Bosch 1617EVSK Owners Comments

glenn bradley

Member
Messages
11,515
Location
SoCal
I'm told Sears has clearanced this router ($130 / their badge) and am thinking about it. For those of you that have this combo, how do you like it. Specifically the plunge base. Any comparisons to other units and comments in general greatly appreciated.
 
I have four different brands of routers but do not have a Bosch so I am no help as an owner either. There must be some members that have that one. The only thing that I can offer is that I have seen very good reports on that router in the past.
 
Well. Not much help from me Glenn.

I'm a PC router fan.;)

But if their routers are anything like their cordless drills I have [4], they must be good.:thumb:

Thanks anyway Steve. When something works for you, don't change. Am I remembering correctly that you have a dozen routers or so? Only reason I ask is that I still can't figure out how I have five and still don't own a plunge :dunno:.
 
Glenn,

That's the 2 1/4 hp two base router? If that's the case I have one and it's been my "go to" for a while now. I have several others: a Freud that was the first replacement to my original Sears router, which is now permanently in the router table, a Festool 1400 that is consigned to field work, a PC 350 lam trim, and the Bosch. IIRC there was some problem with the early Bosch units with the magnesium housing corroding and I've seen some of that on my unit, but I've been happy with it and find the plunge base to be smooth (something the Freud 2000 will never be accused of) accurate, trouble free, and the depth stop to have more than enough graduations to do anything you need done.
 
I'm told Sears has clearanced this router ($130 / their badge) and am thinking about it. For those of you that have this combo, how do you like it. Specifically the plunge base. Any comparisons to other units and comments in general greatly appreciated.

Glenn,

If you go with a Sears router, make sure it has a metal body. My 1st router was from Sears, and it had a plastic body. I had it mounted in the fixed base in the router table. Some how in the process or either adjusting it or trying to take the motor out to put in the plunge base, the plastic threads became compressed (cross threaded or something). I couldn't get it out of the table. I Had to use a 2 foot pipe wrench to turn the motor out of the base.

That headache, made me swear off plastic bodies on router motors. My DeWalt 618 is metal, and is super easy to get in and out of the fixed base (mounted in the RT).

Aside from problems getting the router in and out of the bases, only having a 1/4in collet was the only other thing I didn't care for. It worked fine for what I used it for at the time.
 
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