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Read more Porter-Cable 690LRVS 11 Amp 1-3/4-Horsepower Fixed Base Variable Speed Router
Yup. This thing has fully met my expectations. A previous reviewer suggested purchasing the clear base plate - I agree.
Great router and the variable speed is a must for using larger bits which can burn the wood if used at too high a speed. Top notch Product! Have used this model in my furniture business daily now for over three years and still going strong. Also, it is much quieter than the old dewalts and milwakees that I used for years.
I just got one of these, and it's my first PC router. When I saw how you adjust the depth of cut I thought, "You've got to be kidding." In all the pictures it looks like you turn an adjustment ring to adjust the height of the motor in the base, but that ring doesn't actually adjust anything. All adjustment is accomplished by rotating the motor in the base. The motor has four small round pins that ride in two spiral grooves in the base, so turning the motor adjusts the height. The ring just has marks denoting the height adjustment corresponding to the amount of rotation of the motor, and the ring turns so you can zero it on a mark on the motor. Here are the problems I find with this approach:
- The switch and cord change location based on the depth of the cut. Maybe I'm just weird, but I like having the switch on a power tool located in the same place every time I use it.
- The weight of the motor is enough to cause it to rotate down in the base when the locking clamp is off. This is partly because, IMO, the pitch of the groove is too steep.
- When I turn the motor in the base it makes kind of a grinding sound because the grooves in the base aren't machined very smoothly. Definitely not impressed.
- There is no "fine" adjustment mechanism. All adjustment is done by turning the motor. Another consequence of the steep pitch in the adjustment groove is that fine adjustments are tricky. Rotating the motor 180° lowers it 1". That's 2.8° for 1/64". 2.8° isn't much, and in a router I think of 1/64th of an inch as a course adjustment. When the locking clamp is off, the motor is fairly loose in the base, so this thing really doesn't give me a feeling of tight control over the height setting.
I'm kind of mystified as to why no one has commented about this adjustment mechanism. Now I know that people are referring to PC routers when they review other routers by other manufacturers and like that they don't have to rotate the motor in the other brand. I just don't know why no one has mentioned it here.
In a separate issue, I wouldn't use it without first sanding the base smooth to remove flash from when it was molded. If I didn't, it would scratch my wood as I slid the router over it. Also not impressive. I expect to be able to use something like this right out of the box without fixing it.
The reviewer who said he could hardly tell it had a soft start must have had a defective one because it's very noticeable to me. No jerking at all and much nicer in that regard than the old 1hp 1/4" router I'm replacing.
I'm sure it's very powerful, the soft start is great, and the variable speed seems nice as well, but several brands offer power, soft start, and variable speed. The height adjustment on this is just crude IMO, and that makes me think I'd get frustrated with it in actual use. So I'm going to try to find something I like better and there's a good chance this one is going to be returned.
I wanted a non-plunge router for my router table and this fit the bill. It has all the power I need and is easy to adjust from under the table. This is my first 'soft start' router and I like this feature.
I chose this one because of the favorable reviews, but it wouldn't start out of the box. I took it to the local PC distributor and they offered to exchange it. After a week, I called for status and they said it was on backorder until mid Nov. Bummer, but they did refund my money, so I'm buying another one...I'm hoping the product lives up to its reputation. This is the 2nd time I've purchased an item from Amazon where the motor did not work out of the box...the other was the motor on a Delta jointer. It took 4-6 weeks to get a new motor...tough sledding when you're trying to work on a project!
Revised 1/14/07 - I was able to buy a new router - same model. It's performed very well so far with a fair amount of use. The switch is sealed and is not very large, so it's difficult to tell if you've switched it on or off immediately. This could be a safety issue, but eventually I'd like to set up a switch that I can mount on the side of the cabinet so I don't have to reach under the table to turn it on/off. I haven't had an issues with frozen bits getting stuck in the collet and it's easy to switch between 1/2 and 1/4 shank bits. Variable speed is a nice touch to avoid burning.
I dedided to buy the PC 690LRVS instead of the Makita RF1101 because I could not center the base of the current Makita RF1101 that I own. The Makita may be a little quieter, but I use ear protection anyway. I also wanted soft start, so I didn't buy the less expensive Porter Cable router. One reviewer said the soft start was not very good on this router, compared to the larger models. He may have a bad router. My 690LRVS has the softest start of any router that I own (I own 5 routers).
I recently purchased the Porter Cable 690LRVS router to replace a store brand model I have used for several years and it has all the features I desire in a router. Most all the work I do with a router is with the router mounted to a small router table and I found the 690LRVS especially good for this use. The 1001-T2 base is an excellent design and makes bit height adjusts easy and precise. The lever lock feature and the pin guides in the base allow easy and precise adjustments with simply a quick release of the lever lock and a twist of the motor to raise or lower the bit height. (The motor diameter is just right to grasp and turn with one hand.) Even mounted upside down under the table, the bit height remains where set without having to support the motor with the hand to keep it from dropping down before re-engaging the lock, as I had to do with my old router. Even so, the router motor is easy to remove from the base if need be to use the motor in another base for off table work or for bit replacement. Athough the 690LRVS does not have a shaft lock feature, I have no problem replacing bits using the two wrenches while the motor is under my table. The opening in the base is just big enough.<p>I like the sealed rocker ON/OFF switch, rather than a toggle switch. And, the variable speed feature is great to be able to adjust the speed for different wood hardnesses and bit sizes. (My old router accepted only 1/4 bits, so its great having the 1/2 bit capability with the 690LRVS.)<p>Only adjustment I had to make for the 690LRVS was that I had to modify my router table mounting hole pattern to mount the 1001-T2 base to my store brand router table. The 1001-T2 base has a 4 inch center to center spacing for the mounting screws, whereas my router table had a 4 1/2 inch spacing.<p>Great router. Definitely 5 stars!!
I received this Porter Cable router from Amazon in hopes that it would fit in my JDS Multirouter. It won't, because of the lever's requirement to pop out to approximately 1-1/2" from the body when released.<p>BUT...<p>No big deal... I just switched bases with my old PC router, and I'm up and running. So, in case you're wondering if this motor fits the old bases, it does.<p>After that, I tried the new router, and here are my observations... First, some people complain about the switch being changed from a toggle to a rocker, but I don't mind that. Neither is particularly easy to switch on and off, but between the two, the rocker (shielded by rubber) is probably less likely to accidentally turn on if accidentally bumped by something (e.g., a cord).<p>The soft start is not the same soft start that the big PCs have. Those machines have a VERY soft start. This router's soft start is a fast one... In fact, if I hadn't known it was a soft start and hadn't A-B'd it with my other 690, I would never have noticed it being a soft start.<p>The main thing this router brings to the table is the variable speed coupled with the 1-3/4HP motor. The two together enable the use of big bits (which need to turn slower but also need more power). My big 1-3/4" cove bit (yeah... it's really that big) works a lot better at the slower speed afforded by this router. My old 690 always burned the wood a little with that bit... not this router, though.<p>The locking lever is nice... No more breaking your thumb on that tiny bolt mechanism on the 690.<p>Other than those differences, this router has one other important feature -- it still adheres to many of the industry standards set by the 690. The base plates, etc. are interchangeable, which means there are a lot of jigs and add-ons that will fit this router.<p>I highly recommend this as an all-around router... whether for table use, for freehand use, or used in a horizontal positioner like the MultiRouter (but as mentioned, in that case will require a standard base, not the lever base).<p>5 Stars!
First of all I was really impressed with tool cribs service, I recieved my router in just 4 days, which was nice because I could get started on my project right away. The 690RLVS router worked perfect, it went through red oak without a problem and the height adj. was simple to use and quick to change. I really enjoyed using this router. I give it 5 stars.
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