Dewalt or Trend?

[pj]

Hi all,
My Freud 1/2" router started acting up again while cutting a worktop joint at the weekend, so I think it's time for a replacement. Are the Dewalt 625 and the Trend T10/11 the same machines with different badges or are they made in different factories as I like the look of the T11 with the adjustable height from above the table but believe that this machine has not been without it's problems. Is there any problems which the 625 is prone to?

Just trying to decide between the two.

Philip.

[jfc]

625 all day long for me . ........ and dare i say the rest of the trade ?

[engineerone]

why not look at the triton, certainly for table work, it has become very popular with many people, although i agree not necessarily the trade.

the trend certainly seems to have had problems which may or not be solved, since they basically buy it in from the great router factory in chaiwan, whereas i understand, but may be wrong these days, dewalt have a little more control over the process.

the latest router reviews i saw in america gave very high marks to the triton, but i guess the problem here is the perceived lack of manufacturers support.

paul

[paulchapman]

I have the DeWalt 625 and have had no problems with it - a very nice tool.

Cheers

Paul

[jfc]

I've had a go on the triton , to many functions for me . Twist the handle lift the on off cover do something else and it still wont plunge .

[jake]

The triton is great upside down in a table with the springs out. Crap for handheld work, the mech is far too fiddly and transforms to just plain clumsy, rather than brilliant as it is the wrong way up. It is a fantastic router, the best there is if dedicated to a table.

I made the mistake of buying the little one for handheld work as I was so impressed with the big one - I loath it, because the triton mech is so rubbish the right way up.

[nickw]

Problems with the Trend? Not in my experience. What's supposed to be wrong?

[pj]

Paul, I have had a play with the big Triton, and I think it would be great if there was no hand held use, but as always this replacement will do a bit of both.
Nick, I believe the bearings are/were suspect on a lot of the Trend machines.
I have a T5 which has given no problems apart from being a bit sticky on the plunge sometimes and this is were the 615 was a better option as it was silky smooth. I only found this out after I had bought the T5.
Are the Trend/Dewalt machines are made in chiwanese factories as I though they were made in Italy?

Philip

[pj]

Jason,
I take it the 625 has given no hassle then and did you use it a lot in a table before getting the spindle molder?

Philip

[jfc]

I used my Elu 625 for years on site and in the router table and gave it some serious abuse . I think i wore the brushes out twice . I finally knocked the collet /spindle out of line so replaced it with a dewalt 625 that has been in the router table ever since . I also have a elu mof 177e in the legacy which is basicly a 625 .

[mailee]

YEP, De Walt 625 here too and swouldn't swop it. It has done a lot of kitchen worktops now not to mention god knows what else and hasn't been any trouble at all. Even dropped it a couple of times. Bullet proof. ;D

[Scrit]

engineerone said:

why not look at the triton, certainly for table work, it has become very popular with many people, although i agree not necessarily the trade.

A couple of reasons against the Triton in trade use is that the collets are not widely available. Most hire shops (and even outlets like some B&Qs) stock collets for both the DW625 and the big Makita (although the Freud FT2000, Mafell LO65e and Festool OF2000e - but sadly not Bosch - all use the same collets/collet nuts as the DW625/T10/T11/CMT 1850)

engineerone said:

the trend certainly seems to have had problems which may or not be solved, since they basically buy it in from the great router factory in chaiwan

That's the smaller T5 (copy of the Elu MOF96, and isn't it still made in Europe by Einhell or someone else in Austria?). Unless I'm mistaken the T10 and T11 are manufactured in the DW factory in Italy, although some DW625s manufactured in the USA appear from time to time.

Personally I feel the Triton is just too top heavy for worktop jointing, surely the prime requirement of the OP? For that reason I avoided the Makita, although many site joiners swear by them. I've had the previous Bosch GOF1700, again a little top heavy for my liking, as is the GOF2000 which replaced it, although they are both extremely quiet against the likes of the DW625, Makita, etc. and the GOF2000 has also been tweakled for use on a table. What do I use? A DW625 (in yellow) and a MOF177e (in grey). Parts are easy to find, and they'll take some stick, too, and you can cast around to see what prices ara available on the DW625, Trend T10 and CMT 1850 as they are all almost identical (except for the colour). Only if you need the extra 15mm of plunge is it worth considering the T11. And for worktops it's just not worth paying the extra

So another vote for the DW625 here

Scrit

[dirtydeeds]

ive used the dewalt, so effectivly ive used the trend ( i had the t9 before that)

no brake on the motor, no good for me, i cant be doing waiting 30 seconds for a router to stop

plunge action not smooth, dust extraction is a late after thought


buy the festool OF1400

im going to get shouted at again

for being a gentleman tradesman

[jfc]

Ahhh but have you abused a festool for 15 years and still trust it ? The 625 is the king of routers and well known as a work horse .

[engineerone]

scrit you may well be right about the manufacture of the three different types,

i understood that when dewalt "updated" some of their old rebadged elu's the factory making them somehow managed to keep the copyright, and was able to rebadge, which is where the cmt one came from.

however i do know that when the trend t10, and 11 came out a lot of people had to return them because of a number of problems with build quality, and not doing what they were supposed to. seem to remember these included the plunge not working properly, and some of the collets not working properly.

i have an old hitachi m12v which is a nice, and old style one,very decent grunt, but boy does it rattle and hum. great deal of vibration, the height setting nuts seem to move like dancing boys, even though there are three of them supposedly used as locking nuts

works well on the rat though ;D

paul

[jfc]

You could always buy the Omas door making kit and go pro ;D If you do let me know how to set it up ;D

[mooretoolsplease]

Both for me!
I have a pair of 625's and they have been great,
I recently won a trend router table and T11EK off of eBay.
The adjustment for the router if superb for tables.
My Dad has been using Elu's/DeWalts for the past 20 years and never had any serious problems

[Scrit]

dirtydeeds said:

ive used the dewalt, so effectivly ive used the trend ( i had the t9 before that)

Errr, no. The T9 was a Felisatti - a version of the Felisatti R346 which has also appeared as the Woodcut Trading "Pro 1800" router, the Metabo OFe 1812, the Holz-Her 1/2in router and was also sold as a Fein RT-1800 in the USA.



What it isn't is a deWalt

dirtydeeds said:

im going to get shouted at again

for being a gentleman tradesman

Nope. Your going to get shouted at for not knowing the difference between a T9 and a T10/T11.......

engineerone said:

scrit you may well be right about the manufacture of the three different types

Might? Might? No faith, some folk ;D It's true to say, though, that Italian-built DW625s and MOF177s aren't really as good as the original ones made for Elu by Scintilla - in Switzerland. That said the DW625 and clones are still pretty good workhorses

And as Senior says, they're now pretty cheap (around £210 to £230). My first MOF177e (circa 1984, or when Senior was still in short trousers) cost me around £350. Now factor in 23 years' inflation and you'll see how cheap they are these days

Scrit

[dom]

I still use my 177e and 96e although the 177e is rattling a bit.
They are at least 25 years old.
I bought the 625 but it hasn't got the class of the Elu.

[dirtydeeds]

curious, i didnt say the T9 was the same as the T10/T11

[andy king]

DW625 is still my router of choice. I've used a T11, and it's great in a table with the adjusters. If I was looking for one to invert, I'd probably go for this one first off, but I fitted my 625 with a RouterRaizer (Woodworkers Workshop) so I didn't need the option, although it is more robust on the T11. Freud also have a similar feature in their bigger router.
The T11base also has an upgraded design that links it to guide rails as well with a small adaptor shoe (iirc)
The Triton router(s) are good inverted, but as has been mentioned, they are finicky the rigt way up. I've always thought the build quality wasn't quite there either.
With Triton now part of the GMC group, the mob who supply the Performance Pro stuff to B&Q, it might explainB&Q's association with Triton. Although GMC are an Ausralian company, the PPro range and the Triton Router are Chinese.
I don't think Axminster keep the DW625 clone as a CMT one now, they've gone for the old Felisatti/Metabo/Fein version as their bigger model.
I think when they had it as a CMT, the price was lower as they had the original DeWalt spec, but the latest DeWalts are more powerful. I was told these were made in the same Italian factory, as are the Trends.
One other thing for the memory bank Scrit, the T5 are made by Perles if I recall.

Andy

[pj]

Thanks for all the answers. It seems there is nothing between the 625 and clones, so really it will be down to price and availability. I don't think the T11 will be in the running as having to buy a separate 1/4" collet pushes the price well up. The 625/T10 with a fine height adjuster will replace what I have been using in the Freud.
Does the collet plunge level with the base as I use large cutters in the router table now and then?
Scrit/Andy, do you think the Router-Raiser or the T11 are really that much easier to use in a table compared with just a fine height adjuster underneath, as I feel when you are down adjusting the router from beneath, you are eyeballing the cutter on level terms?

Philip

[paulchapman]

Philip,

In addition to the fine height adjuster, it might be worth also fitting a plunge bar which makes plunging the router a very easy, one-handed operation when it's in the table www.woodrat.com/plungebars.html

Cheers

Paul

[andy king]

Hi Philip,

from my point of view, I much prefer the top adjust option of a T11/Router Raizer. I find that adjusting from underneath is awkward, and depending on the router make/model, not always in the best position when mounted. More so if you don't use an NVR type switch and have to rely on the router trigger to operate it where its preferable to have the switch in an easy to reach position.
Even if I have to stoop or squat to eyeball a setting, I find it far easier to control an adjustment without reaching under the table.

Andy

[stevem]

I have an old Elu 177e, a DeWalt 624 and a Trend T11. They are not all the same in build quality, even if the DW and the T11 were made in the same factory.

The T11 was recalled - something about bit of it coming apart, and the DW isn't very concentric (cutter vs guide bush).

The old, Swiss, 177E is by far the best built machine.

The upside-down adjustment of the T11 is great.

I'm with DD on the Festool 1400. Great cutter change is my favourite bit, I just wish the 1010 had it as well. But then the 1010 has better DX. Ah well, can't have everything.

Cheers
S