Bosch Home and Garden router POF 1200 AE (1200 W, in carton packaging)

Product Information

I’d like to get this off my chest to begin with: I’m not a professional woodworker, nor am I the world’s most competent DIYer. But I do have several friends with workshops and they are always willing to help me make less of a mess. GMF 1400 CE, GMF 1600 CE, GOF 1200 A, GOF 1300 ACE, GOF 1300 CE, GOF 1600 CE, GOF 2000 CE Professional Overall, the DeWalt DWE625 is a very good precision router as one might expect from a premium power tool company and given the cost of the machine. Although it is not a router to turn away from and diehard fans of DeWalt tools will likely be happy with it, overall build quality could be slightly better especially when compared to similar priced premium routers from other well-established power tool brands. The 124799 has a fine depth adjustment, variable speed control and a soft-start, and comes with 5 different collets (1/4", 1/2", 8mm, 10mm, and 12mm), two different guide bushes, parallel, circular and roller guides as well as a measurement bar all within a reasonable-quality plastic case.

That said, I can happily report that getting used to this Bosch POF 1200 AE doesn’t take too long and the results are impressive for a tool at this price point. I found accessing the bits to be fiddly and a bit frustrating, while that plastic guard is most definitely flimsy. The brittle plastic that attaches to the unit is very easy to accidentally break.GOF 130, GOF 900, GOF 900 A, GOF 900 ACE, GOF 900 CE, GOF 1250 LCE Professional, POF 800 ACE, POF 1100 AE, POF 1200 AE, POF 1300 ACE, POF 1400 ACE

The Makita RP0900X router, however, is not all perfect and does have its share of minor issues. Firstly, and surprisingly for a Makita router, the plunge action on the machine is quite stiff, making it difficult to incrementally increase routing depth on-the-fly. Application of grease or WD-40 is a common ploy to deal with such clunky plunge action, but only partially helps in this case. Therefore, with this Makita router, the best method for getting accurate routing depth is ensure that it is set accurately beforehand using the integral depth gauge. At 3.4kg, the POF 1200 AE Wood Router is fairly weighty and starts to show its heft when you are using it handheld for any period of time. Some users have bought or made their own routing tables, which takes some of the strain out of it.

If the tool is faulty within 30 days of buying it, we will arrange for its collection at no cost to you and supply a replacement. The Hikoki (originally Hitachi) M12VE is a well-built 1/2” wood router that houses a powerful 2000W motor with variable speed control that runs spindle rotation anywhere from 8000 RPM up to 22,000 RPM. The router comes with collets for both 1/4” and 1/2” bit shanks permitting a wide selection of router bits to be used with this Hikoki router. For the money this is pretty good as a first router. I've bevelled a few oak boards and shelves with it and made an oak headboard so far. Fine adjustment and control is a bit fiddly and requires some workarounds but at this price you have to expect some compromises. It suits my purposes so I'm not complaining. It will not do heavy duty cycle work, you will need a larger collet and cutters if you intend to work with a lot of hardwood and using big cuts.” The DWE625 is DeWalt’s contribution to the 1/2” router category. Unsurprisingly for this premium power tool company, the DWE625 is an expensive tool but with a lot of good features. First and foremost, it comes with collets for both 1/4” and 1/2” router bits, particularly useful if you are already using a 1/4” router and have a selection of router bits that you would like to use in the DeWalt router as well. It has a powerful 2000W motor with electronic speed control meaning that the speed of the motor will be maintained no matter how tough a wood you throw at it or if one overdoes the hand pressure when routing. The DeWalt motor also has soft start to prevent any inadvertent movement at start up, important both for safety as well as for routing accuracy. The motor speed itself can also be adjusted anywhere from 8,000 to 20,000 RPM using a dial at the top of the machine, useful for setting the ideal cutting speed for the material being cut. There is a lot to like in this machine. Like most ½ inch routers, the motor is variable speed. Whether you are working softwood and need high speed to stop splintering, or need a slower RPM for hard lumber, this router can accommodate.