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AWITW 293: Eeny, meeny, miny, moe…

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Hi everyone; I seem to be going through a phase of longer videos just now, but there’s quite a bit to chat about in this one. There’s a little more about scribing the meter cabinet with some unseen video that didn’t make it to the final edit as it was getting a bit long - Plus member Stu asked about that - and there’s a bit of router chat as well, courtesy of a question from Shona in the Plus member forums, as I take a look at the £70 Rutlands plunge router vs a Katsu trim router with a plunge base.


There are pros and cons to each, and - spoiler - I’m not sure either would be my choice, personally; the Rutlands was looking pretty good overall, until I started actually using it.


I also take a quick look at the bigger OF1010-alike Rutlands 1/4” router which has unfortunately arrived damaged / faulty; annoyingly, it could be easily rectified, but I think it’ll have to go back as you can’t really take chances with a tool you expect to review as you open yourself up to all kinds of allegations and accusations if things go awry.


Incidentally, Rutlands are quietly starting to put together quite a decent looking range of tools; they have some 40-litre M-class vacs, some systainer-alike stacking tool boxes with a roll board, the Festool-alike router and a drywall sander too. I know Rutlands have a bit of a ‘cheep & cheerful’  reputation with the customer as quality control, but so do many other retailers, and it’s good to see someone investing in an ‘own brand’ range of tools that aren’t clones of all the others.


Either way, if you spot something at Rutlands that looks interesting and you think may make a useful video, let me know.


Anyway, enough for now; Thanks everyone for your amazing support, enjoy the rest of the weekend, and I’ll catch you in the midweek.


Peter


Direct video link - https://youtu.be/6rqdVUIouqU

18 Comments


I had to check my Bosch 1200AE which is probably what the Rutlands 1200w plunge router is based upon; the plunge lock is on the opposite side to the Rutlands.


Maybe the manufacturer of the Rutlands tool were trying to avoid a lawsuit??

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Replying to

Different kind of lawsuit I think, Sarah!

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Sean Rice
Jul 28

Hi Peter, is it possible to push the small power lock button on the Rutland router once it is at full speed thus enabling your hand to operate the plunge lock mechanism? This is how my original router worked.

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Replying to

Thanks Sean. It’s not actually a locking button - it’s a lock-out button ie it has to be depressed for the trigger to work. The button can be released once the router is running, but the trigger can’t. I think this is in response to an EU safety ruling I talked about a couple of years ago, where routers had to be fitted with what’s effectively an NVR, so in the event of the power being cut they couldn’t auto-start when it was restored. A lot of manufacturers seemed to opt for the cheaper ‘dead man trigger’ instead - at the expense of paying customers convenience and usability of course - though I don’t know how trim routers like …

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Peter, looks like this might be the missing Katsu plunge base dust collector ?


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274819997356

Edited
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Strangely, Rutlands also sell a Makita trim router clone, which I bought on offer a couple of years ago for not much more than the plunge base. However it is not a patch on my old Katsu, feels very cheap in comparison.

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The Makita plunge base for their trim router has a dust collection adapter that clips and screws in. The Katsu base looks like a Makita clone, so I’d expect the same adapter to fit it too.

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Bill J
Bill J
Jul 27
Replying to

I got a dust collection port with my Katsu plunge base 👍

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