How good is the Elu MOF96?

[Dave S]

I don't think I've ever heard a bad word said about the Elu MOF96, and I know there are many who happily use them still. I've notived that they are still quite popular secondhand - this one has just sold on Ebay for £117, which is not far off the price of a new Dewalt which as I understand it is the current 'equivalent'!

So I was wondering, just how well do they hold up against the current competition - well enough to justify £117? Having never used an ELU, my instincts are that a new 'clone' from a good manufacturer (the DeWalt, even) would be a better buy, but I'm curious as to what others might think?

Dave

[paulchapman]

One of the best 1/4" routers ever - if they still made it I would buy it again. Still using mine after years and years. However, I wouldn't pay £117 for a second-hand one - everything wears out eventually.

Cheers

Paul

[mailee]

IMHO it was the best 1/4" router ever made. I also have it's 'predecessor' the De Walt and this is good too but the Elu had the edge without a doubt. If they were still made I would have no other use for any other router. Got to agree though £117 for a second hand one is a bit steep!

[jonnyd]

I wouldnt reccomend buying one secondhand. I bought one a few years ago for £40 but it only lasted about 6 months before the motor blew up. It was a decent tool and i probably got my moneys worth out of it but wouldnt buy another one. I have a mate who bought a secondhand Mof 177 of ebay for nearly £200 I told him he was mad but as he is a tool collector rather than user should last him years ;D

[dom]

Excellent tool but not worth that for a seconhand one

[jfc]

I think Elu have a good name as they where Italian made . I picked a mof up for £50 that had only been used once . I used it once and broke it ;D Then again i do have a habit of breaking routers

[Stree]

I bought one earlier this year, brand new/boxed/unopened old stock and a proper made in Italy one too! SIts nice next to the 177
PS it was £98:00

[Dave S]

The £117 example I linked to was rather an extreme - generally they seem to go for around the £40 - £50 mark.
Seems it's pretty much as I thought - if they were still made they would still be a good buy (if priced right), but secondhand rather risky, especially unseen via Ebay.

Dave

[engineerone]

elu was a brand owned by black and decker, and was phased out to be replaced by dewalt as the promoted brand, mainly i understood because the brand in america wanted to expand, and of course could be involved in larger bulk buying.

according to dewalt, their product is a direct improvement, but evolution of the elu. however like most of their products they are of course now into the cost equation, so not perhaps as good.

paul

[stevep]

I've got one which I think is about 20 years old. It's the second one I've had - the first expired after 2 years so I sent it to B and D for repair. They lost it, so sent me a brand new one instead at no cost! It says 'made in Switzerland' on it. I've just bought a new top bearing (the old one has started squealing), and a new fence for it, the old one was bent by someone I lent it to. I got the spares from www.toolsandpartsdirect.co.uk - spares for loads of old B and D, Elu and DeWalt machines are still available.
Wouldn't want to be without mine, as it's accurate and easy to handle.

[jrm]

I have both a MOF96e bought about 15 years ago and the DeWalt version I bought a couple of years ago. The MOF96e was Swiss made, not Italian, though I believe the the 177 and some others were made in Italy. I did hear that Perles was the Swiss company who made the MOF96 for B&D/DeWalt/Elu. When I was looking for another, I looked at the Perles version but didn't investigate properly because they have fitted one of those daft switches to the current models which have to be held down constantly.

As to how they compare, the Elu is much better finished to look at which gives you a feeling of confidence. The DW (made in Italy) castings are rougher. However, and I realise this is sacriligeous, I can't tell the difference in use! One of the things I like about both is the way you can hook your right thumb over the handle and plunge smoothly one-handed by just squeezing leaving your left hand to guide it. I love them both. The Elu developed an irregular tone and I thought it was about to give up the ghost, which is why I got the replacement, but it's still soldiering on and it's very handy to have two set up at times.

Second hand prices of Elu are just ridiculous. The MOF96 has become a sort of design icon with a price to match. All parts are still available so they can always be fixed but only if you buy at the right price which seems unlikely.

John

John

[engineerone]

of course one of the reasons why the 96 is so popular is that it had been around for so long, many of the readily available jigs are made for it, and some of the mods that dewalt made i seem to remember made it more difficult to use in those jigs that everybody had so carefully collected.

paul

[ivan]

I suppose the original Elu range was the equivalent of Festool now. I presume the coy was started by Edwin Lutz (e-l-u) who is reputed to have invented the plunge router. (Scritt?) I think Elu stuff was made in Germany and switzerland. This survived the B&D buy out for a while, and then the accountants took over from the engineers, and the production was moved to a cheaper source. Unlike the still passable DW equivalent, the base was fully machined. I re-discovered the reason for this last week, when using "skis" on a DW 621. This also does not have machined circular fence holes in the base, so the fence rod can move under the rotating turret (no fence securing knob here) The router can thus wobble when mounted on skis, and spoil the work if you're not very careful (I wasn't) Couldn't happen with the original!

[chippy1970]

Dec 5, 2008 18:38:20 GMT jfc said:

I think Elu have a good name as they where Italian made . I picked a mof up for £50 that had only been used once . I used it once and broke it ;D Then again i do have a habit of breaking routers

I think you will find the best quality 96E's were made in Switzerland not Italy I am no expert but that is what I have read on the net.

I have had my Swiss one for 15 years or more now used all the time on site and it still runs better than any Trend crap

[paulchapman]

I have several Elu power tools. I think some were made in Switzerland, some in Italy and some in Germany. I'll check some time.......

Cheers

Paul

[mailee]

Yes the Early 96's were made in Switzerland and were very good quality machines. I have one of the originals and it is still going strong after replacing the bearings and brushes. I did buy another one a couple of years ago but you can tell it isn't as good quality as the original, this is made in Italy. I also have the DW version and in my mind it is the closest copy of the original Elu but still not as good quality. Not sure what it is but there is a connection to Perles which was also a Swiss company.

[woodchucker]

£117.00 for a second-hand Elu?
Reminds me of a scene from Dad's Army:

Private Walker was selling some elastic! 'Tanner a yard.' he said.
Fraser says 'It's only a penny in the shops.'
'Ah...' says Walker, 'But you can't get it it in the shops.'

I still use my Elus the 96's and the 177's.
Nothing comes close.


Edit... While I am here, what is the verdict on these aluminium 'track' affairs, thattake a router or circular saw?

I tried a Trend 'Straight-edge' extrusion. Rubbish. The clamps don't grip, and I seriously doubted the straightness of it anyway!

Jack

[colincott]

Dec 26, 2008 9:05:51 GMT woodchucker said:

Edit... While I am here, what is the verdict on these aluminium 'track' affairs, thattake a router or circular saw?

Jack

I have a MOF 96 which I got second hand about 16 years ago and that is still going strong but I think it needs new bearings.


As for the track affairs
I am a user of the EZ one and as I have a small work shop, I have been very happy with it, as it has helped with a lot since I got it.