# Woodworker's Supply Cancelled My Triton Order



## Paulie (Apr 14, 2011)

Hello,

Sorry for the long post, cliffs at the end. I recently joined your forum, and I'm very happy to have found it! You have a great community with so much information! I have never owned a router, but I recently moved into a home built in the 70's and my wife and I have been remodeling. We bought doors and drawer fronts when we redid our kitchen. But I would like replace all of the old-style cabinet doors throughout the house, about 30 in all, and i would like to build them myself.

I recently placed an order at Woodworker's Supply for a Triton 3 1/4 HP router, as well as an order at Grizzly for a router table. I would love to have the time to build my own table, but right now I need to work on the project itself. Woodworker's gave me an ECD for delivery, and when that date approached, I emailed them for a tracking number. They were nice enough to call and leave a message that they would no longer be selling that router, as it was no longer in production, and that they had cancelled my order. My credit card was never charged. 

So now I am in the market for a table-mounted router to make raised panel doors. I was excited to find the Triton, as well as the 20% off coupon at Woodworker's. It seemed like a great value to someone like me that would not be using the router daily for production use, but only occasionally for personal use. I see praise for the Porter Cable, and I have a PC miter saw that is great, but the price gives me sticker shock. The Hatachi M12V2 seems like a good price, but I have no experience with that brand and I would like to be able to buy accessories that aren't brand custom. Other than those, what else should I be looking at? I'm feeling information overload, and could really use some help!

Cliff notes:
Ordered Triton 3 1/4 from Woodwork's.
Woodworker's cancelled my order, no longer selling the big Triton.
What to buy for raised panels?

Thank you in advance. 
Paulie


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

My guess is that the Triton is still on the shelves of numerous other distributors. You might check highlandhardware.com - they are the best people I know of to deal with. Not that there aren't plenty of other good ones, but they have never disappointed me, and considering the oddities I occasion to need, they are super-good! *OPG3*


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## mpbc48 (Sep 17, 2010)

Paulie,

I kind of went through the same thing with Woodcraft. Except, I'm the one that cancelled the order after three delivery date changes; 5/1 then 7/1 and finally 9/1.

I contacted Sommerfeld Tools to see if it was in stock and promptly ordered it.
3.25HP Triton Plunge Router-Sommerfeld's Tools For Wood

Good luck,
Mike


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Paulie, there are many routers which will do the job you want. Lots of changes in new models so as you compare them look for the depth of plunge, opening in the base and be sure the router is at least 2-1/4 hp. Many of the new models offer LED work lights which help you view the work area. If you are looking for a good deal on lots of power the Makita 3612C model has been discontinued but will have support for many years from Makita. This is a 3-1/4 hp rated plunge router and very popular. The best thing is you can get one for about $186 while supplies last. (This price was quoted to me by Renu Electric in Detroit last week) I am a big fan of Bosch routers; I own two 1617's and just purchased the new MRC23EVSK. These are industrial quality routers which stand up to hard use and have parts and service readily available. Any of these routers will handle your jobs. There are others which will perform well too, you need to make your decision based on how the controls work and the things I mentioned earlier. By the way, the new Bosch "23" has a full 3" plunge depth!


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## papawd (Jan 5, 2011)

I own a Hitachi 12" sliding compound miter saw and sold my Dewalt the ugly green thing works great...The few people I know who own the Hitachi router say it is great, I own 2 Porter cables and a Ridgid palm router for small jobs and these work really well. that is my 2 cents Good Luck


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## Paulie (Apr 14, 2011)

Thank you for the replies.

I did see the Triton at Sommerfield, but it's about $70 more than I was going to pay at Woodworker's. Burns me to pay that much more for the same tool. I also checked Highlandhardware, they don't carry the 3 1/4 Triton anymore either. I haven't called Renu Electric, but I'm not finding any kind of online ordering information for them. Online prices for that Makita are over $300 new.

I guess I'll do some homework on the Hitachi. It's in my price range, seems like a good value. Thank you again for the help!


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Paulie, this situation is why I have been campaigning to bring back the voluntary listing of states/provences on member profiles. Knowing the location of a member allows us all to provide the best information on shopping or service with out compromising a members privacy. I have purchased many items from Renu, very rarely does someone offer a new product for less. As far as the Hitachi goes it is designed to compete against the 1617. Appearance and the control functions are slightly different, the plunge action is softer.


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## Paulie (Apr 14, 2011)

Hi Mike,

I should have mentioned I'm in Wichita, KS. I haven't called Renu to check their prices or see if they ship here. I only looked at their web page.

Amazon has a great price on the Hitachi M12V2. I just haven't researched it enough to know if I will be frustrated using it.

This will be my first router. I'm planning on leaving it in the table mount, and getting a second, smaller router for hand use. That will be another decision in itself! I research stuff to death, but I find it as much fun as using the actual product after I've made up my mind. Even better if I can find good 'value'. Not necessarily looking for the cheapest price, but a good deal on quality equipment.

Not knowing anything besides what I've read on these forums, I think I'm looking for 3+ HP, a large opening for panel bits, and above the table adjustment if possible? I know I have a lot to learn, I'm still doing searches on older threads looking at all the information.

Thank you all again for your input.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Amazon.com: Hitachi M12V2 15 amp 3-1/4-Horsepower Plunge Base Variable Speed Plunge Router with 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch Collets: Home Improvement

=======


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## Racer2007 (Nov 3, 2010)

Woodcraft still has the Tritons listed.
Triton Plunge Routers


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## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

Racer2007 said:


> Woodcraft still has the Tritons listed.
> Triton Plunge Routers


Except on the product page. disclaimer:

"Order now for current pricing.
Item will ship after 09/01/2011"


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## Paulie (Apr 14, 2011)

Thanks for finding that Racer. I wanted to get it from Woodworker's Supply because they had it for under $200, plus they had a 20% off coupon that offset the shipping cost. That made it close to the sale that was going on back in March. The one at Woodcraft was about $70 more.

Good catch on the estimated ship date John. Same thing I ran in to at Woodworker's.

I still haven't pulled the trigger on the Hitachi yet. Still kind of looking around. I'm new to routers, so I'm reading a lot of info, pros and cons of different models. This forum is a wealth of info.

Thank you again!


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi, I think they are paying for the shipping, plus if you don't like it with in 90 days you can return it..

3.25HP Triton Plunge Router-Sommerfeld's Tools For Wood
2.25HP Triton Plunge Router-Sommerfeld's Tools For Wood


===========


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## Paulie (Apr 14, 2011)

Thank you Bob. Unfortunately, again it's $70 more than I was going to pay at Woodworker's Supply which was $199 shipped. Maybe it's just me, being new to routing and not understanding the equipment cost. I don't care what the M12V2 looks like, as long as it works and is good quality. But reviews seem to be spotty, and since I am a noob to this I don't want to make it any more difficult on myself than necessary. So that's kind of slowing me down from making a purchase.


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

Interesting that Sommerfelds shows it as "in stock", when (apparently) other dealers won't have the new one until some time after September 1. I wonder if what Sommerfeld has is an older model?


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## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

Ralph Barker said:


> Interesting that Sommerfelds shows it as "in stock", when (apparently) other dealers won't have the new one until some time after September 1. I wonder if what Sommerfeld has is an older model?


Peachtree shows both the big Triton and the big Freud in stock. 

Paulie - if you don't mind reconditioned tools you can take a look here. I've dealt with recon sales before and they have been pretty decent to work with:
Hitachi M12V2 3-1/4 Peak HP Router, Plunge, Variable Speed (Reconditioned)


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## Paulie (Apr 14, 2011)

Hi John,

That's a great website. I see it has a one year warranty, and shipping would be another $10. Amazon is selling it for $179 shipped and has a 5 year warranty.

I think I've about talked myself into the Hitachi. Still reading good things about it, and no one has outright said to avoid it.

Thanks to all for the great advice. It's very much appreciated!


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## mpbc48 (Sep 17, 2010)

Ralph Barker said:


> Interesting that Sommerfelds shows it as "in stock", when (apparently) other dealers won't have the new one until some time after September 1. I wonder if what Sommerfeld has is an older model?


It is the newer model. 

I cancelled my Woodcraft order ($189+shipping) and purchased the one from Sommerfeld. ($270 free shipping) Yes, it cost more, but I have it in my possession. A bird in the hand so to speak.

I've played that price game many times before and far too often the item never shows up at the price offered. 

The ship date has changed three times already, so in the long run, there is no guarantee it would actually ship in September, I have my router a minimum of four months sooner and my projects will be completed at least four months sooner.

All things considered, it is well worth $67 to have the tool I really wanted.

Mike


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

mpbc48 said:


> It is the newer model.


Interesting that he was able to get them, while Woodcraft and Woodworker's Supply (which are much larger companies) couldn't. 

Bottom line, though, I agree. A tool in hand works a lot better than one on back order.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

If you want to know why everyone is out of stock on high power routers the answer is simple. Most cut their order quantity since these routers do not sell as fast as the lower priced ones. Some companies had the foresight to keep their regular inventory levels and are the ones making the profits from it. The Bosch 1619EVS is out of stock again many places with none available until September. None of the Detroit area suppliers are stocking the new Makita, order only. Not a big deal since you can get the Makita on Amazon for less money anyways.


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## mpbc48 (Sep 17, 2010)

Ralph Barker said:


> Interesting that he was able to get them, while Woodcraft and Woodworker's Supply (which are much larger companies) couldn't.
> 
> Bottom line, though, I agree. A tool in hand works a lot better than one on back order.


Lol, well put.

My guess is the larger companies may have gotten some kind of deal that Sommerfeld's did not, so Marc's inventory wasn't depleted by a sale price.

Also, it may be a volume issue. Apparently Triton is the only router Sommerfeld's carries, (it's the only one on the website), and therefore not many people may know he even sells routers.

Mike


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## SteveMI (May 29, 2011)

I've spoke on and off with a couple of retail store managers in a local SBA group. (SBA is US Small Business Administration) All of them that are part of a national chain or even franchise agreement are seeing their inventory levels being reduced to only the items that sell at a certain level. The corporate people are looking for turning over as much as they can as often as they can. The local store management get irritated as their customers are not reluctant to buy online to get what they want. That starts a cycle where they buy more at time of purchase for free shipping and the local store loses sales of what they would normally buy there.

Steve.


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## tryingtokeepmyfingers (Jun 3, 2008)

I was told that Triton lost there USA distributor and that was/is the problem and this issues was trying to get fixed somehow.... I guess direct import maybe until a new distributor is going again


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## Rob Schumacher (Jan 29, 2009)

Pauli,
I recommend the Bosch 1619 for table use. I've had one for almost ten years and have found it very reliable. It has pretty good dust collection accessories, which are an important consideration. I suggest also buying some sort of router lift device to let you adjust height from above the table, since what's included is not very easy to operate.

Rob


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## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

Rob Schumacher said:


> Pauli,
> I recommend the Bosch 1619 for table use. I've had one for almost ten years and have found it very reliable. It has pretty good dust collection accessories, which are an important consideration. I suggest also buying some sort of router lift device to let you adjust height from above the table, since what's included is not very easy to operate.
> 
> Rob


Hi Robert - Welcome to the forum
That's no small part of the Tritons' popularity, the lift mechanism is built into the router and accessable from above a table.


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Rob Schumacher said:


> Pauli,
> I recommend the Bosch 1619 for table use. I've had one for almost ten years and have found it very reliable. It has pretty good dust collection accessories, which are an important consideration. I suggest also buying some sort of router lift device to let you adjust height from above the table, since what's included is not very easy to operate.
> 
> Rob


Welcome to the forum, Robert


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

At this time Bosch 1619 routers are not available and the Bosch rep says none available till September.


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## mpbc48 (Sep 17, 2010)

Mike said:


> At this time Bosch 1619 routers are not available and the Bosch rep says none available till September.


September again... same as the Triton. Is this influenced by Japan or just a coincidence?

Mike


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## LS1016L (Jun 8, 2011)

The Hitachi M12V2 has recived some great reviews. Some feel it is a bit too big, needing a smaller complementary router,others have had trouble getting bits in and out of the collet. It available from Amazon for $244 (incl. shipping)


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## Paulie (Apr 14, 2011)

I was able to buy the Hitachi from Amazon for $179. Seems like a good value. I haven't had the time to try it out yet. I will be removing the lift spring and mounting it in a Grizzly router table. I will be buying a smaller hand held router in the future. Thanks so much again to all who've replied!


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## papawd (Jan 5, 2011)

I have the Ridgid palm router for small jobs and it works great so far


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Paulie, you will be very satisfied with your Hitachi router. Hitachi is a top-notch company and they have several facilities here in Georgia where I live. They are very focused on customer service and quality. When I worked where there was a warehouse full of people that seemed to think they could earn a bonus for damaging tools, Hitachi is the brand that held-up better than anything else that we used. I've noticed that cheap prices on unobtainable items simply muddies water. You took the smart route(r)! *OPG3*


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