# Trend T7 vs Triton JOF001 any hands on?



## Mike_C (Jul 11, 2020)

Hi all

My first post here....

In short: avid woodworker (retired from hitech a while back) make mostly custom furniture.

I have a big (3+ HP) Makita router on my table and a makita trimmer for small stuff and am looking to get a new 1/2" router with budget in mind for most handheld work

Since im in europe - and need 240V - i have basically narrowed it down to the Trend T7 vs the Triton JOF001 ( iknow they are not rated at the samepower - but both will do and the price is close)

Does anyone here have 1st hand experience with these? Functionality wise they both seem fine - but with few online reviews (relative to the older models) - hard to tell about reliability and longterm

Looks like the Trend is similar to the Erbauer (which might not necessarily be bad if quality is good)

Thanks for the help
Mike


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Hello N/A and welcome to the forums...
We're happy you found us...


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Hi Mike and welcome. North American models are different than yours so over here we'll have no direct experience with them. I like to check various places for reviews and amazon is one site with them. I found reviews for the Trend and 86% gave it five stars and the rest gave 4 stars so that's pretty good and it comes with a 3 year warranty so the factory must have some faith in their quality. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trend-T7EK-Plunge-Router-Black/dp/B07XL4Q6NV 

There were no reviews there for the Triton but quite a few members here use them for router tables but also say that they are too top heavy for comfortable hand held use. Over here we prefer fixed base routers for hand held work as they have a lower center of gravity which makes them more stable that way but I know they are hard to find over where you are.


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## Mike_C (Jul 11, 2020)

*hard to find in EUrope*

Thanks Chuck!

Yeah I saw the Amazon reviews...but there are very few on this new model....and you never know with amazon reviews which are paid for or which are by people who are not well versed in tool usage...
Thats why i was looking for hands on experience from people here.

RE the US vs EU - there are unfortunately very few fixed based 1/2" routers still in production ( at least that i know of) the ones i know of are the Makita 3601b (AKA "Kettle") which is reliable but quite hard in usage (had one of those) or the very pricey Bosch GOF 1600 which has fixed + plunge like some american models.

That is why i am looking for a plunge base in the 100 EUR price range ....and apart from these two above i only found real noname "sticker" brands 

M


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I have the TRA001, the larger Triton, but I know they have a smaller model that has a plunge base. I am very happy with the way the TRA001 performs.

My major concern is whether you can find parts for older models. Since I don't know the Trend brand, you might search for older models, then try to find collets and motor brush parts. If they are hard to get, then you might find yourself stranded in the future. 

Hope this is helpful.

Finally, glad you've joined in the fun, I suspect the Brits will be along soon to give more specific suggestions.


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## Mike_C (Jul 11, 2020)

@tom

Thanks for chiming in....

Indeed i hope that some brits will add to this as i gather Trend isnt selling in the US

RE Triton - are you happy with the robustness of the mechanical design and longevity?


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## roxanne562001 (Feb 5, 2012)

Welcome to the forum


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Mike_C said:


> @tom
> 
> Thanks for chiming in....
> 
> ...


Mine is about 3 years old, but I know that a former member was a very early adopter and he had had good results. To me, the mechanics look to be pretty robust. The cover is plastic of some sort, but the structural parts are well made. If you mount it in the table and remove the spring, be sure you put the spring where you can find it later. I do like the safety interlocks on the TRA001. If you raise it fully, the shaft locks and the on/off switch is turned off. Although most router instructions say to unplug for bit changes, the safety interlock makes sure there is no power when changing bits. I like that safety is a big deal to Triton. 

I have a Triton track saw, which is nice, yet seems a bit underpowered compared to a conventional circular saw. But I like using it to break down large plywood sheets rather than strugging with trying to cut them on a table saw. Easy to get parts too. Keep a spare collet on hand whichever router you finally select.


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