On Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:42:52 -0800, David Nebenzahl
wrote:

On 1/19/2011 5:33 PM Jon Danniken spake thus:

Michael Dobony wrote:

I am looking at the following router and table, any comments on it?

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...block Type=G1

My other alternative is a Harbor Freight router/shaper

http://www.harborfreight.com/router-...ter-95380.html

Between the 2 my thought is Sears, but I can add the extended
warranty on HF for about the same price as the Sears.

I have never owned a Sears router that didn't break with after light usage.
Every one of them (I'm on the fourth one now) has had whatever mechanism
used on that model which locks the shaft when you tighten the collet break
in one way or another.

Why did you buy a *fourth* when three were crappy? Why did you buy the third,
when...

If you want a Sears router, buy one at a pawn shop, and expect it to go tits
up when you are in the middle of a project. At least you won't be out the
retail price.

If you are going to pay retail for a router, get a decent (AKA not a Sears)
one and be done with it.

That's much different from my experience with Sears routers. However, I
got my Craftsman router in, hmm, lessee, about 1975, used from another
woodworker, and since then I've only had to replace the power switch.
Granted, it's not the world's greatest router, and I've never done
production work with it, but it works now, more than 35 years later, as
well as it did when I bought it. It's fine for small jobs.

Crapsman tools are generally terrible. A few are decent, basically rebranded
reasonably quality tools, but no bargain. Stay away from Crapsman!

I had a Crapsman router from about '75, too. Absolute junk! Do yourself a
favor and buy a decent one.

Newer Crapsman may be more, well, crappy. Can't say for sure.

As for the HF router, that is one of the few HF tools I would NOT consider
taking a chance with (and I have a bunch of HF tools).

Same here. I guess I might buy one from HF if I absolutely needed it
*that day*, but otherwise, no.

Those benchtop tables are pretty lame.