 1968. I got some very strange looks.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Nickp said:


> ..not at the Sheriff's request, I hope...:grin:


the tar and feather crew....


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> I drove through Watts (accidentally!) in 1968. I got some very strange looks.


rumor control says that's the norm everywhere...


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

DaninVan said:


> I drove through Watts (accidentally!) in 1968. I got some very strange looks.



...and it doesn't happen any other time...? >


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Nickp said:


> ...and it doesn't happen any other time...? >


exactly...


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Welcome to the forum.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Lol...


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## sreilly (May 22, 2018)

Welcome to the forum Salavat. As you can see it's a busy one and you usually get answers fairly quickly here.


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Welcome to the Router Forums Salavat.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Stick486 said:


> rumor control says that's the norm everywhere...


Everywhere but here in North America. Manufacturers can't lie about how many watts the input side is drawing. I would also like to see them list the output watts. Output watts / Input watts = Efficiency in %. Most of them are probably afraid of you finding out what that number is.


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## salavat (Apr 18, 2020)

DesertRatTom said:


> I have the TRA001 and it's been trouble free. It is too heavy for me to use freehand, so mine is in the table. Very powerful router and good safety interlocks. You either have or could order the crank for above table adjustments. If you want a good introduction to using that particular router, go to youtube and look up woodworking videos by Marc Sommerfeld. I learned more watch him work than anywhere else. He uses the Triton as well. He doesn't wear a mask or use the safety devices because they're shooting video, but you should always wear the mask and safety glasses.
> 
> Nice to have someone from Russia. An interesting place that has sure changed from the old Soviet Union days. I hear life is pretty good there for the most part. Hope you manage to stay clear of the virus. A couple of Los Angeles universities did studies and found very high infection rates vs hospitalization and death rates, which means the virus is highly infectious but not much more lethal than the ordinary flu.


Thanks for info on Marc Sommerfeld videos (I am sure I would never have came across those video by myself).

I am escaping virus by hiding from it in a country house, but overall the situation in Russia is not that terrifying as in US (I mean New York city of course).


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## salavat (Apr 18, 2020)

By the way - still not a word from Triton company... That is amazing... Really. Of course I would understand current situation, but.. not even dropping some general response 'we will answer you shortly blah blah.." really puzzles me.

Anyway, which part of the forum would be a good place to ask about router bits? Since I've got 1/2 inch collet router with more than enough power, completed with JET JRT-2 router table, I am looking into the bit's choice, particularly those big ones used for door making, for example. Also heard that 1/2 bits are cheaper than 12 mm ones, is it true?


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

salavat said:


> By the way - still not a word from Triton company... That is amazing... Really. Of course I would understand current situation, but.. not even dropping some general response 'we will answer you shortly blah blah.." really puzzles me.
> 
> Anyway, which part of the forum would be a good place to ask about router bits? Since I've got 1/2 inch collet router with more than enough power, completed with JET JRT-2 router table, I am looking into the bit's choice, particularly those big ones used for door making, for example.* Also heard that 1/2 bits are cheaper than 12 mm ones, is it true?*


You can ask here about bits Salavat. Whiteside router bits are among the best and are as competitively priced as most other major brands. Freud makes some of their bits with 4 cutting edges and they cut very smoothly (Quadracut by name). Freud probably also sells the most bits of all manufacturers. Amana makes very good bits but you need to make sure they are made in Israel and not China. I can show you examples of both and you would be able to recognize them from the examples.There is a cheaper brand which is very good for the price (which is quite a bit less in most cases) called Yonico but also go by the company name of Precision Bits. I'm not sure if all of those companies that you find will ship to Russia though. You would have to go to their sites or their dealer sites and see if they will. 1/2" bits probably are cheaper than 12mm because so many are made in 1/2" and 1/4" sizes for the North American markets.


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## salavat (Apr 18, 2020)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> You can ask here about bits Salavat. Whiteside router bits are among the best and are as competitively priced as most other major brands. Freud makes some of their bits with 4 cutting edges and they cut very smoothly (Quadracut by name). Freud probably also sells the most bits of all manufacturers. Amana makes very good bits but you need to make sure they are made in Israel and not China. I can show you examples of both and you would be able to recognize them from the examples.There is a cheaper brand which is very good for the price (which is quite a bit less in most cases) called Yonico but also go by the company name of Precision Bits. I'm not sure if all of those companies that you find will ship to Russia though. You would have to go to their sites or their dealer sites and see if they will. 1/2" bits probably are cheaper than 12mm because so many are made in 1/2" and 1/4" sizes for the North American markets.


Thanks for detailed explanation. Shipping from US to Russia is quite expensive, unfortunately, compared to bits price it can double the number (.

1) Any (more or less) decent sellers on Aliexpress?
2) I am interested, first of all, on bits that used for furniture doors decoration elements. 
- What types of bits are most frequently used in your experience? (if possible, please post links or pictures for bits profiles)
- What types of 'big' bits (a few I would think) would be a good start to try out making nice looking doors for cabinets etc?

I understand, that my question might sound silly)) or too vague, but I kinda lost)) and need to start with something in order to come up to the conscious choice for the bits, based on particular project need..


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

@salavat...
can you tell us what brands you have available and try to reverse engineer what you need...
if you have a design in mind we can come up w/ something...

Freud, CMT and Amana will come out of the European market and more than likely be metric...


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## salavat (Apr 18, 2020)

I think CMT (they also have CMT contractor series, which is cheaper than main CMT line), Dimar bits are available here.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Stick486 said:


> @salavat...
> can you tell us what brands you have available and try to reverse engineer what you need...
> if you have a design in mind we can come up w/ something...
> 
> Freud, CMT and Amana will come out of the European market and more than likely be metric...


DIMAR and CMT make both Imperial and Metric.
* I have easy access to both DIMAR and CMT here in Canada. I have both and have no complaints with either brand.
As Salavat pointed out, and was previously discussed here, CMT's less expensive line isn't made in Italy anymore.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

CMT are very good bits...
But, here, their customer service leaves a lot to be desired...

I don't know Dimar..


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> DIMAR and CMT make both Imperial and Metric.
> * I have easy access to both DIMAR and CMT here in Canada. I have both and have no complaints with either brand.
> As Salavat pointed out, and was previously discussed here,* CMT's less expensive line isn't made in Italy anymore. *


after extensive VOE w/ bits made ''elsewhere''.... I'd steer clear of them because of prior experiences...


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## salavat (Apr 18, 2020)

As type of furniture is concerned, I like a lot Restoration Hardware furniture (rather classic than modern line):


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## salavat (Apr 18, 2020)

Stick486 said:


> CMT are very good bits...
> But, here, their customer service leaves a lot to be desired...
> 
> I don't know Dimar..


I think it is Isreal company, heard bits are good.


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## salavat (Apr 18, 2020)

As for type of furniture - I like a lot classic line of Restoration Hardware


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

salavat said:


> I think it is Isreal company, heard bits are good.


Amana is Israel and china...
CMT is Italy... and now china???


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

salavat said:


> As for type of furniture - I like a lot classic line of Restoration Hardware


the are some beautiful pieces...
bits should be problem...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

@salavat...

Как Вас зовут?


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

salavat said:


> I think it is Israel company, heard bits are good.


Dimar is...
Shelomi, Israel....


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Salavat one of the best ways to learn about bits is to go through manufacturer's catalogs. Some of them will show you a drawing of what that bit will make so that you can then look at the parts of furniture and see which bits were used to make them. Freud, CMT, Amana, and Whiteside all have good digital catalogs that you can download from the internet.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Further to Charles' comment; DIMAR as well
https://www.dimarcanada.com/company
https://www.dimarcanada.com/products/router-bits
I should mention that if you're looking for inexpensive DIMAR ain't it... 

Stick mentioned staying away from foreign manufacturers, 
"...after extensive VOE w/ bits made ''elsewhere''.... I'd steer clear of them because of prior experiences..."
That's rather a broad generalization. Lee Valley's router bits have been mentioned here in the past and generally considered to be good quality and reasonably priced, with really excellent selection. They aren't N. American made.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

DIMAR<as do others, make more than one line of tooling. Their 'Woodpecker' branding is for non-industrial users.
Pricing is pretty reasonable... (Cdn. $$$'s)
https://www.kmstools.com/woodpeckers-5-8-straight-router-bit-1-2-shank-10492


Is this of any help?...
https://www.canadianwoodworking.com/tools/router-bit-comparison
I didn't notice a date so I'm not clear on how recent this testing was.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

We kind of strayed from TRITON SERVICE...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> Stick mentioned staying away from foreign manufacturers,


guess I need to be blunt...
make that cheap outta china bits...
every bit from China I found to have one or more issue(s)...

poor QC...
Balance... out of balance bits are rough on the router...
poor brazing.. you can ask my ear about that...
softer carbide.. short production life due to dulling...
fragile.. carbide chipping/breaking when hitting a dense knot..
two piece construction.. body to shank which under duress would separate...
same part number/same manufacturer/same profile... but one bit to the next won't/doesn't match..
dia aren't as advertised...
no CS to speak of...
to name a few...

LV does the specs and QC on their bits...
also the last I knew they were made in Taiwan...

we also discussed the differences between in Amana Israel and Amana china finger joint bits

point...
An Amana FJ bit made in Israel is a long lasting quality bit....
the same brand/bit/profile made in china doesn't last but hours and the china made profile doesn't match the Israeli made profile...
same price too... about 170$ at the time...
same thing w/ CMT bits too
and don't get me started om chinese MCLS bits...

Remember..
I wasn't a hobbyist....
if it cost me... it got dumped...

while in business I did spread sheets on what came into the shop...

I factored in a lot of things..

initial cost.. (tangible)
support cost.. (intangible)..
safety...
CS... did the product's manufacturer stand behind the item..
quality..
performance.. did it do it's job well..
longevity..
availability..

initial cost.. (tangible)
OTC/delivered into my hand...

support cost.. (intangible)..
cost/time to get it warrantied if need be...
a carry back to the seller or postage and the trip to the post office isn't free...
cost/time of related down time..
cost/time of damage repair..
cost/time of a connected call back...
cost/time of related down time and job set back...
cost/time of rework because of

all of this relates in unit LF...
(unit cost ÷ LF)

I think Whiteside bits are better than equivalent Freud bits fresh out of the box..
but...
Freud stayed in production the longest..
Freud beat Whiteside in unit cost..
CMT bits are very good but fall short in support by a long ways...

every bit from China I found to have one or more issue(s)...

poor QC...
Balance... out of balance bits are rough on the router...
poor brazing.. you can ask my ear about that...
softer carbide.. short production life due to dulling...
fragile.. carbide chipping/breaking when hitting a dense knot..
two piece construction.. body to shank which under duress would separate...
same part number/same manufacturer/same profile... but one bit to the next won't/doesn't match..
bottom line, china was very expensive no matter how little was paid for a product from there...

*NOTE:*
there is a lot of knock offs and counterfeits coming out of china...
something they're virtually infamous for...

.


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## Bstrom (Jan 2, 2020)

Stick486 said:


> guess I need to be blunt...
> make that cheap outta china bits...
> every bit from China I found to have one or more issue(s)...
> 
> ...


I’ve got several Yonico’s that have held up to my casual use. No issues thus far but my trust level isn’t high compared to the well used Freuds I depend on. Also have some Ryobi brand which I assume are Chinese too. Make light use of the Chinese tooling and use Freud for dados and other heavy cutting.


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## salavat (Apr 18, 2020)

Thanks to all replied, I appreciate your comments and info.

If I were an experienced builder)), I would have known already which bits would be needed often, and thus quality ones would pay off, no doubt)). At the moment I do not know which ones even get use with building cabinets (for example), and assuming quality bits for 1/2 inch shank with big profile are really expensive, my concern is to spend money on something I will not use. At the same time, Chinese bit can be not balanced at all, and I do not want to risk new router to be destroyed by wobbling bit)).

So, I am kinda trying to find a reasonable compromise between price and quality, at the same time trying to figure out what to get at all)). Mission impossible))


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## salavat (Apr 18, 2020)

DaninVan said:


> We kind of strayed from TRITON SERVICE...


Metoo))


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

*Shepherd + Flock*



salavat said:


> Metoo))


Hey, it's _your _thread! You lead; we'll follow...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> Hey, it's _your _thread! You lead; we'll follow...


can I be the black sheep...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

That was a given... lol!


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## salavat (Apr 18, 2020)

Quick update. Not a word from Triton for 2 weeks ))) Basically, I guess I can draw a legit conclusion that Triton service does not exist at all )) This is sad, since the router is good, but they act exactly how Chinese manufacturers do - you bought the product - you are at your own, see ya at the next purchase.

I am glad I have had this experience with them and I can easily predict what would happen if I have a real problem and with another Triton product. 

Better stick to Bosch)) or Makita )) or DeWalt )) but never again with Triton.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

That's too bad Salavat but it's good you shared your experience with us. Now the rest of us know.


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## salavat (Apr 18, 2020)

There is a little secret for desperate customer, crying for support, called ..... facebook)) By some reason, staff, maintaining social media pages for companies and manufacturers is more responsive than usual 'help line'. Anyway, I usually get replies rather quickly and in some cases it did help.

So, I wrote to facebook page called Triton Tools... And guess what? No reply)) 

This is ridiculous, how companies destroy their reputation in nowadays with this fast and massive information flow..

In my experience (it was a rare case) this usually means that company is going bankrupt or shutting down, this easily explains that nobody cares...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Or the business has been bought by another company and there's little or no Customer Service in the interim.


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

salavat said:


> There is a little secret for desperate customer, crying for support, called ..... facebook)) By some reason, staff, maintaining social media pages for companies and manufacturers is more responsive than usual 'help line'. Anyway, I usually get replies rather quickly and in some cases it did help.
> 
> So, I wrote to facebook page called Triton Tools... And guess what? No reply))
> 
> ...



Salavat...are you writing to [email protected] ...?

Have you tried writing to any of the other support centers...?

...or tried telephoning any of them...?


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## salavat (Apr 18, 2020)

Nickp said:


> Salavat...are you writing to [email protected] ...?
> 
> Have you tried writing to any of the other support centers...?
> 
> ...or tried telephoning any of them...?


1) I wrote to tritontools.com 2 times over webform (got a confirmation email that my request was received).
2) I spoke to Russia distributor, they said Triton company forwarded to them my request
3) I sent a message to Facebook page of Triton Tools.

I think that is more than enough (honestly, I think it is too much time spent, compared to a typical customer service) to get response. 2 weeks time is more than enough to respond.

I believe that customer service is not a quest, it is a casual matter.


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

salavat said:


> 1) I wrote to tritontools.com 2 times over webform (got a confirmation email that my request was received).
> 2) I spoke to Russia distributor, they said Triton company forwarded to them my request
> 3) I sent a message to Facebook page of Triton Tools.
> 
> ...



Understood...it's the principle. The good thing about all this is you are likely not to need their service anyway. I only used their service once when I first bought the Triton in 2012...I opened the back door to my truck and it fell out...broke the entire gross adjustment knob. I called them, told them what happened and they sent me all brand new parts...and yes, for free. Since it was my fault, they didn't have to honor any warranty service.

Based on your experience, it's a good thing you only need information and not service.

In answer to your original question, here, if you register the Triton within 30 days of purchase, you get 3 years...otherwise it's 30 days...and you must keep the original proof of purchase. See this link... https://www.tritontools.com/en-US/Support?section=service

Be happy with the router, though...it's a good router...don't let this experience sour your projects...


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## salavat (Apr 18, 2020)

Nickp said:


> Understood...it's the principle. The good thing about all this is you are likely not to need their service anyway. I only used their service once when I first bought the Triton in 2012...I opened the back door to my truck and it fell out...broke the entire gross adjustment knob. I called them, told them what happened and they sent me all brand new parts...and yes, for free. Since it was my fault, they didn't have to honor any warranty service.
> 
> Based on your experience, it's a good thing you only need information and not service.
> 
> ...


You have had a better luck with them)), nice of them to send replacements parts for free)). Looks like those days are gone)
I would love to have 3 yrs warranty, that was basically my question to them - how do I get that..

Good thing about Triton router is that:
1) Some parts of Elmos router (that was first 'variation' of this router) are still available, at least in Russia
2) Triton parts are also still sold
3) CMT (that is the latest 'variation' of the same TRA 001 router) are available, since it current model.

If Triton company shuts down, CMT parts will fit (since they are almost identical routers).


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