This post is sponsored by The Home Depot
Meet the $69 18-volt ONE+ Cordless fixed-base trim router from RYOBI. This is an great budget-friendly router. Most important of all, its cordless. That is a massive deal to me, considering I have an corded trim router that I love and had for years, and it has been good to me. There have been many times I wish I had a cordless one.
Cutting circles has to been the biggest headache for me with the corded version. I am always fighting to keep the cord out the way. At this price it’s quite reasonable to have a cordless one on hand.
Remember this is just a trim router, it’s not meant to replace a full-size router so there are a lack of features when compared. More on that later.
I will only compare this to other trim routers and from what I have experienced.
What is a trim router?
Trim routers are designed to be used with one hand; making it easier to control and much quicker to set up and use. These are great for doing quick routing jobs like rounder overs, flush trim, dados, and fine routing jobs, to name a few. Typically, these are good router bits ranging up to 1in in diameters. They usually have a 1/4 in collet along with an adjustable depth.
This RYOBI Trim router is a tool only, so if you already own an RYOBI 18-volt ONE+ Cordless then you are in good shape.
Otherwise, you will have to pick up the 18-Volt ONE+ Lithium-Ion Router kit for $129. That is not a bad deal for a cordless router. One thing to note is that this trim router comes with a collet wrench only and nothing else.
This trim router is for any skill level whether you are a beginner or a pro, this router brings connivance at 29,000 RPM so you can quickly get through your trim jobs.
I have great experience with routers and I think it’s important to point out a few things I noticed with this one.
Being a cordless trim router means this brings a cord free experience you can not beat. While that is a great feature that allows you the freedom, the drawback is that the battery adds weight.
In most cases the tool is resting on your subject and you are just guiding it, but it still has some decent weight to it. It has a nice grip area on pretty comfortable to handle.
There is an on board micro adjustable dial to adjust the cut depth, it’s precise and easy to adjust. This is a fixed base router with a fixed RPM motor.
I was a bit concerned it didn’t have a speed control, but I didn’t find it to be an issue yet. I didn’t check the run time on it so cannot how long you will get. However, with how fast batteries charges now a days, two battery should be all you need.
Here are a few things I think could have been apart if this router. I am aware the price is competitive without some of these things. If I was to compare it to my corded version, it doesn’t come with a few things I find useful like
- a dust port
- variable speed motor
- a round and square base
- a carrying bag
For the price and the performance, I cannot see why this would disappoint anyone. I used it in one of my recent projects, and not one time did I think to myself I wish this was better.
So, I approve! Any time a tool comes with a warranty, I see it as the brand is confident in this particular tool. So that’s a plus knowing you have support.
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