Skil 1825 10 Amp 1/2-Inch Hybrid Router

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• Skil 3100-12 Skil X-Bench Workstation
• MLCS 8377 Router Bit Set with Carbide tipped, 1/2-Inch Shank, 15-Piece

So far this router is great. The Amazon picture shows a hard shell carrying case but it is actually a cloth carrying bag.

this is not a high-end tool which would cost much more but it is great for the price. as part of this system the router is more valuable than it is on its own. what is particularly attractive about it is SKIL's focus upon the system of use in contrast to discrete tools like this router. the cornerstone of their tool system is the SKIL workbench which includes a router mounting plate that just snaps into the workbench.

This is my third router and I'm getting ready to go purchase #4, but it won't be a skill. This afternoon this one will be listed on Craigslist. This router seemed to be a good deal until I started trying to cut dovetails with it and I found that the depth of the cut would change without warning, not minute changes, but big changes of about an 1/8th of an inch; wow. For some reason the clamp on the base is not secure, I don't know if it's vibration or what, but a change in depth will significatly change the value of a dovetail.

Even a minute shift will ruin a cut. It's entirely possible that I got a defective one, which is why I say go ahead and try it out. I would recommend checking this router out in person, maybe at a big box store if they have one out, before laying out the money. this made getting a precise and consistent cut pretty much impossible. I only had one problem with this router, which I bought to replace a Ryobi router that was not a plunge router and only had a quarter inch collet.

If you buy it through mail order, make sure everything will lock down solidly, and if it doesn't, send it back, because if that problem can't be corrected, you're not going to be happy with it. The problem was that for whatever reason, the interchangeable bases didn't clamp down securely to the motor. I ended up replacing it with the Bosch combo at something like twice the price. it's a great deal for the price if everything works as it should. I wish the Bosch had the little light that the Skil has.

It has the power and versality I would expect from Skil. This Router is amazing. I expected a little less considering the low price, it performs much better than expected. Highly recommended and if I had to choose again, I would choose the same one. I'm currently using it for tenon making and even with the Honey Locust logs I was feeding into it, it doesn't miss a beat.