# good quality router



## hadrahana (Mar 5, 2011)

Hi, I am trying to find a well-made, reliable router for my husband who loves Festool and the whole system thing, but we have a minimal budget (not more than £150).

I don't want to buy cheap sugar-honey-india-tea. On e-bay.co.uk I have seen several Elu routers MOF96/02(clean and almost unused), MOF98, MOF131, which are nicely within budget, and I have read some reviews online that praise the 96 highly. 

Any recommendations? Is he going to end up being annoyed at it's limitations? Can he attach a dust extractor to the 96?

Thanks!


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

G'day Hana

Welcome to the router forum. 

Thank you for joining us


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## gav (Oct 12, 2009)

I know many people say the Elu routers are great and I don't doubt them, it's just they are getting a bit old now.
Maybe a DeWalt DW621, it has built in dust extraction.


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## Quillman (Aug 16, 2010)

Definitely (621) worth a look; my no.1 hand router.


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

Greetings and welcome to the router forum. Thank you for joining us, and remember to have fun, build well and above all be safe.


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## hadrahana (Mar 5, 2011)

Why thank you all for your welcome and I will have a look at the Dewalt...let's hope my decision coincides with the "permanent plans of God" and doesn't slip into stupidity! Then again, my stupidity is most probably part of God's permanent plan! lol.

I suppose that's why I'm asking your advice


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## istracpsboss (Sep 14, 2008)

Hi Hana

The ELUs were well built but fetch rather high prices on eBay considering that they haven't been made for something over 20 years. Vendors can say 'good condition' and they may well look clean, but after at least 20 years of use, they are unlikely to be at their best. The 600w ones are probably nearer 30 years old, as the later ones were 900w.
From time to time I look out for cheap ones, with a view to swapping the bearings and carbon brushes, which can give them a new lease of life. There was one advertised on eBay as ELU recently that I'm fairly sure wasn't. The vendor admitted the label was missing, but the MOF96 was widely copied, as the design was good, even if cheaper components were used. I bought a Chinese MOF96 copy new recently for 20 quid with a 3 year guarantee just for occasional use on those occasions when I don't want to be swapping bits back and forth. They aren't ELU quality though.
DeWalt took them over and continued selling them in their house yellow under their own model numbers. The DW625 is the old MOF177 and is a powerful router. I got mine on eBay for UKP150 in very good condition, so you could well do the same.

Good luck

Peter


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

Hi Peter

deWalt actually retained the Elu brand name in the UK until the mid to late 1990s for some products (especially the routers) alongside their own brand. In Germany I believe the brand lasted slightly longer (about 2000). I certainly have a MOF177e bought brand new in 1999.

Regards

Phil


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## hadrahana (Mar 5, 2011)

Oh my gosh! Well I have just won a Dewalt 621, brand new, on ebay for £108 - keep your fingers crossed that my husband likes it! 

I will let you know......

Thanks again everyone for taking the time.


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## istracpsboss (Sep 14, 2008)

Phil P said:


> Hi Peter
> 
> deWalt actually retained the Elu brand name in the UK until the mid to late 1990s for some products (especially the routers) alongside their own brand. In Germany I believe the brand lasted slightly longer (about 2000). I certainly have a MOF177e bought brand new in 1999.
> 
> ...


Hi Phil

That is useful. I didn't realise they were still selling them as ELU in the UK so late, although I'd suspected they had retained the name in Germany where all sorts of ELU products show up that I don't think DeWalt ever ran with. I'd even wondered whether Lutz had kept the German market out of the deal.

Cheers

Peter


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## 48394 (Oct 25, 2010)

Peter,
My Elu 3338, purchased in the US in 1993 also carries the label "Woodworking Tools by Black&Decker": Dewalt wasn't in the picture yet.
Regis


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## Racer2007 (Nov 3, 2010)

:laugh: Just remind him Who bought it, he will Love it.


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## hadrahana (Mar 5, 2011)

AAAAH! Schucks! It hasn't arrived yet - so I'll remind him before he opens it


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## dsloan (Mar 4, 2010)

*Congrats*

Your husband is a very luck man! I have had a DW 621 for many years and love it every time I use it. Here is some great info on the DW 621 from a fella who really knows a thing or two about routers. I also highly recommend his bases for the DW 621.

patwarner.com/dw621.html


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## one1inamill (Jul 12, 2010)

What about a Triton router I have never used on but they see to get good reviews ans woodcraft is running a sale the 3 1/4 hp is only 189.00
oops! I see you already got one from e-bay good luck.


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## Ryan P (Jan 5, 2006)

*I'm a PC guy*

I love the Porter Cable 890 series system that I've had for about 7 years. I use my router often, but am in no way a pro on all its uses, but I think use of both plunge and fixed base is super easy to use and set up is a breeze!


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## dbur (Apr 10, 2010)

*triton 3 1/4*



one1inamill said:


> What about a Triton router I have never used on but they see to get good reviews ans woodcraft is running a sale the 3 1/4 hp is only 189.00
> oops! I see you already got one from e-bay good luck.


I think that price might be for the 2HP model not the 3 1/4? Oh no, you are right it is on sale right now for $190. Got to be the best router value on the planet right now.

I think this might be the best router value out there: I bought the Triton 3 1/4HP Plunge Router from Woodcraft for $270. It was surprising since they are typically a higher priced source but they had the best price around. Now at $190 !!!

I quite happy with it and it has great feature for table mounting.

The only concern is this is a relatively new company and the long term availability of parts and service is unproven.


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## Recce41 (Mar 28, 2010)

I like Freud, I have both a BD and Freud.


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## dalestef (Jul 18, 2010)

Wood Magazine's October 2010 issue presented an evaluation of routers. They chose the Bosch MRC23EVS ($325) as the TOP Tool and the Rigid R29302 ($200) as the TOP Value. The DeWalt wasn't rated since it is a plunge router only. The routers reviewed had both plunge and fixed base attachments.


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## prf (Jan 16, 2011)

Hana,it is wisdom to ask, and their is good in much council. you have acted with wisdom.
all our knpwledge is borrowed from someone else and not ours to keep but to share, we are all on the same journey and recieved help as you have. put hubby on to the router forum if he is not already.Regards and God bless. Paul


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## swannee (Oct 30, 2010)

swannee has just bought four and sent them back as I moved too quick-- Take your time and ask him to wait. Buy cheap and be sorry.


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## hadrahana (Mar 5, 2011)

It seems you have some good router offers in the States that we don't in the UK! But from all I've heard it the DW621 is a good start. I'm sure he will certainly get onto the forum, we were admiring Robbie's router table yesterday.

God bless such lovely people all of you, and thanks for your reassurance Paul!
Unity in diversity - that's what I say!


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## hadrahana (Mar 5, 2011)

*Thanks for the article*



dsloan said:


> Your husband is a very luck man! I have had a DW 621 for many years and love it every time I use it. Here is some great info on the DW 621 from a fella who really knows a thing or two about routers. I also highly recommend his bases for the DW 621.
> 
> patwarner.com/dw621.html


Have just read this and found it very useful, especially as he clarifies how to deal with the quirks.:thank_you2:


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## hardyta (Mar 3, 2009)

*Qualtity Router Options*



hadrahana said:


> Hi, I am trying to find a well-made, reliable router for my husband who loves Festool and the whole system thing, but we have a minimal budget (not more than £150).
> 
> I don't want to buy cheap sugar-honey-india-tea. On e-bay.co.uk I have seen several Elu routers MOF96/02(clean and almost unused), MOF98, MOF131, which are nicely within budget, and I have read some reviews online that praise the 96 highly.
> 
> ...


Good Morning! My own 2 cents, I've been very happy with my Porter Cable routers.
Depending on his use, if you're looking for a great starter kit, look at the 690LR fixed and plunge-base router kit, 1 3/4 hp. You should be able to find that for around $200.00 US. I think it delivers the most options for the money and the quality is well-established.
PS-What a great wife to be router shopping for her husband


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## magicdave (Apr 14, 2010)

hadrahana said:


> Hi, I am trying to find a well-made, reliable router for my husband who loves Festool and the whole system thing, but we have a minimal budget (not more than £150).
> 
> I don't want to buy cheap sugar-honey-india-tea. On e-bay.co.uk I have seen several Elu routers MOF96/02(clean and almost unused), MOF98, MOF131, which are nicely within budget, and I have read some reviews online that praise the 96 highly.
> 
> ...


It is my understanding that the differences between ELU and DeWalt routers is cosmetic. I have never used an ELU so I cannot be certain. There is a difference between the quality of DeWalt and Black & Decker based on my experiences using both brands. I have several different brands of routers and several different sizes too. Choosing a particular brand over another is sometimes very subjective. I have heard from many professionals that Festool has the best routers but I cannot justify the cost. I have personal experience with Bosch, Dewalt, Porter Cable, Hitachi, Craftsman (Black & Decker), Dremel, and Trion. I own examples of each of these brands from my smallest (Dremel) that I use with 4 different bases for different operations when doing mostly light inlay work when I am building a guitar. My Craftsman was my father's and I have only used it s few times because while it is light weight it is a huge chunk of plastic housing that is not very powerful. My Bosch Colt is next and I have used it in a precision plunge base but that is used mostly for edge trimming. The smallest Dewalt (model 61) is my "go to" router that is permanently mounted in a precision plunge base and because for it's power/weight ratio and toughness it is the most used router I own. My Porter Cable routers all have multiple bases, all are "mid-size" (1 3/4 -2 1/4 HP) and for the most part are set up for different operations. My Hitachi has two bases. I use this router often for construction and on site cabinet making. One of my big routers (DeWalt 625) is more or less mounted permanently in a table. I haven't had the opportunity to use my Trion much since it is only a month old. The Trion is my most powerful router. That is my experience with some of the brands. I hope this helps. I have never burned out a router motor yet so I can't speak to the cost of repair except for my DeWalt 625 sustained damage from a fall of a roof and it was not worth fixing so I bought another one.


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## smeggy (Jan 26, 2011)

Maybe later he can get the Festool. I don't know whether it's the best choice alone, but as part of the system, it's great. I'm in the process of turning my MFT/3 table into a complete router station. Just need to rout out the hole for the router plate and it's all set. It will be able to do pretty much anything I could need, freehand, rail and table mounting with switchovers taking about one minute from any mode to any other. So yes, the festool system is awesome and extremely versatile, if expensive. 

Hopefully the DeWalt will keep him happy until then


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## istracpsboss (Sep 14, 2008)

Hi guys

The OP is in the UK. Porter Cable routers are unknown over here, as with fixed base routers. We moved over to plunge bases many years ago. 
I've only one fixed base router and it is unusable, as it takes dedicated cutters with threaded shanks rather than a collet system.

Cheers

Peter


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## hadrahana (Mar 5, 2011)

Hi! Yes, that was what I was thinking - getting the Festool later, and I've seen second-hand offers on german e-bay which are more feasible.

The 621 has arrived, really is new and unused looks and sound good - without bits! So I still can't tell you how it's working. He was definitely surprised and happy.

Not so sure that this is entirely to do with me being a nice wife - the kitchen does need doing after all! lol.


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## istracpsboss (Sep 14, 2008)

LOL !

I thought I was the only one around here that used German eBay. There are always lots of tools on there.

Cheers

Peter


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## whofan (Jan 9, 2011)

Bosch makes a nice router as well. I find odd that theres not much said about Bosch.
Bosch being a popular brand in the US and even more popular in Europe.
Maybe just in Germany?. Nothing wrong with Dewalt. One of the last American owned brands left.


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## The Warthog (Nov 29, 2010)

Would someone tell me what an Elu router is? When I googled it, it went to a PC page.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Something you can't get in the states the norm..

just for kicks
http://www.smarter.com/se--qq-elu+router.html
=======



The Warthog said:


> Would someone tell me what an Elu router is? When I googled it, it went to a PC page.


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

The Warthog said:


> Would someone tell me what an Elu router is?


Elu (for Eugen Lutz) were a German power tool manufacturer who were taken over by Black & Decker in the about 1994 although they had been imported into the USA from the mid 1980s. In the USA the Elu brand was dropped pretty quickly with all the power tools being merged with B&D Industrial and rebranded deWalt from the takeover onwards, whilst in Europe the deWalt brand ran alongside the better known Elu one with many identical tools until at least 2000. Elu were responsible for designing of almost all the current range of deWalt plunge routers (e.g. DW625, DW624, DW622, DW621, DW613, etc) together with a number of the current chop saws, flip-over saws, rip saws, biscuit jointers (both Elu designs), etc. The real significance of Elu was that they manufactured the first volume produced plunge router as early as 1949 (the MOF11) and pretty much set the pattern for 1/2in plunge routers copied by everyone else in their MOF31 design of the early 1960s (no longer made). They also created the first modern small (1/4in) plunge router in the widely copied MOF96 in around 1969


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## hadrahana (Mar 5, 2011)

Haha! That happened to me too - but if you google it with the model number you should find it, and have a google on e-bay too.

German (some say Swiss but I think that's a popular error?) made router that was taken over by Dewalt, hubby who is german, said they were really well engineered tools.


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## istracpsboss (Sep 14, 2008)

ELU are German but many of their tools, particularly in the 80's and 90's were manufactured in Switzerland for them by, I think, Scintilla A.G. who certainly made for Bosch, who I think now own Scintilla. I seem to remember that a new factory was built there for the purpose when a Swiss subsidy to encourage manufacturing there became available. Other ELU tools have been made in Italy and Slovenia. My DS 40 Jointer is Slovenian made, but my MFF 80 Planer is Swiss, as was my MHB 157 Belt Sander. 

HTH

Peter


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## magicdave (Apr 14, 2010)

There is something to be said for "Teutonic Engineering."


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