# Bosch table...RA 1171 or RA1181



## Brett K (Jan 18, 2012)

Hi folks. I haven't been around much sine joining here a year ago. At the time I was leaning toward the Grizzly President's Special table for my needs. I have since reconsidered because of my storage situation. I would much prefer a table top model like the Bosch to save on floor space and I don't want to be assembling and disassembling it for storage in the attic above the garage. The Bosch models get good reviews but I need to decide on going with metal or laminate surface. I do like the laminate version for it's enclosed cabinet to cut down on sound. Any thought on the two?


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## greenacres2 (Dec 23, 2011)

The enclosed cabinet may help the sound a little--but not enough to make it part of a buying decision for me. Your mileage may vary.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Brett, hands down the RA1171 is a better choice. I had one wearing a Craftsman name tag, identical table.


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## KennK (Mar 7, 2012)

I went with the Bosch RA1181. My decision to go with the Bosch portable router table was a combination of knowing that it would work easily with my Bosch router AND that the portable table would make storage easier (than storage of a fullsize table).

My thinking was that the plastic base might be a bit more stable in the long term (I worried about moisture absorption in the laminate base) and the open front provided easier access to the router.

Amazon.com lists problems with flatness of the top, but I had zero problems with that on mine.

The only note was that it ships with a plethora of different types of screws & bolts. It was overwhelming at first. My solution was to use two egg cartons. I put each type of screw in its own egg slot and then drew a grid on the inside of the lid and used that to write in the screw labels. It made it MUCH easier.

So far I'm very happy with my table. BTW, I went to Bosch's web site and ordered two extra feather boards - I felt it should have shipped with four of them rather than two of them.


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## Brett K (Jan 18, 2012)

I ordered the 1171. I will be picking up a new router later this week....and then the fun will begin.


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