Customer Reviews

Bosch 1617EVSPK 12 Amp 2-1/4-Horsepower Plunge and Fixed Base Variable Speed Router Kit with 1/4-Inch and 1/2-Inch Collets

5 star:		(100)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I bought the 1617EVSPK 2-1/4HP bosch combo router some 9 months ago and have logged a lot of hours on the machine. Overall I echo the positive comments that other users have provided re: power, versatility, ease of use, etc. There are two areas where the unit falls down, however. First is the base plate; although it is allegedly centered at factory, if you are doing close tolerance work (eg using a leigh dovetail jig) you will probably need to buy a base center and reset the base plate. This is a pain but at least it is fixable. A far more serious problem is the fact that the router seems to have developed a side to side wobble when used in plunge mode, so that the bit swings a fraction from side to side when plunging, despite my carefully applying pressure equally on both handles. Not a problem for many applications, as the swing is very small, but when close tolerances are a must (eg routing mortises) it is hard to achieve. I cut several dozen floating tenon mortises this weekend using a new spiral upcut bit, and half the mortises were 1/32"-1/16" oversized, meaning I now have a lot more stock in my scrap bin. The unit does not appear to have any way to tighten up the plunge mechanism. This far more serious flaw makes it difficult to use for high end woodworking.

Bought this router after a week of research. Looked at porter cable, dewalt, and this bosch router. determined through reviews on this site as well as other reviews that the bosch was the router that I wanted after the first day, but decided to wait and read through some more reviews. Saw the Bosch 1617 router combo at Lowe's for 219, but it was not the 1617evspk, which comes with a free edge guide/ circle cutter and also lists as 2 hp, may be the same motor, but I want the newer, updated router . Looked on amazon and found this router, the Bosch 1617EVSPK which came with a edge guide/circle cutter and the router mat for $219.00. I agree with another buyer who said that this router does very professional work and can make anyone look like they know what they are doing. Even my wife who has never used a router was able to use this with ease. It is very easy to switch between bases, clean design.
The included cast wrenches for changing bits are sign of a better quality router

and the edge guide/circle cutter is a must and a cinch to use. I like that it comes with functional carrying case that holds everything but the edge guide, even has places for most commonly used bits of both shank sizes. A major plus is depth adjustment that stays the same even after switching back and forth between bases; you don't have to readjust and hope its the same depth. The router has a feel of solid design, cuts soft and hard woods like butter, no vibration and is quite. Slow start is a must to prevent damage when kicking on. I read complaints of the switch location, but has not really bothered me and I don't know of a better place to put the switch where it would not create other problems. There is not really a better place to put the switch that would not interfere and either get dirty or turn the unit off/on accidentally. Flat top makes for easy bit changes and ensures that router does not turn itself on for those of us who do not unplug the unit (bad habit). The real wood handles make for a solid feel, instead of hollow plastic. The plunge base has an easy to reach lock that allows user to keep both hands on the router and minimize mistakes. A couple of thoughts on why I bought this router. When buying a router, could have bought 2 routers, 1 plunge and 1 fixed base, would have costed me the same for equal power, but not equal quality, and may need to buy separate accessories for both routers, like dust kit, edge guides, etc. I also figured I would spend at least $120 for a decent low end router, but would have to replace it after 4 years and would not have all the functions that I wanted. Rationalized that since getting the Edge guide for free, normally $40, took the price down; since most routers do not come with an edge guide or a circle cutter, especially one tool that does both. Figured that all the wood work that I would do, and plan to do, would only like to make the purchase once and have a nice router to boot, so I might as well buy it right the first time. I am not a hardcore woodworker, but routing is something that cannot be done by hand and the few times that I may use it you need the right equipment; it's value is immeasureable. There is nothing worse than having bad tools or tools that are a hassle to use. This router is something that I may keep till I get really old and pass off to my kids, and will still be a great tool then. Simply could not waste my time and patience with a lesser quality router. Bosch really put a lot of time into designing this router and its carefull placement of things, even the switch. Free shipping through amazon and no tax saved even more than buying from store, another plus. Have recommended this router to several friends and they have nothing but good things to say about it. If you are into woodworking, would also recommend the Bosch 1594 3-1/4-inch planer, another well designed tool that performs better than expected, only way to describe is that it literally glides over the wood surface and no sanding is needed afterwards, who could ask for more?

Update: I have ran into 2 instances of the switch not working, probably due to dust on the contacts inside the switch. Not enough to change my rating though, since all it took was a little compressed air around the switch to get it working again. The second time I had to use Electric cleaning spray, found at your Pepboys, near the brake cleaner sprays. Hopefully in future designs they seal the switch off entirely. This router is still one of my most favorite tools.

If you were looking at getting a combo kit now is your chance to get a 2 HP unit instead of the 1.5 HP units. The softstart and self center bits work great both as a plunge router as well as a fixed base and the 2 HP soft start and mag body makes it easy to control as well as light weight.

The 2 HP unit has plenty of power to be used in a router table a nd if you can only afford one router don't skimp for a few dollars more you get more power, variable speed and the bosch 2 HP variable speed router with the micro fine adjustments.

I have had the 1617EVS fixed based for over 6 months and the extra cost to buy the plunge router attachment added up to more than this whole kit with the storage case costs.

I've had this router package for about two years now & use it on average 2 or 3 times a week. At first I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Now that the honeymoon is over I've come to the conclusion that it's a decent design with a few minor annoyances & a couple of major faults. Some nice idea's but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.

1. I like the handles on the plunge base, good ergonomics, good control. I don't like the wooden handles on the fixed base. Poor fit & finish. They regularly come loose & need to be retightened. Lockwashers don't help. I don't use locktite because I remove the handles for some of the jigs & baseplates I use.

2. I love the 8 position turret on the plunge base. This should be an industry standard.

3. The Bosch plunger is a normally locked type. I like the plunge lever to be normally unlocked like Hitachi & DeWalt it makes it much easier to set depth of cut.

4. Changing bases. When the router is cold it's a wrestling match to remove the base. It gets better as it warms up & then becomes too loose on the plunge base. I've tried adjusting the screw on the latch & haven't been able to hit the magic spot yet.

5. The fine adjustment on the fixed base. This is undoubtably related to the previous issue. It's too tight when it's cold & then gets easier as it warms up. The adjustment knob helps quite a bit. But then you can't turn it over on it's head to change bits unless you balance it on the edge of the table. Kind of a pain. Also the knob has to be removed to remove the motor. Too many steps, too many parts. I prefer the simple continuous adjustments that DeWalt & Milwaukee use.

6. Template guides. These are OK but again too many parts, levers & steps leave too much room for error. I made baseplates that accept PC type guides. Much better.

7. The edge guide is a nice unit.

8. The motor has a plenty of power. The soft start & constant response are both excellent features.

9. That pesky power switch. I've replaced 2 & keep a spare on hand. My parts guy tells me there is nothing else that will fit. We're stuck with a lousy switch. I don't need to know how or why it fails, thats Bosch's responsibility, it should never have failed in the first place. They flat out blew it on this one & have not stepped up to the plate to resolve the issue. Bosch has been aware of this for quite some time & continues to sell a router with a known bad part. A poor product coupled with an apparent total disregard for their customers speaks volumes.

Knowing what I know now I would not buy this router again. I think Bosch was attempting to reinvent the wheel & may have started out on the right track, but ended up missing the mark Happy woodworking!

I can't say enough about this router combo set! One of the many things I love about this set is how easy it is to switch from the plunge base to the fixed base, and the variable speed adjustment.
I really enjoy woodworking and I work with this tool all day, it does everything I need it to do and does an excellent job.

What more could you want. This machine is powerful and very quiet. Setup is quick, easy, precise and locks down tight. The soft start is amazing - no kick when you turn it on. I recommend the dust extraction kit (RA1173). It gets about 99% of the dust and chips, you'll be happy you did because it puts an end to the mounds of sawdust that routers spread all over your work area.

I looked around at all of the different routers and settled on Bosch after the good review that Wood Magazine had given it. I had the opportunity to use a friend's Porter Cable for several months before I made my purchase and I found that used in a router table, the PC was a real pain to adjust--you have to twist the whole motor and it isn't particularly precise if you are needing to make fine 1/16" and smaller adjustments. The Bosch has a micro-adjust which makes those small adjustments easier to make.

Purchased this router kit after reading many of the reviews. Thought it was the greatest thing until I built a jig to plow out a bunch of dados for some cabinets I was building on site. I found out that the sub base is NOT centered to the center of the bit. The jig I built is just a phenolic plastic base with a straight edge glued to the top for a guide. That way you just line up the edge to the reference line and start routing dados. Well, I cut the edge with my undersized bit for plywood bit to size up the jig and clamped it on and started cutting. But when I turned the router around and started cutting in the opposite direction, my bit started to resize my jig. It was off by about 1/16". Needless to say, I went back the the building supply store where I bought this thing, and all of their other Bosch routers were just about as far off center. Thankfully they allowed me to return it and I got my money back. Then I went directly to Tool Crib, ordered a Porter Cable 892, and the first thing I did was check for center. It was right on, and the manual even says that the subbase can be adjusted for center. I never had a problem with my PC 691, and should have stayed with PC. Think I'll get the 895PK next so I can have a router permanently dedicated to my router table. Bosch, you make a lot of top rated tools, but I don't think this is one of them.

03 March 04
Just found out that there's an optional centering guide to center the sub base properly. Hat's off to Bosch for this, but why is it optional? Something like this should be standard equipment.

What more could you want. This machine is powerful and very quiet. Setup is quick, easy, precise and locks down tight. Changing bases is quick and does not require any tools (unlike the comparable Porter Cable). Depth adjustment is done without twisting the motor, so you never have to work with the cord sticking out of the front of the machine.

The soft start is amazing - no kick when you turn it on.

I recommend the dust extraction kit (RA1173). It gets about 99% of the dust and 95% of the chips. Puts an end to the mounds of sawdust that routers up spread all over your shop/garage.

The first/last router I bought was a Rockwell 3/4 horse. Rockwell was bought out years ago by Porter-Cable. The router has been a tank and served my minimal usage well over the years but I'm now at a point where I can spoil myself with some new toys and get my home shop to a stage where I can keep myself occupied as I spy retirement years coming up. My Rockwell will be passed down to my son where it will continue to serve him. After reading as many comparitive articles as I could and many of the user reviews here, I settled on the Bosch 2hp combo kit. I also picked up a D handle base so I could mount the standard base to my router table permanently. Thus far the Bosch has lived up to all my expectations and the reviews. The soft start and adjustment features are a real joy. In working on an Arts and Craft bed for my daugher I have been able to set the cut depth via the fine adjustment, then use the macro adjust to add another 1/2" to the cut, then back to the fine setting, all with no wiggle in the fine setting. A feature not even advertised. Bosch came up with a great design years ago and stuck with it.

This is a great router. Bought the plunge / fixed base kit, and my only complaint is that it does not come with the templates needed to use the router with dovetail jigs, etc. It uses a special template locking ring that only fits Bosch templates, or you have to buy a special Bosch template adapter to use the standard screw in type. ...