Bosch MRC23EVSK 2.3 HP Electronic Modular Router System

LOVE this router. Plenty of power, smooth starting and operating. Very good ergonomics - love the trigger mechanism. VS covers a good range, soft-start is great - no bucking when starting. It also holds steady speed/power under load ... and I have pushed on this guy just to see if I could bog it down. I stopped short of being stupid /unsafe before I had bogged it! Fixed base does it's thing well, and plunge base is smooth, precise and overall great. Can't say enough good things. The ONLY downside I can find to this router is the weight - it is heavy. BUT any router of this power will be - heft comes with the power territory. It balances very well and is manageable despite the weight. I have had, oh, maybe a dozen routers over the last 25yr, still have many ... this is by far the most powerful + smoothest. Ideally, this would occupy the slot of "large router" in a shop and you'd have a trim router (and maybe a midsized too...) for lighter tasks. I honestly reach for a smaller one more often ... but this is an invaluable part of my lineup. In the role of large/power router, this one is unsurpassed IMHO.

The 15amp router market is usually reserved for Router Table behemoths - the big Porter Cables, Hitachis, Triton, and several others; with the 12amp doing the hand-held heavy lifting. This 15amp Bosch is clearly an exception - and and excellent one. I've pushed this hard for the past three weeks, with deep mortises in Jatoba (an incredibly dense wood) using Bosch's template guide bushings, and hand-held edging - more delicate, precise work. This router is smooth, relatively quiet, very predicable, and a pleasure to use. This replaces my venerable PC895, which is 10 years old, still as good as new, but a generation or two older than current models. Being a long-term PC user, I was concerned that my trained hand & body positions would make using the Bosch difficult - not a bit. The real advances for me are: Soft Start, power switch on the handles (unlike others in combo packages); quiet operations; better engineered dust collection - though, this is not dust-free by any stretch of the imagination; and effortless power which comes without the heavy weight of the routers mentioned above. Festool is a common comparison to Bosch; and I own several Festool products. Unlike many Festool owners, I am not a rabid fan - I buy for long-term professional-level functionality. For me, the Festool price-premium is not justified, when compared to the power, ease-of-use, and quality engineering this product demonstrates - not to take anything away from the OF1400 or OF2200 machines - for me, they're just not worth the extra money, compared to this. For $300, you'll get one of the best on the market, and certainly enough power to handle whatever you'll encounter.

Such an improvement over the Bosch 1617 kit. The handle start/stop is so much more convenient and safe during use. I do think they should put a flip lock or something on the handle trigger to ensure that the router cannot start when you pick it up by the handles. This router is sturdy and comfortable, and it is much easier to move the motor to the other base than the 1617. The fine adjustment while locked is a very nice feature. I have mostly used this to do grooves and edge jointing on some dense woods - had no issues. I will say that the optional dust hood attachment should be a heavier gauge of plastic - it bends and breaks way too easily. I also think that the edge forming dust hood should be redesigned- it really shouldn't be necessary to remove subbase screws to attach that. However, the router itself is nice.

Another update - With the problem listed below, I brought it to the bosch center and they fixed the problem and even mailed it back to me free of charge. However, the same problem has recurred. got to go back to the bosch center. In between breakdowns, the router was only used a couple of times. UPDATE - I'm really hating this router. Just got it back from being repaired and it still doesn't work properly. The mechanism to raise and lower the bit in the fixed based has an E clip which become damaged if you raise the bit all the way. They replaced that but when I get it home, it still doesn't raise the bit. There is indents in the motor which allow the base to grab it which is what raises and lowers the bit. But now the clip isn't staying in the indent hence no raising the bit. Just past the 30 days so I can't return it. Going to the bosch center next week to see what they say. At this point I have only used it a few times and only in the table. With that being said, while the machine seems solid and performs well, there are a couple of design features that I feel need improvement. My previous router. pc 7529, had excellent under the table dust collection and this one does not. I guess I'm the minority in using dust collection this way but I had it so good there was no need for anything else. With the attachment, sold separately, is not angled down enough to allow it to fit under the table. I actually had to cut away from the bottom of the router table top. Even with that, the attachment is not closed enough to capture all of the dust. Also, with the attachment on, it makes it more difficult to fit the two wrenches to change the bit. Another feature I'm not fond of is when using the macro adjustment, there are three presets depth settings but only in the first one does it allow for the complete range in height adjustment from above the table. The led lights do next to nothing, the speed control should be on the top to allow for easier access whichever way you put it in the table and an on/off switch along with the lock-on handle would eliminate the need for a switch on my router table. Oh wait, that was my 7529, I miss that router.

Bosch es calidad, ahora a someterlo al trabajo diario.

Wow was I surprised when I opened the case upon arrival, this unit is a beast compared to my old but reliable B&D fixed base. Inspected it for an hour and was very impressed with the engineering and quality. Quite intuitive to switch bases and this is my first plunge router. Machining is first rate and switch in handles combined with soft start is a definite safety plus. Clear bases and lighting is also a plus. All actions are smooth and threads are nicely tapped. The case holds the optional dust collection hoods and centering cone which look to be efficient. They should be included with the kit though for a small premium in price though as I can't imagine using this tool without them. One thing I can't figure out is how can one 15A Router can be rated at 3+ horsepower and the other at 15A at 2.3? It defies common physics. Wish manufacturers would stop this HP game.

Es un router de muy buena calidad, arranque suave y mucha potencia. Tiene dos bases lo que es muy práctico si lo piensas usar en una mesa para router, no hay que estar desmontando el router, solo dejas la base fija en la mesa y la base con profundidad variable para los trabajos manuales.

Excellent in every sense. Using this router is so comfortable, the levers are in the right spots, the turret is easy to use, the trigger. It's perfect.

Cliente satisfecho. El modelo y la marca lo mejor en este segmento. He utilizado routers de varias marcas a lo largo de décadas, así que basado en esa experiencia recomiendo ampliamente esta herramienta.