Craftsman 17543 11 amp 2 hp Corded Fixed and Plunge Base Soft Start Router with Electronic Feedback Reviews
www.sears.com
Rating Summary
“Excellent value.”
- woodworking devotee, a do-it-yourselfer, a DIYer, a Craftsman Club Member
- Pros
- easy to setup and use, powerful, Soft start motor
Craftsman 17543 11 amp 2 hp Corded Fixed and Plunge Base Soft Start Router with Electronic Feedback —
I purchased this set when I was looking for a router with a bit more "oomph" than the 1 1/2HP Dewalt DW-610 I had in my router table. I really like routers with rack and pinion depth adjustments vs. rotating collars, so this model won out. Getting a plunge base as part of the package was icing on the cake. The supplied case holds the motor, both bases, chuck wrench, and the supplied edge guide.
I haven't mounted the router in the table yet, but I have used it for a furniture building project as a handheld unit. The soft start feature gives the operator much more control as the motor doesn't kick when you start it up. The variable speed feature allows you to tailor the motor speed to bit size - an important factor when using larger diameter bits. As has been mentioned by others, the rack and pinion adjustment has a touch of backlash. It's not really the rack and pinion, it is the result of the "quick release" feature of the pinion gear. I've never been one to use the depth guage built on to the router, rather I prefer to use separate bit actual height guage. Either way, the router locks firmly at any height and stays put. Bit change is made easy by the well designed spindle lock.
The three LED worklights built into the motor work very well. The dust collection port is effective and should be used whenever possible. If you buy this router and plan on using a lot of different diameter bits, do yourself a favor and spend the extra money and buy the set of 6 baseplates so you have the correct size opening for your chosen bit. At least one poster here has suggested cutting a larger hole in the supplied baseplate. If you do that, you will not be able to mount pilots to the baseplate for pattern routing. Sears has 2 sets of baseplates, one set for the fixed base, the other for the plunge base. They cost about $20 per set of 6 and are well worth the price. Like anything else in woodworking, choose the correct tool for the job (and baseplates ARE tools) for best results.
The plunge base works very well indeed. Thee positive stop system is well designed, gives repeatable results, and easy to use. The dust collection port should be used whenever possible when plunge cutting as chips and dust can pile up very quickly.
My only gripe was that I had to return the first router I bought due to a faulty 1/4" collet chuck. At least the exchange process was fast and easy. I like this router so much that I plan on buying another fixed base one for the router table and keeping this set for handheld use.
Last edited on May 04, 2010
Craftsman 17543 11 amp 2 hp Corded Fixed and Plunge Base Soft Start Router with Electronic Feedback
