Handheld router

[jplemons]

Hi all, I'm new here and a relatively new woodworker. I've only built shop cabinets and and a cart for my Mft/3 and am getting ready for my first "real" furniture piece. I'm going to start with the chest of drawers project from the Guild, despite not owning a table saw or jointer, but that's a different discussion. What I'm looking for is a good router for handheld use. I have a Triton, but it's dedicated to my router table setup. My main uses would be dados that I can't reach with my table, some edge treatments, flush trimming edge banding and of course making the mortises for the legs of the dresser. In addition to the MFT, I have the 55 req, midi and the Domino 500. So, I looked at the 1010 and 1400 routers. The 1010 feels great and seems really maneuverable and easy to handle. But I'm not sure it can handle these tasks, which leaves the 1400 -- both are Festool pricey but of course fit in nicely with the system I already have. I was thinking of adding the Trend CRB7 as an accessory because it seems pretty handy and not too pricey. However, for that and the 1400 I'm looking at $670 or so. Not sure I want to put out that much. So, I'm interested in other options in the 1 3/4 hp range. Two thing did mainly lose are great dust collection and the ability to use my guide rails. Of course, I can turn those around and at least use it as a straightedge. Any advice is appreciated. 

Jason

[Derek]

I own an older 1617 Bosch. No complaints here. Haven't tried the newer version but it seems to have some cool upgrades, LED lights and an on/off switch on the grip. We also have a couple PC floating around the shop but I prefer Bosch's adjustment spindle to the PC ring adjustment.