Router, Fixed Base, 12-Amp, 24,000 RPM Variable Speed Trigger, 2-1/4HP, Corded (DW618)

A nice addition to my wood shop. Great quality, good price point.

I do a lot of woodworking projects, and my 25 year old Makita routers died last year. Makita has been pricing themselves out of my budget for a while, so I bought two of these Dewalt routers and am using one in my four-station router table, and the other in a plunge base for on-demand needs. These routers are very comfortable in the hands, operate very smoothly, and are surprisingly quiet. Speed control knob operates well and does not slip from vibration during use. The plunge base features a dust port for a vacuum attachment through the spring-loaded depth adjustment pillar, which is a really good and innovative design, keeping visibility of the work surface unobstructed. Doing plunge cuts is very smooth, and there are several features that allow you to control your intended depth of cuts, without having to re-invent the wheel, or undo other settings. Overall, these routers are a truly outstanding investment. I have 8 routers in total now, and these are my best two. I highly recommend these to anyone in the market for a router, and if you watch pricing carefully, you can get a really great deal at times. I bought the fixed/plunge combo kit through Home Depot on sale for $199, when it is usually $239. And I bought the fixed base one through Amazon for $135, when it is usually $219.

Nice

Obviously this thing has some bad reviews on Amazon, which made me hesitant. After reading some of them and then noticing an improvement over 2012 I took the plunge (pun intended) to buy this fixed router. There are no bells and whistles on this thing but I love the cut. Cut some rabbets and then did some template work. Felt safe and very secure. Messy little beast, but it does the job. Will change my post if the motor burns but as one (negative) review reported using this 3-4 days a week for over 3 years before burning out. I'd say that is within my expectation for a buck fifty router. Adjustment is super easy. Briefly put it in my router table and got a great cut, although this is not the primary intended use for me. This is a very standard router. If the motor does hold up for at least a year, I'll probably buy another one with a plunge. I have a multitude of various name brand tools, though I must admit that more of my tools are looking yellow. Will update if things change. Update: I've now used this router considerably for making trim, template work, dados, tongue/groove cuts, roundovers, and more. It continues to run very well. Whatever issues were noted in the past, I have had no problems with this router whatsoever. I'm actually planning on buying another one just like it since my jigs are now made to go with these measurements. Update 11/19/2013: I've continued to use this router as a hobbyist weekly/monthly on projects. I just used it to trim and profile a 10 foot 1 1/4 inch thick walnut countertop I constructed. It continues to run smoothly with no problems. I really like this router. I don't use it in the router table anymore just because I upgraded to a triton 3 1/4 hp router, but still my go to hand router. I just threw my two cheaply made craftsman routers away. It wasn't even worth trying to sell them to anyone because I have to sleep at night.

The router has enough power and speed control to accommodate most routing tasks. I have had one of these routers set up in a table for three years now, with no complaints after intermittent use. Certainly some have complained of the difficulties encountered adjusting the height of this tool, particularly in the table. I find that placing consistent pressure against the adjusting ring while changing the setting solves this issue (ie...reproducibility and accuracy). In the router table, it is somewhat difficult to make the adjustment for lack of an above table technique. Yet with some awkwardness (the Bosch table I use is clamped to a work table to elevate it to chest height) I feel that the advantages of the tool, including slow start, speed adjustment and power outweigh this inconvenience at the price (less than $150). Using the router freehand is smooth and easy. I have used it on a 14 foot piece of trim to rabbet the edge in one pass.

It's Dewalt, we'll made quiet and powerful. Lifetime tool in my shop

DeWalt is shipping this router without the 1/2" collet. I ordered a router and it had no 1/2" collet. I contacted Amazon and they sent a replacement. The replacement also had no 1/2" collet. I contacted DeWalt by email and they replied that the 1/2" collet is on backorder. DeWalt is knowingly shipping the DW618 Fixed Base router with no 1/2" collet. It says on box that it is included! I dont know how many customers have experienced this problem? The router itself is a very good router I have bought it before. Works good.

This is my go to router for slab flattening. It has ample power and does not show any signs of slowing down or straining to do the work. It has 2 1/4 horsepower, which is more than adequate for most router operations. Dewalt has always been a name I trust and this tool is no exception. It is a real work horse and meets all my needs. Not only that, but I find it to be much quieter than some of the other routers I own. The router comes with both a 1/4" collet and a 1/2" collect. Any bit your might have in your shop with fit in this router. It also comes equipped with the standard router plate and an additional router plate that has a 2" hole that will accommodate larger bits, such a large spoilboard bit. In short, you can't go wrong with this router and it won't break the bank.

Love the Power and Variable Speed also easy change 1/4-1/2” collet Great Router for the Price

Muy buen producto

Everything I expected, flawless and easy to use.

Leí algunas reseñas desfavorables sobre este router. Pero estas son algunas confusiones de algunos compradores sobre algunas características de este modelo - El paquete incluye solo un collet, pero este sirve para medidas de 1/4” y 1/2” - El paquete solo incluye una llave, ya que solo se necesita una para apretar el collet. Se debe pulsar un botón especial que mantiene fija la tueca inferior, y con la llave se aprieta la parte superior. Aprovecho para recomendar a cualquier comprador siempre leer las descripciones de los productos, sus características y lo que se incluye en el paquete. Muchas veces las imágenes muestra del producto son solo ilustrativas.

Completed my new router table and the router fit perfectly into the JessEm Router II lift. I cannot get the photo to attach to the review