Customer Reviews

Bosch PR20EVSNK Colt Installers Kit 5.7 Amp 1 Hp Fixed-Base Variable-Speed Router with 4 Assorted Bases and Edge Guide

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

BOSCH Scores again! What a great "little" router. For the few extra bucks I purchased the kit that included the additional bases and accessories. It's small, lightweight, comfortable and easy to use with one hand. But don't let its small size and 1 HP rating discourage you, I feel it has plenty of power to do most hand held routing tasks. As we know, manufacturers HP ratings are often overstated and simply not possible to obtain. (HP = (Amperage x Voltage x Motor Efficiency) / 746. Hinge mortising, round-overs, edging and of course laminate trimming and seaming are much easier with this small router than its larger cousins. Definitely several steps up from my Porter Cable laminate trimmer, but obviously not as powerful as my BOSCH 1617. Both the coarse and fine adjustments are smooth and accurate. The soft start feature and variable speed control are a real plus. The collet lock button is a little small (but I suppose it has to be) and takes some getting used to operate. All in all, this is the router that I'll be reaching for most often.

The PR20EVSNK Colt Installers Kit is a great product, with accessories to quickly perform a number of tasks, especially related to installing cabinets and laminate covered counter tops. It performs edge forming tasks like chamfers, ogees, coves, and round overs much easier than larger routers. For fine furniture it is a great tool for mortising decorative stringing. It actually makes installing stringing fun.

The Bosch Colt 1.0 HP router (PR20EVS) is a fine tool that meets every expectation I have for a small "single-hand" or "palm" router. The Bosch motor speed control works great, as it does on the larger Bosch routers. The Colt is designed for small-profile 1/4-inch shaft bits, which can be installed and removed rapidly. In fact, the best feature of this router is fast setup, even when changing bases. The shaft lock on my unit works very well, but just to make sure Bosch also provided a thin 10 mm (3/8 inch x 1/8 inch thick) open-end wrench. If you have difficulty depressing and holding the shaft lock, just use the wrench. The provided collet wrench is a 17 mm wrench (about 11/16 inch). The motor slides in or out of the standard or tilt base with ease. The offset base takes just a little more effort, and I will discuss this more.

The standard base has a square sub-base, which actually makes a lot of sense when it is used against a guide. The motor clamp or lock works easily with the thumb. The fine adjustment works easily (when unlocked) with clear markings: each revolution is 1.25 mm or 3/64 inches). The depth gauge is clearly etched in the motor case in both 1/6" and 1 mm divisions, with just a little more than 1-inch (27 mm) of travel. One issue is that the fine adjustment mechanism must be cleaned (and greased) regularly. Dust combines with the grease in the exposed portion of the screw.

Two included attachments make the standard base more useful. Both attach at the same fixture: the straight edge guide and the roller/bushing guide. The straight-edge guide works like any other of these devices on larger routers, but it is smaller and has no fine-adjustment feature. It is pretty easy to adjust, with appropriate wings on the adjustment locking nut, but someone with arthritic fingers might find it troublesome. The roller/bushing guide is equipped with a fine adjustment feature. It is useful for edge-forming bits that do not have a bearing guide. All of the bits I have use have bearing guides, so I have not used this guide. I don't think it will be very useful for me, but in a pinch a core-box bit could be used for a cove bit, a straight mortising bit for a trimming bit, etc. I suspect that when I find myself in a predicament I'll be very happy to have this attachment, but it will gather much dust meanwhile.

The included PR005 tilt base is intriguing. Depth adjustments are made similar to the standard base, with the added feature that the sub-base assembly tilts 30 degrees one way and 45 degrees the other. Although the degree gauge is deeply stamped, the gloss black color makes reading it difficult. A little white crayon or correction fluid placed in markings improves things considerably. There are mild detents at each mark, 7 1/2 degrees between marks. A bevel gauge can be used to accurately set a straight bit at an angle, so set the angle first then change bits if you want to use some other profile. The intended use for this base is to be able to edge-trim laminates in odd places like the area at the junction of a back-splash and counter. But it will also permit chamfers or v-grooves with straight bits and unusual variations in edge treatment. However, an external guide must be employed to keep cuts straight.

The included PR004 Offset Base permits trimming in otherwise inaccessible areas. Places where a lot of hand-filing would otherwise be necessary. It is possible to cut within 1/2 inch of a vertical surface when a 3/4-inch bit is employed, and this can be reduced to 3/8 inch by removing the spindle cover. To use this base, a drive gear is installed instead of the motor collet, the motor is inserted into the base, and a screwdriver is used to slip the cogged-belt over the drive gear. This arrangement works well--and easier than I thought, but you can only use this setup for 10 minutes at a time, letting the device cool between uses. The offset base includes its own roller/bushing guide which seems to be of more use in this situation, as it helps stabilize the router and prevent gouging. To stabilize the router when routing a back-splash, mount a wood block to the base to run against the back splash. Just drill mounting holes in the base. Installing bits in the offset base is done by pressing a shaft lock (large red button) at the top of the offset shaft and using a wrench on the collet nut. There is no other method of holding the shaft, but the lock is very positive. To remove the offset spindle cover (provided to keep your hand away from the hot offset spindle), alternately tap the small projections on each side of the cover at the collet end with the collet wrench. The cover will slide up and off.

One of the great items in this kit is the PR006 Underscribe Attachment. This permits cutting very accurate joints between two laminate panels, both small and large, as the panels are being installed. I had big doubts about this working well, but it does. I highly recommend at least one practice run before you use it seriously. You need a Bosch 85213M 1/8" diameter bit to make it work (not included). Follow the instruction carefully and you will be rewarded with an amazingly tight joint. Have an assistant vacuuming the dust while you do this to prevent dust getting under the laminate, and keep the overlapping piece against the underlying piece. Practice is important, if only to get the hang of the fine adjustment.

The case fits all of the items in the kit well, including the manual, but it is easy to turn the angle base the wrong direction which prevents the top closing--even though everything looks straight. Just turn the angle base 180 degrees. Although there is room for some other accessories, most that I recommend below won't fit without some imagination and modification. I wish they had figured this out.

If this description has you convinced that this collection of attachments is complete, think again. There are several important accessories (besides 1/4-inch shaft bits) that I highly recommend. Why these aren't included in this otherwise complete kit really does not make much sense. You need them, so go ahead and spend the extra bucks. These include:

PR009 - Larger round base that accepts Bosch RA-series template guides (twist-click variety).
BOSCH PR009 Round Subbase Template Guide For Colt Palm Router

PR010 - Larger round base that accepts Porter-Cable style threaded template guides.
Bosch PR010 Round Subbase for Threaded Temp Guides for Bosch Colt Palm Routers

PR007 - Side handle subbase with vacuum attachment. This is great for edge treatments, as the router is stable and chips are collected.
BOSCH Side-Handle Subbase and Dust Hood Part No. PR007

PR008 - Insulating base cover. If you use the router a lot, the aluminum base gets hot. This keeps your hand cool when holding the router--a great idea. You don't want the router getting away from you because you aren't holding it tightly.
Bosch PR008 Base Cover for Bosch Colt Palm Routers

RA1150 - Centering cone. This is very useful for accurately mounting sub-bases, and I seem to do this a lot with this router.
Bosch RA1150 Centering Cone

RA1125 - 7-Piece Templet Guide Set (RA Series twist-click, use base PR009)
Bosch RA1125 7-Piece Router Template Guide Set

Porter-Cable 42000 9-Piece Template Guide Kit. (Screw in type, use base PR010) There are a lot of different sets of these available, including a solid brass set, which I actually like better.
Porter-Cable 42000 9-Piece Template Guide Kit

So why do I recommend both the PC-style and the Bosch RA-style template guides? Because I find I need them both. To use this router with a Porter Cable dovetail jig, the PC style template guides make life easier (the dovetail jig comes with the correct guide). To use this router with a Bosch door hinge template, the Bosch RA-style works better. And I like using this router with jigs. It is lighter and easier to manipulate than my larger routers. It isn't a plunge router, which is a problem sometimes, so I don't use it when I need to plunge.

So what about bits? This kit should have come with the following set:

Bosch RBS020XW 3 Piece 1/4-Inch Shank Laminate Trim Router Bit Set
Bosch RBS020XW 3 Piece 1/4-Inch Shank Laminate Trim Router Bit Set

And if you want to make template cuts:
Bosch RBS021XW 3 Piece 1/4-Inch Shank Template Cutting Router Bit Set
Bosch RBS021XW 3 Piece 1/4-Inch Shank Template Cutting Router Bit Set

And one very useful bit to cut holes in panels:
BOSCH Pilot Panel Bit 1/4", 1/4" Shank, 1 Flute, Carbide Tipped 85244 (
BOSCH Pilot Panel Bit 1/4", 1/4" Shank, 1 Flute, Carbide Tipped 85244

(Amazon only permits 10 product links in a review, so you will have to find the following yourselves.)

And the bit required to do the very accurate panel joints using the underscribe attachment:
Bosch 85213M 1/8" diameter (ASIN:B000CNMHCO)
Robt Bosch Tool Corp Accy 85213M 2-Flute Straight Bit

So, should someone buy this kit if they aren't installing laminate? No, buy the base router and add a few other items:

Bosch PR20EVSK Colt Palm Grip 5.7 Amp 1-Horsepower Fixed Base Variable Speed Router with Edge Guide
(ASIN:B000ANQHTA)
Bosch PR20EVSK Colt Palm Grip 5.7 Amp 1-Horsepower Fixed Base Variable Speed Router with Edge Guide

Add the template base of your choice (above) and the centering cone (also above) and the side-handle sub base with vacuum attachment, and the related items I mention above. You won't have the angle or offset base, the underscribe attachment, or the bearing guides, but you won't miss them. If you later install laminate (I mean a lot of it), buy the other accessories or a whole new kit. Having more than one of these routers is a great idea, as you will make fewer setups.

I have used this router now for about 4 months. I was a little sceptical on spending the money for this kit since there are cheaper kits available. I was also a bit concerned about spending the money for this since my only purpose was to do some laminate trimming but I didn't want to use my much larger router for the delicate work. Well, I have not been disappointed with this machine and its attachments.

The first thing I noticed upon turning it on is the soft starting. I have never had a piece of equipment with this ability. I does not twist your arm or wrist when starting like a lot of other routers. I do not know if it is worth spending extra money if offered separately but it is sure nice when the joints are a little sore. Its size is a definite plus when doing the fine laminate trimming and cutting out hinge recesses, etc - it does fit in the palm of my hand and I am able to do most things with holding the router in one hand and holding the working item with the other hand. It also variable speed settings but I have not used these yet.

The router base has some recesses that are nice to place one's thumb in when needing to stabilize the router when cutting corners or angles,etc. The base does get warm after using it awhile but not hot. The regular base has a large opening so one can see from the top side of how the cutting bit is behaving with the working material. The accessory bases are very nice to have available. They can be exchanged very easily with just moving the lever to the open position on each base and then aligning the arrows on the base and router. One of the bases' levers was too tight from the factory but that was easily fixed with just loosening the lever one turn. I have found the angled base and the close quarters (offset) base are great to have when cutting angles and tight spots. The close quarter base probably gets the cutting bit within 3/4 to one inch from a wall or similar type of blocking item. This base utilizes a small, strong belt (similar to the newer vacuum cleaner kevlar belts) to get its offset ability.

I have not used the undercutting guide yet. I must have read the manual over 5 times in that section before I finally understood how to use it. Basically, this guide is used for cutting a piece of laminate or wood when replacing or fixing a countertop, table top, flooring, or similar type of item. It uses the edge of the good piece of wood/laminate as a guide for cutting the new piece of wood/laminate so it will have a nice tight fit with minimal amount of a joint type of appearance. I know this will come in handy some day for that one unique project.

I am extremely happy with this router. Changing bits and bases is extremely easy almost fun. I probably wouldn't buy this router without the extra bases since they make it earn its place in my tool cabinet.

ANSWER: You bet I do! Especially this nice little router. This has been a joy to work with. It fits the bill when I don't have to dig out the big guys. Small routers really have a place special place in my woodworking.
All the reviews were great on this Bosch Colt and I wasn't dissaointed.

I love this router. It is very light weight and powerful and the accessories are great. Love the variable speed. Only issue that Ihave is that after only 2 months of use, the spindle lock is broken and cannot be used to tighten or loosen the bits. I took a 3/8" wrench and thinned it downto fit the slot on the spindle and now uestwo wrenches to tighten/loosen the bits. Would have thought that Bosch would have made something that stood up a little better than this. Oh well, I still love the router.

This little router is very handy for jobs where light weight and compact size matter more than horsepower. It is not much bigger than a laminate trimmer and is much more versitile.

I bought mine primarily for cutting hinge and strike plate mortises. I figured that the attachments that come with the kit would come in handy sooner or later. It was a lot cheaper to buy the kit than to buy the bare router and add the other parts a-la-carte.

The small, rectangular sub-base provided allows you to work close to raised obstructions but it is too small to bridge the opening in hinge mortise templates. Be sure to buy a PR009 or PR010 sub-base with this router so that you have that capability. I chose the PR010 due to the ready availability of 1-3/16" guide bushings and the relatively poor reviews on Bosch's bayonet-mount bushings.

The only reason for not giving this kit 5-stars is that Bosch did not anticipate the virtual necessity for a larger sub-base and provide room in the case for it.

I teach a woodworking class in the after-school program at the Chestnut Hill School in Suffolk County, NY. I purchased the Bosch Colt so that the 3rd through 5th grade children in the class could learn to use a router without having to attempt to guide either my Bosch 1613 Plunge Router or a 3 1/4 HP Porter Cable Router. It has worked out well. The smaller hands - and weaker grips of the children present no problem as they use the machine. I have used it to do some simple chamfering or rounding over when I elected not to resort to hauling out my table-mounted P-C machine, and it has performed well. Obviously, one will get better results with a half inch bit chucked into a table mounted router, rather than a 1/4 in. bit, but for simple, non production work, the tool performs well.

I bought my first Bosch Colt when they first came on the market and have used it extensively in my home shop and hobby woodworking projects. I particularly like it for easing edges on various handyman jobs and furniture projects I have built. I bought a second one recently because I was away from home and needed a router for a custom kitchen counter we were installing. I had always wanted the full kit for the different bases offered with the full kit. I was not disappointed. It did everything I needed it to do and did it well. This is not a "toy router" but rather a serious, power tool, to do the job with power to spare. I only wish I had one of these twenty years earlier.

The deluxe kit is nice, well made and more than powerful enough. I am using it more than my big router now for edge forming work. The woodworking mag. were correct.

Downside, the manual is weak. I am still not sure how or what to use some of the attachments are used for.

I have been a professional woodworker for 20 years. I had a Porter Cable Laminate trim kit that I loved, but it was stolen. I bought this because of the variable speed, detents in the tilt base, and more powerful motor. Unfortunately, the bases slip until you adjust the lock nuts, and it is a very fine line between too tight to adjust and too loose to hold. Worse than that, the darn thing is much louder than the PC kit. It is a good router, and comfortable to operate. Bosch routers are usually well crafted and bullet proof, so I suppose I'll get used to it. Wish I'd bought another PC, though.