# Experiences with Craftsman 27680?



## chessnut2 (Sep 15, 2011)

Hello all. My leg is about to get good enough to get back into the shop (as soon as the earth tilts back to where my town is no longer the New North Pole). I've been planning for some time to buy the Bosch 1617 EVSPK because of the great reviews posted by Mike and others. I just missed out on it at Home Depot for $175. Saw the sale a day too late.

My son encouraged me to look at the new Craftsman 14-amp, 2.5-hp Fixed/Plunge Base Router, model 27680. Some time back, a good review of it was posted in the forum, but I haven't been able to locate it. I'm wondering if the person who posted it (and anyone else) has had a chance to use it enough to comment on how it's working out.

I do like that it has a spindle lock instead of having to use 2 wrenches to tighten the collet. I'm wondering if unlocking and moving the motor between fixed and plunge bases really is as easy and quick as the Bosch. I saw one review that said that after you raise or lower the bit when using the fixed base in a table, locking the motor causes the bit to rise a tiny bit. That's been the case in every Craftsman router I've ever used. A bit aggravating when the height adjustment needs to be precise.

Currently, you can get that router at Sears for $149. Although I'd rather have the Bosch, the difference in price between that and the regular price on the Bosch would go a long way toward buying materials for the Oak Park style table that Mike posted plans for. Also help out towards a solid carbide upcut bit.

If anyone has had a chance to put the 27680 through it's paces, I'd appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thanks. Jim


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

I have been looking for another router also and ran across this Review: Craftsman Professional Router - by TianZi @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community

Might be helpful...Nick


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## shotgun (Mar 12, 2010)

I have had the Sears router for 3 yrs and am quite happy with it. I have no problem quickly changing the motor between fixed and plunge although I use it almost exclusively in the plunge mode. That said, the Bosch is still a better built machine and if I were doing it again, I'd split for the Bosch. The difference in price is probably equal to the cost of a couple of good router bits but you'll have the Bosch for a lifetime and never regret it whether its on sale or not.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Jim, I have looked at all the different Craftsman combo kit routers based on the Bosch 1617 design and I would not buy any of them. This is because I am spoiled by having used the real thing. All of these combo kits are popular with forum members who have bought them. Get the router in your hands and feel the controls yourself to decide.


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## Duane Bledsoe (Jan 6, 2013)

Whoever has the 27680, what do you think of the two piece vacuum port design? 

I recently bought the lesser model, a Craftsman 02768, fixed base only model, and nearly identical to the higher priced 27680 except for being a weaker 2 HP motor (compared to 2.5 HP) and having one base only instead of two (no plunge base). Otherwise it looks and works the same. I hated the vac port it had, which is the same as on the 27680. It felt like I would break it just twisting it together. The plastic prongs holding it together are small, brittle, and under constant pressure and even slightly flexed for it to remain in place. Since shop vac hoses are sometimes stiff and have a mind of their own I figured this would break in just a few uses if I run it freehand where it would move around a lot. Also, there was a built in grid that seems as though it would prevent larger shavings from being vacuumed through, causing them to build up inside the base instead. If I had kept the router I'd have cut this out in no time. 

I returned the router, mostly because the motor straight out of the box had a problem. It ran slower set on max speed than my other, even weaker, Craftsman 17543 did set on about 4 out of 6. Slow sounding RPM's was a red flag to me. Reviews of it also show others have had similar problems with it. I did not repurchase another one to try, largely because of that vac port. I think I'll just hold out for the Bosch 1617evs. Thought I'd save some bucks buying a Craftsman but it feels more like taking a blind chance instead. That's a shame too because I can't tell you how much I like the design of them otherwise. The vac port is a deal breaker, and an iffy motor even makes passing on them easier to decide now. I know the higher end 27680 would be a different motor, so that problem would likely just be isolated to the cheaper 02768 only, but the vac port being the same is just as much a problem to me. People have said it's no problem to them on another site I visit but I don't see how.


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## bcfunburst (Jan 14, 2012)

$149.00 is a good price for a 2.5 hp router. I have 3 Craftsman routers and a new 2 hp combo kit router also a Craftsman. I am not having any problems with the dust port, or bit change, but the height adjustment is a Royal Pain in the Butt!! I can't take it back since it has been too long since purchase. I love the router for all else. I use the Craftsman routers all freehand. My Table mounted router is a Triton TRA001. Triton is far superior to anything else I have seen or read about.


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## Duane Bledsoe (Jan 6, 2013)

bcfunburst said:


> $149.00 is a good price for a 2.5 hp router. I have 3 Craftsman routers and a new 2 hp combo kit router also a Craftsman. I am not having any problems with the dust port, or bit change, but the height adjustment is a Royal Pain in the Butt!! I can't take it back since it has been too long since purchase. I love the router for all else. I use the Craftsman routers all freehand. My Table mounted router is a Triton TRA001. Triton is far superior to anything else I have seen or read about.


What Craftsman combo kit do you have, specifically model number? I have one also, and it sounds the same as yours. Mine is a 17543, and the vac port is well made, but the height adjustment is awful. I've had it for about 3 years. The newest ones are the opposite, the height adjustment is fine but the vac port sucks.


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## jaytosh522 (Oct 23, 2012)

I am interested in buying the Sears 27680 that is on sale for $99. I have an old sears base router that I use exclusively mounted to a table. The adjustment is brutal and takes about 20 minutes to install one bit and adjust it to the correct height. Also after adjustment I must run two tests on scrap and adjust again. Then another test with probably another adjustment. In a cold garage this is no fun and counterproductive. Will the Sears 27680 do any better adjustment wise?


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## Duane Bledsoe (Jan 6, 2013)

Last time I looked at it they had an adjustment similar to the Bosch routers now. Much better than before, which is what made me want one. The vac port on them leaves a LOT to be desired though. See my above post from early last year for a description,


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