I am getting ready to buy a router. I have narrowed it down to either
the Milwaukee 2 1/4 Bodygrip or the Porter Cable 890. I know Porter
Cable has been around forever and are the industry standard in
routers, it would be a no brainer except for the Milwaukee. I like
that router is a handle feel on the Milwaukee. Only down side is
Milwaukee does not have a plunge base for their router right now.
Any opinions?
"William J." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I am getting ready to buy a router. I have narrowed it down to either
> the Milwaukee 2 1/4 Bodygrip or the Porter Cable 890. I know Porter
> Cable has been around forever and are the industry standard in
> routers, it would be a no brainer except for the Milwaukee. I like
> that router is a handle feel on the Milwaukee. Only down side is
> Milwaukee does not have a plunge base for their router right now.
>
> Any opinions?
I own the Milwaukee, and really love that hand grip. It's my go-to machine
for fixed base. What I don't like about it:
Rocker switch. First, I much prefer a trigger, so I don't have to double
check that I haven't accidentally turned the thing in prior to plugging it
in. Second, the switch is high on the router, and is not easily accessibly
with a thumb. You have to take a hand off the machine to turn it on or off.
Wide base hole. A plus and a minus here. I like the visibility it provides.
But you have to buy a separate baseplate if you want to use standard
template guides.
Very tight collet. I have to take the collet out to get bits in and out of
it. This has gotten better with more use.
Limited availability of accessories compared to the PC line.
Some selection criteria at the
http://www.patwarner.com/selecting_router.html link.
Both routers have their merits & handicaps.
_________________________
William J. wrote:
> I am getting ready to buy a router. I have narrowed it down to either
> the Milwaukee 2 1/4 Bodygrip or the Porter Cable 890. I know Porter
> Cable has been around forever and are the industry standard in
> routers, it would be a no brainer except for the Milwaukee. I like
> that router is a handle feel on the Milwaukee. Only down side is
> Milwaukee does not have a plunge base for their router right now.
>
> Any opinions?
The reviews I have read for the PC 890 didn't live up to the PC
standards. If you search this group you will find recent reviews of
people who have purchased an 890.
I have no idea for Milwaukee, I ended up getting a Bosch 2¼ model
1617. Very pleased with my choice and the electronic variable speed
is a nice feature that I needed and the kit with the fixed and plunge
base was an excellent combo for me.
Daniel
William J. <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I am getting ready to buy a router. I have narrowed it down to either
> the Milwaukee 2 1/4 Bodygrip or the Porter Cable 890. I know Porter
> Cable has been around forever and are the industry standard in
> routers, it would be a no brainer except for the Milwaukee. I like
> that router is a handle feel on the Milwaukee. Only down side is
> Milwaukee does not have a plunge base for their router right now.
>
> Any opinions?
> I am getting ready to buy a router. I have narrowed it down to either
> the Milwaukee 2 1/4 Bodygrip or the Porter Cable 890. I know Porter
> Cable has been around forever and are the industry standard in
> routers, it would be a no brainer except for the Milwaukee. I like
> that router is a handle feel on the Milwaukee. Only down side is
> Milwaukee does not have a plunge base for their router right now.
>
> Any opinions?
I have the Milwaukee and a Porter Cable 690. I just recently read
about the 890 and it looks to be a fine piece of machinery. They seem
to have addressed the few minor beefs I have with the 690. I don't
know that I could recommend one over the other but I can say that I
don't think you'll be disappointed with either. I love them both, in
fact I'm happy with all 3 of my routers. I have a seperate plunge
router so the lack of a plunge base isn't an issue for me, if I didn't
have that, I think the plunge base option would compel me to go for
the 890.
Oh, one thing I have noticed with the Milwaukee, I don't have many
operating hours on it yet and already I'm seeing considerable blue
sparks emanating from the motor. IIRC that would suggest the brushes
are worn. Seems awfully quick, I've had the 690 for years and haven't
seen that yet.
If this is the only router you'll own, you definitely want to get
plunge-base functionality. With that in mind, I would go with PC router kit
with the plunge and fixed bases. You'll quickly appreciate the flexibility
of having that plunge base.
Mike
"William J." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I am getting ready to buy a router. I have narrowed it down to either
> the Milwaukee 2 1/4 Bodygrip or the Porter Cable 890. I know Porter
> Cable has been around forever and are the industry standard in
> routers, it would be a no brainer except for the Milwaukee. I like
> that router is a handle feel on the Milwaukee. Only down side is
> Milwaukee does not have a plunge base for their router right now.
>
> Any opinions?
William J. <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I am getting ready to buy a router. I have narrowed it down to either
> the Milwaukee 2 1/4 Bodygrip or the Porter Cable 890. I know Porter
> Cable has been around forever and are the industry standard in
> routers, it would be a no brainer except for the Milwaukee. I like
> that router is a handle feel on the Milwaukee. Only down side is
> Milwaukee does not have a plunge base for their router right now.
>
> Any opinions?
Your thinking is in line with mine. I have emailed Milwaukee asking
them if they ever would come out with a kit for that router or just a
plunge base on its own. They sent back the typical "We have noted your
request but cant talk about future product releases" response. If you
go to the Milwaukee tools web page people have been asking for almost
2 years for a plunge base and have been told the same thing. The
woodworking show will be in my town at the end of February and if I
don't here anything by then I will be getting the PC even though like
you I feel the Milwaukee is a better router.
In article <[email protected]>,
"Never Enough Money" <[email protected]> wrote:
> Both claim "above the table adjustment." Are they both about the same
> in this feature or is one better? And how good are they? Can I get
> anywhere near as accurate as a router lift?
>
You have to twist the slop out of both of them first. Once you have a
positive connection between threads and router motor, then they are both
as accurate as your test pieces. I my experience, none of those types of
tools have 'dialable' adjustments you can trust.
Personally, when I was looking for a small, but tough enough router, I
passed on the 890 for the following reasons.
The whole design is too 'marketing' oriented IMHO. Designed to look good
and to be sold..as opposed to being used?
Too tall, centre of gravity is up too high. (not pertinent in table use).
That dust collection through the handle... cute, but how effective?
That levered switch, lovely place to get dust-jams (like the big PC ROS)
Too much money.
I bought the 1 3/4 Milwaukee 5615. Kinda wished I has bought the EVS
version, but I only use smaller bits in this, so 24KRPM is acceptable.
I have been a dyed-in-the-wool PC router fan for decades. I have
purchased at least a dozen 3 1/2 and 3 1/4 hp routers from them over the
years. In the process of solid surface fabrication, a router's life is
hell. At half the price of a PC production router, I now buy Hitachi
M12V's.
For under the table precision woodworking, I'd buy the big Milwaukee,
although I'm sure the new 2 1/4 hp would be more than sufficient.
Leon now has me all over that Robbie-The-Robot Triton..kinda veered my
attention away from the 2000 watt Festool... for now
Ooop..finished my tea and
gone
Rob
I have both and use them interchangeably. One observation: the Milwaukee
seems to have more vibration even without a bit, whereas the PC is smoother.
Above the table adjustment is equally easy on both. Both seem to be built
tough. I concur with another poster, though. For under the table permanent
mount, go with the big boy Milwaukee. It is noticeably superior to the PC
7518, which seems to set the standard for big table mount routers.
Bob
"Never Enough Money" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Both claim "above the table adjustment." Are they both about the same
> in this feature or is one better? And how good are they? Can I get
> anywhere near as accurate as a router lift?
>
get both.
One Can Never Have Too Many Routers....
On Fri, 23 Jan 2004 06:58:21 -0500, William J. <[email protected]>
wrote:
>I am getting ready to buy a router. I have narrowed it down to either
>the Milwaukee 2 1/4 Bodygrip or the Porter Cable 890. I know Porter
>Cable has been around forever and are the industry standard in
>routers, it would be a no brainer except for the Milwaukee. I like
>that router is a handle feel on the Milwaukee. Only down side is
>Milwaukee does not have a plunge base for their router right now.
>
>Any opinions?