Warning/Rant: beware of (some?) Craftsman routers.

i own about 6 craftman routers.. all pushing 15+ years old.. they don’t get much use anymore because i’ve upgraded to better brands.. but, they all have lots of hours on them without a problem.. service is never going to get any better.

look at a new dewalt or ryobi (spelling?).. sears is quickly getting out of the quality tool race.

-- It's not a sickness, i can stop buying tools anytime.

Update: I found the broken piece, it was the slide assembly . The part itself is 2.19, with shipping the total is around 10 bucks.

I was at out looking around today and it’s getting harder and harder to pass by the porter cable….

-- Chuck, Wisconsin

You are lucky, Chuck. I have a Craftsman router where the locking mechanism broke in half (thin metal). I called the Craftsman parts center only to be told ALL parts have been discontinued for that model. So I have a router now that the only way to use it is to use two wrenches and a lot of jockeying (sp) to change bits. And John, you are so right about Sears getting out of the quality tool race.

-- There are three signs of old age. The first is loss of memory. I forgot the other two!

I would like to join the BASH CRAFTSMAN RANT! I now own six porter cable routers and they are so simple and great to use,low noise,smooth running etc. But a long long time ago my father bought nothing unless it came from sears!So the first router he bought me was a craftsman. I used in a router table to run a small radious on 7 or 8 six foot sticks. This took 45 to an hour to run. as I was doing this I saw something driping on the foor. I think they used hot glue to hold things together inside so when it heated up it melted and driped on the floor! I guess there not ment to use more than ten or fifteen minutes. NOW THATS QUALITY!

-- ART- WINSTED CT. Just Remember! If you walk a mile in another mans shoes ----your a mile away and you've got his shoes!

Beginning to sound like Sears won’t be where America shops much longer?

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

I own three that I paid $20 for (all three): the older the better. The only problem I have had was self induced. I broke the screw that holds in the shaft locking lever. Some day I’ll buy a Porter-Cable, but until I do, the Craftsman works for me.

-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.

CM routers of that time period had the self adjusting collet.Halfway through the cut the bit would start slipping and by the end of the cut the depth would be 1/2 inch off.

I’ve got my dad’s ‘78 3/4hp craftmans router, it works just fine for me?

-- If you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem!

I’ve got a 2 yr old craftsman profesional router and it is one of my 3 favorite tools (after my ridgid table saw and my craftsman planer). It doesn’t have a locking mechanicsm and uses 2 wrenches instead. Again, I couldn’t be happier and iti s a relatively new tool. maybe you have a low end model? What model number was it.

My Craftsman router couldn’t hold a bit. I now have a Porter Cable and never looked back.

-- Don, Pittsburgh

I have an old porter cable as a shaper and a newer Hitachi plunge router/fixed base with variable speed and soft start. Of the two, I gotta go with the Hitachi. Absolutely love it. 2 1/4 HP model no. M12VC. For the price, you can’t beat it. My next router however will be the Festool middle sized unit. Yep. I’m a Festool convert.

-- Ooo, er.