Keen Products - Dust Router (Rating: 5)

This is a review for the Keen Products Company's "Dust Router" http://www.keen-products.com/

This simple device really works wonders. I have a Bench Dog Cast Iron wing extension router table (the pic above is not my set up) and thought I was getting decent chip collection through the fence but this $40 gizmo makes DC'ing at the router table an art.

Description
The kit comes with:
-a sheet of plastic that you need to attach between your router and plate. Easy enough for me to do but if you have a complex lift it might give you headaches.

-a small, blue silicone "cup" with a hose hookup on the end

-two small hoses that attach to your fence and the "cup"

-a "T" to take the two hoses to your 2.5 inch DC hose or shop vac

Installation

Like I mentioned earlier, it went on pretty easy, about 30 minutes of work. You need to unmount your router and then place this plastic sheet between it and the plate. The opening in the plastic where the bit comes though is surrounded by velcro and the blue "cup" adheres to this. You then sandwich everything back together and put it back in the table. You hook one hose onto the fence and the other into the "cup". Attach your vac of choice and you are up and running.

How it works
In a word-amazingly. I was originally running it with my Rigid shop vac and it was doing a nice job, but when I put a step-down adapter on my 4" dust collector hose this thing must have sucked up 98% + of of everything that came off the bit. I routed about 30 bf of round overs with it and there was literally no debris on the table or underneath, no dust in the air-absolutely great. Since it creates suction from above/behind and below the work piece it get it all. The magic is in the cup. Since it is essentially sealed (sort of) around the bit and to the plate there is no where for anything to go. In the long run this has to be much healthier for your router motor as well.

Bit Changes
Since the "cup" is silicone you can squash it to do above the table changes or you can pop the Velcro off and do below table if you r prefer. I did talk to a guy who had a hard time with it in his lift (I think he had a Jessem).

Complaints
Since I am using it with a table saw wing extension I do have to take it on and off all the time-this is not a shortfall of the equipment, just a by-product of my set-up. Likewise, since it is made to go behind the router table I wish the hoses were a little longer to go around the side more easily. So, I will be buying longer tubing-no biggie.

Last thoughts
Knowing how well it works and how much junk it is saving my lungs from, even if it was pricier I would still buy it.

I really think the magic is in the proximity of the suction to the bit and top of the plate. It is something you just can't get with a box with a hose in it. Highly recommended. A no-brainer. To make it sweeter I was able to pick mine up at Woodcraft for $34.00 during their last sale.