# Easy to use - seems like a pretty good deal



## NiteWalker (May 7, 2011)

I have the R2401 too and love it. I actually have 3 of them and sold my bosch colts.

I agree on most points; the led is awesome, the case is nice and compact, two bases is a plus (I use the square ones) etc, however, I disagree about the power switch. I think it's a great design. It's very easy to operate and very unlikely you'll plug it in with the switch on.


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## WhoMe (Jul 9, 2009)

Another R2401 happy user. I put my review out a while ago and have now used it for quite a while. My impressions have not changed since my review and I still enjoy using it for many things. I am with Nitewalker, and disagree on the power switch. In all my uses, I have never accidentally shut the router off because of the extended switch. In fact, I really like it that it extends above the router body. It makes it REALLY easy to turn off when finished. Just a quick slap on top and the router goes off. I can see this being good if you were needing to turn it off in a emergency. BUT, each user is different and for you Chris, your usage may be different than mine. 
In all my usage, I have not noticed the heating up of the router. But, I have not left it on for an extended amount of time either and I don't think I have ever ran it for any length of time at full speed. I normally keep it about the mid-range for everything I have used it for. I have not seen any advantage for anything faster as I have played around with various speeds with different bits and have not seen any change on results. Besides, a more mid-range speed produces less noise too. 
Happily, so far, it has performed extremely well for everything I have thrown at it. I look forward to many more years of great usage from this.


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## tomd (Jan 29, 2008)

2 years and happy.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

A very thorough review. Thank you.


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## REK (Aug 30, 2009)

I have 2 small craftsman routers they heat up pretty quickly also…maybe the nature of the beast. I love the small hand held routers, just great for profiling and flush trim bits. I use the hand helds over the large routers 10-1, just easy to set up and go…great tools.


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## NiteWalker (May 7, 2011)

I agree completely Bob; that's why I have 3 of the R2401's lol!

When I grabbed mine they were only $89 and I had a 10% off lowe's coupon.


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## Saxplayer (Apr 8, 2012)

NiteWalker and WhoMe-

I see your point about the power switch. It is a good safety feature. I like to hold the router on the side with one hand and on top with the other to steady it, and have shut it off several times by accident.

It's certainly something that I can learn to work around, and it's definitely not a deal-breaker. I still love the router. All things considered, it's probably better to have a router turn off accidentally than turn on!


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## Saxplayer (Apr 8, 2012)

Also, I would amend my "negatives" section by saying that all of them are very minor, and none would have prevented me from buying the tool.


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

This is an unusual review here on LJs…..Very informative and you didn't just open the box , you actually used it ! 
Three cheers ! Thank you : )
All of my edge guides exceed 3/4" as well…I found the Rockler "cookies" to be helpful when needing a lift : )


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

The motor heating up is caused by slowing down the motor with the onboard speed controller. It will pull more amperage trying to stay at speed, but when you reduce voltage on a universal motor it loses torque, so amps goes up trying to maintain speed, hence more heat.
It probably has a warm point at full speed, and you might be adding 15' to that when going slower, so it feels warmer or slightly hot.
Thought about getting one of these, might have to rethink and go get one.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

looks like a nice unit - good review.

FYI, for the edge guide- it is very common to add an auxiliary shop made sub fence to the guide which you can make wider/taller than 3/4" so you won't have that issue to deal with 

as for VS - for the small bits that this is supposed to handle I think keeping it at a constant HIGH speed would be the proper way to use it (smaller bits should run at higher RPM).this might also help relieve some of the heating problems you've been noticing.


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## NiteWalker (May 7, 2011)

@PurpLev and Paul: I keep the 3 of mine at one notch under full speed and they get warm, but not uncomfortable so.

And +1 at higher speeds for the smaller bits these things are designed to spin.


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## vipond33 (Jul 25, 2011)

I've had this unit as well for two years now in daily use at my work. It has replaced my Porter Cable unit that for 25 years I was never really happy with.

Things I like about this tool:

The power switch is perfect. I slap it against my torso somewhere to turn off, no looking or fiddling.
A long cord.
Compact and super comfortable in the hand. Easy to grab low for great stability.
I can see the light!
My favourite, the centre mounted height adjustment. This is really good. It allows for quick and very fine tuning with little backlash and no vertical misalignment. I'd buy it again for this feature alone.

A tip. It's a bit hard to slide the base off the barrel to change bits and why bother if you modify the supplied wrench slightly. Go to your bench grinder and put two small notches in the side of the wrench like so.








Now it will swing far enough to lock or unlock the bit in place.








I run it at full speed always as small bits need that high rpm to work properly.
The only thing I miss is that it won't accept standard template guides but I'm modifying one of the bases to do so.
Thanks for the post.
gene


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

I looked at the Bosch Colt and put it aside almost immediately due to the metal base - can't see a dang thing.
Took a look at the current Rigid, it has a round clear base now, not the extended square one shown in vipond33's photos. I liked it, but not quite as much as the Dewalt, which had all the features and the larger clear base. It was a little more, ($119), and doggone if the Rigid didn't go on sale for $89 right after I bought! Almost took the Dewalt back. But after it was all said and done, I like the larger base of the Dewalt better, and the clear dust cover on the off/on switch, and the great softstart, (which they all have), is hard to beat. 
So I went with the Dewalt…


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## scarpenter002 (Sep 16, 2007)

Thanks for the review Chris.

Gene, Thanks for your input also. I am currently considering the purchase of one of these.


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## Saxplayer (Apr 8, 2012)

The Ridgid that I bought came with both the square and round clear baseplates - I think that is standard now.


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## cutworm (Oct 2, 2010)

Thanks for the review. I had been planning to get one but had a negative encounter with Ridgid service. Not sure if I should blame Ridgid, the authorized service center or both but am now nervous about buying more Ridgid products.


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