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I had my eye set on the 1 HP Bosch Colt variable speed, but I see that Porter cable has their 3/4 HP 7310 on sale for $60. What is the best value and easiest to use in your experience?

Ed

I don't know the PC, but the Bosch is a great palm router. It is solid, relatively silent, height adjustement is precise & easy and the speed control comes handy. Compared to the DeWalt trimmers I also have, it is much better.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

I'm going to try a Bosch Colt soon, I've been using the PC 7310 and it has been OK....by the way, I think the Colt has a 1hp motor not 2hp, though 1hp is fine.

Greg

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Gwaltney Guitars

I have always used p/cable and been very happy with them . I have never tried the Bosh , so i cannot give u an honest opinion on it .

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Funny you should ask--I gave my Colt a brutal workout yesterday, routing 3/8" lexan for templates, and was thinking about posting a kudos about this asskicking little router.

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https://soundcloud.com/jeffreylsuits/he ... -runnin-13

Take a serious look at the Rigid one as well - it has been getting great reviews, and although I have not tried any other brand - I have the Rigid and can't find much fault with it.

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It's this new idea from recent decades that everyone gets a participation award. - MUX

I had a PC 7310 that lasted more than 15 years. Was still going strong when I dropped it on the concrete floor and broke the housing. Replaced it with a Colt and the bearings went out a month after the warranty expired.

Although I did just buy another PC 690 LR on sale and it looks possible that the PC quality may have gone down a bit. The threads on the collet were a bit rough. I've barely used it so I can't really say other than it works fine and has no noticeable runout.

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http://www.chassonguitars.com

I have the PC.

It's a fine machine in terms of power, build quality, etc.

My only complaint is the height adjuster. It's not very precise. You loosen the knob that holds the motor to the base which causes the motor to tilt slightly, then you turn a thumb wheel to raise & lower. There's a lot of backlash in the thumb wheel & I always get confused which way is up & down. After raising or lowering, you tighten the knob which causes the motor to tilt back to it's fixed position which essentially causes the height to change a little also.

Once it's adjusted & tightened, it's fine.

Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

Your are right. My typo. My fingers have not adjusted to my phone's small keyboard. It's 1 hp

Hi Ed,
I have the Bosch Colt, you're more than welcome to drop by and try it out.

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Matt Jacobs

"Don't tase me bro"

My experience is the same with the 7310. I use it in a Luthiertool binding jig. You can actually make pretty fine adjustments with the thumbwheel thing, but it doesn't feel like it when there's so much slop when you loosen the bolt. So there's a good amount of trial and error, but you can zero in pretty close if you're going for a specific depth.

If I were in the market, I think I'd be looking at the new Dewalt mini-router that just came out (can't remember the model name off the top of my head). I've been very pleased with my full-sized Dewalt 618.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

Any good places to buy a colt, or are the prices pretty much the same everywhere?

I love my Bosch Colt. Multiple speeds and sloww startup. You can get them cheap (reconditioned) from CPO outlets.

$89.99
http://www.cpotools.com/factory-reconditioned-bosch-pr20evsk-rt-colt-variable-speed-palm-router-kit/bshrpr20evsk-rt,default,pd.html?start=1&cgid=bosch-reconditioned-routers

I've had mine for about a year with no trouble.

I have the PC 7301 & two Colts. Both have minor "issues". The collet on the PC won't release the bit without giving it a mighty whack with a mallet. And even then, I sometimes had to grip the bit shaft with vise grips & twist it to get it out. Annoying...
After 5 years of occasional use, the lower bearing blew out, just as I was doing the final cut on a purfling ledge.
I find the Colt friendlier to use. The grip is comfortable, the collet is very nice, but the bit doesn't centre well after height adjustment. (This is true with both of my Colts)
I was using the Colt quite a bit this weekend & found that by pushing the base hard against the body before snapping the lock lever, the bit centred a lot better.
I want one more trimmer & I'm going to give the Ridgid unit a try. The nearest Home Dept is a ferry ride away & the last two times I was there, they were out of stock... Grrr.

Can these bearings be swapped out? Maybe wise to do so?

I like my Colt and would like two more. (Several job specific bases have been made for it). I would love to keep the one on the binding machine in place.

Mike

Is this the Ridgid trimmer you guys are talking about, or the smaller one?



Looks pretty good, and comes with an adjustable bearing.

http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DWP611-Tor ... 571&sr=1-1

$139

(porter cable makes one just like it, but no speed control, $129)

I really like the depth adjustment ring. I may get one of these and try it out. This is a new tool.

Mike

Thanks much to all for the helpful replys.

With the Colt's soft start, extra HP, more stable height adjustment, and (some models) variable speed; it sounds like it has the edge over the PC for me.

The regular Amazon price for the PC is about $78 while the varable speed Colt is about $100 (including straight edge attachement and case). The PC is $60 + tax = $65 sale price at Rockler this Friday for those interested. Appears to be a good deal.

Ed

I have 7 PC 7310s, first couple are approaching ten years old .. number of issues with I have with any of them .. NONE.

I use them interchangably (is that a word?) .. I keep different bits in each motor, then just swap bases as bits required .. 2 of them are strictly for ledges, in binding jigs - keep one set for binding ledges, one for purf ... always at the ready. Even bought an extra base to permanently be in my Karol circle cutter.

as most of my jigs are referenced for the 7310, it would be hard to change now ....

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

I had the same problem with the collet on mine. A drop of 3 in 1 oil fixed it.

Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

I hear that... one good reason to stick with what works for you

7 ?? And I thought I was going deepend considering 3!

Mike

I have the same issue (as do many other Colt users), thanks for the tip.

Mike

Here's the new Dewalt DWP611 mini router:

http://www.dewalt.com/tools/woodworking ... wp611.aspx

Rigid!!

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MK5acoustics.com

Good luck with oiling the PC collet. Didn't work on mine. Even lithium grease didn't help.
I hope you have better results. Could be mine was particularly stubborn, but it kinda turned me off the otherwise great little tool.
I WAS a lot better after I (gently) lapped the collet cone with some fine lapping compound. The mating surfaces were quite rough.