Bosch vs Makita router

Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.
For a long time, all I had were Black & Decker stuffs. Some of you probably would frown on them, but they serve my amateur use well.

Lately I bought a jigsaw, I compared all the available brands including Makita and went with blue coloured Bosch, which costs more than the rest. When I received it, I was a little disappointed to learn that it was made in China, which made me wonder if I am getting anything from the premium I paid. Not that it is bad, only time will tell.

Now I am in the market for my first hand router, it's the same thing all over again, Bosch costs more around here. I shortlisted these two:

- Bosch GKF 550 (fixed base, 550W motor, 1.4kg)
GKF 550 Professional , Palm Router | Bosch

- Makita M3601G (plunge base, 900W motor, 2.7kg)
https://www.makita.com.sg/product/m3601g

They are both the same price (some stores the Bosch cost 10% more), while the Makita seems to be a class above the Bosch on paper. Though I wonder if the lighter machine is better in my amateurish hand? If so I could also go for the 530W Makita which is even cheaper.

Is Bosch worth the money in this case?
 
Depends what your main purpose is for the router as those selected are two different types:

The first one is basically a trim router. It is good for light finishing of edges - flush trim etc where you are removing small amounts of material.

The second is a plunge router. That one can be used for everything but can be a bit ungainly for light edge work.

If you want to cut holes for speakers for example, the plunge router will give you much more control and stability through having a dual grip. That one would be less likely to escape from your grip if it bites.

I personally use a Makita RT0700C trim router attached to the CNC that I built. It has a variable speed but contant load motor which stops it bogging down. I detest the quality of a lot of the other Makita products I've owned but that router has been good to me so far.

For heavier work, I have a Kreg router table set up with a no-brand router permanently affixed.
 
Last edited:

PRR

Member
Joined 2003
Paid Member
The Bosch JIG-saw is absolutely the King of its field. Much better design than any of the dozens of others. I have two and you don't dare touch mine; my Sears jigsaw you can have. Being Bosch product, I don't really care where it is made; I know the Bosch product managers are overseeing the factory tightly.

Makita has good stuff, some very good.

When comparing two routers of very different purpose (trim or hack), I think you need to decide what you are doing. Yes, there's a lot of work in the border-line where a trim router will work insignificantly slower, an axe-router could be faster but needs both hands. Unless you are a cabinet shop, I would not worry SO much about Brand. I learned a lot from $20 routers; my current fav is a 1980s Craftsman.
 
I can't speak for the makita, but I have a Bosch MRC23EVSK router, comes with a plunge base and a fixed base. It is an absolutely fantastic tool that I would highly recommend. In my opinion I'm generally willing to paya premium for Bosch over other brands because they ALWAYS are excellent, high quality tools for their intended use case. Made the mistake of buying a ryobi jigsaw last month, and it went straight back to the store as a return since a manufacturing defect caused it not to cut straight. Got a Bosch instead, it's wonderful.
 
Thanks guys for the inputs. :)

My immediate need is trimming wood veneers, thin plywood and PVC laminate. So I was initially set on the Bosch trim router.

But I started reading, a website recommended that for a one size fits all purpose, a plunge router can do everything a fixed based router does. Though from the look of it it seems more unwieldy to me.

For cutting speaker holes, I wish to have that ability, but at this point I have no idea how to do that with a hand router.

Pardon my for my ignorance, why can’t I cut a speaker hole with a fixed base router? It looks to me all I need is make a small indentation on to wood surface and then a trim router can work from there? It will likely be slower because of the weaker motor.

Glad I asked.
 
I've actually only used the plunge base on mine, so I can't say from experience how well it would work fixed, but I can say that holes are very easy with the plunge router. I have a jasper circle jig that makes it super easy, but making a circle jig wouldn't be hard either, just need to make something that attaches to the router base and has a pivot point that can be attached to the center of where you want the hole on the workpiece.

Part of why I bought the router I did is so that I would have the ability to use it both for plunge and for fixed, almost like 2 tools in one :)
 
That indeed looks nice. I can find it locally, though it would cost more than the combined costs of its fixed speed siblings. I don't see the Bosch version around here though.

I did more digging, it appears that the cheaper Makita is in the budget MT series. It has a grey housing as opposed to the usual blue green, I suppose it is like the cheaper green coloured Bosch. So not quite a fair comparison. There is another blue green Makita with identical specs that cost more, though not as much as a similarly specced Bosch.

At this point I think I am leaning towards the Bosch trim router, I watched some youtube videos, with a jig it looks like cutting circular hole with is not too hard.
 
Pardon my for my ignorance, why can’t I cut a speaker hole with a fixed base router? It looks to me all I need is make a small indentation on to wood surface and then a trim router can work from there?.

You can use a trim router to cut holes but it is like comparing cutting with a junior hacksaw with a full size one.

The trim router is lower powered so will take much longer to achieve the cut. It also uses 1/4" shank bits compared to 3/8".

If you are mainly concerned with doing veneer and laminate trim, then a trim router would probably be a good bet.. but you may end up buying a plunge router down the track anyway.
 
I'm not a good woodworker but I also have a Bosch MRC23EVSK, and I'm probably going to end up buying a smaller (Bosch) router to complement it.

My experience has been that (as you noted) the big heavy plunge router has loads of power but is really awkward for some tasks where the trim router would be much easier to handle. Technically I'm sure it can cut anything the trim router can but you're right to think that doesn't automatically make it an 'upgrade'.

As always with tools, the right answer is "Well, I need one more". :)
 
The Makita 3601g says it has a 3/8" collet. I have never seen a router bit with a 3/8" shank. Makita also show a trim router on that web page, more comparable to the Bosch.

I would avoid both for a single tool.

Bosch makes the beter tool. So I would buy a Porter-Cable one. Uses the same size collars as Black and Decker and others. One package comes with both plunge and standard bases. I wouldn't buy that either. Buy two one a plunge and the other fixed base.

Horsepower is really misleading in a handheld router. My first was 1/2 horsepower, as the years went on the same router ended up being rated 1.5 horsepower! The important issue with a handheld router is the ability to control it, that is why the monster motors all have variable speed. Otherwise it would only be needed for the larger profile bits that do need to slow down a bit. But if you are really doing profiles the a wood shaper is the right tool and is often faked by a router table insert.

My CNC router table uses a 10 HP motor that did not start life as a router and requires a semi-fancy controller.

Now I keep one router set up for dovetails, another for laminate trimming, a third for plunge cutting with a template, one for the router table and two for general purpose use. I also have a wood shaper. Keeping so many routers allows them to be set up right for their purpose and saves lots of time.
 
Last edited:
Bosch stuff is usually well designed and mostly well made. Some of my older tools are bosch and they've been great. Makita on the other hand, make professional tools. I have lots of Makita gear, including an older version of the router in the first post. I've never had any unexpected issues with Makita gear except a too strong spring on a sander once. It kept popping not-so-well-made belts. They have a well supported dealer network and spares aren't expensive (round here anyway).
 
I managed to get my hands on some Makita budget MT series trim router. It says "Japan" but doesn't mention where it is made. Build quality seems fine though. Externally the MT models and the corresponding non budget model are also very similar apart from the colour, which is interesting.

It also feels a tad heavy for fine control. A plunge router is heavier but it's easier to hold it with both hands I guess. But if I have to hold the smallish work piece with one hand and the router with the other. The plunge router does seem like a no go. Might even want a Dremel for that. :D

So I think I'm going with a trim router. As for Bosch vs Makita, the prices are almost the same for the fixed speed models. For the variable speed models the Makita is much cheaper though. This one here is basically the model mentioned earlier but only come with a fixed base, the other bases can be purchased separately it seems.

Makita - Product Details - RT0700C 6.35mm - 1/4" Trimmer

So for now it is either this or the Bosch fixed speed model.
 

PRR

Member
Joined 2003
Paid Member
....I have to hold the smallish work piece with one hand and the router with the other.....

NO!

The work MUST be screwed/clamped to a table. (Alternatively the router to a broad support table.)

Anything else WILL spill blood and spoil the finish.

These things are small lawn-mowers with SHARP steel edges. ~~1 HorsePower would run a 10"/25cm grass-cutter which would snip a toe instantly.

Although the "cutting zone" is smaller than a thumb, the dynamics of rotary cutting ensure a wide swath of carnage.
 
when I wanted to buy my first power tools, I asked my friend expertise. He was a Bosch fan which surely was still made in germany, all of his bosch power tools more than 1 decade still never got any repair. While his new version Bosch made china will only last 3 years, he used them on daily basis.

dissapointed with new Bosch, now he is Makita fan, so am i now. i got cord drill, cordless, jigsaw, trimmer, circular saw and they are all Makita.

btw all my makita are the green body which some of them made in Indonesia/Malaysia, previously i was advised by the store manager to buy items that are still made in Japan. He said Japan production design had not been changed for the last 1 decade and dont use plastic body, still use metal alloy and the colour mostly silver gray. And for sure it's more expensive.

i find that most of professional contractor on big project around my office building use those silver grey makita. the pro knows which one that are good :)
 

Attachments

  • PhotoGrid_1539310941687.jpg
    PhotoGrid_1539310941687.jpg
    145.7 KB · Views: 235
  • PhotoGrid_1539310972062.jpg
    PhotoGrid_1539310972062.jpg
    112.2 KB · Views: 320
yes the gray one looks ugly, no rubber, no fancy features. but man when you hold it is alot more steady on your hand. if you have extra cash and only want to buy the router and dont plan to complete your power tools set then go with the gray.

I did not buy it because I knew i need several types of power tools hence the budget was my concern hence the green one was my choice.

one shot of my tools with my diy workbench, i bought 2 trimmer where 1 is set for the table and another for free hand.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20180808_081327.jpg
    IMG_20180808_081327.jpg
    768.3 KB · Views: 225
Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.