Customer Reviews

Porter-Cable 97529 2 HP Heavy-Duty, Electronic Variable Speed Plunge Router Kit

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I bought this router based on several reviews I have read talking about the quality, design etc. When I started using it I had two problems come up right away: The 1/4" collet that came with the router was machined too small to fit the bits(I had to use a pry bar to remove the bit from the collet). I exchanged the collet at my dealer with another and it seems fine. The other problem is one no one has mentioned. The dust port is located right by your right hand/arm and is a 1" port. If you don't seal the port, you get a lot of sawdust flying in your face and arms. The 1" port size is an oddball size for shop vacs and you need to buy an adapter from PC (or fabricate one to fit). For the money we pay, you think that PC would include an adapter with the unit. I also noticed the fine depth adjustment is flaky. If it's in a table, it takes about 15-20 turns to raise/lower the bit, but if you go too far (ie. raised or lowered too much) you have to turn it 15-20 turns min. in the opposite direction. Other routers I looked at had better depth adjustments.

Overall I like this router, it's not too heavy, easy to move about, and it's Porter Cable so it should be tough. However, there are things that I don't like about it. 1. the plunge spring is so stiff you have to lean on it to make it go down. 2. The switch on the handle requires that your finger flip up a release, which seems to stick on when you want it to shut off, and not stick when you want it stay on. 3. The micro-adj. knob is set to low and close the body making it hard to turn. Last and most important is I've had my router just over a year and the soft start module just went out for the second time, which means it will not run!! And last time my router was in the shop for two weeks waiting for parts and this time I'm going to have to pay for the expensive module myself...

I recently bought the PC97529 2hp router, and unfortunaltly found it to be a poster child for what seems to be a wide spread problem with new PC products. I found this router to be over hyped and under powered. I am a profesional carpenter rely on my routers. PC has always been the standard for a rugged,reliable and well engineered router. This router stalled out constantly on a project that it should have breezed through (rabbeting MDF) the trigger and saftey were stiff and awkward, the depth adjustment aggravatingly tedius and the dust shield a chincy prop designed to woo us with its appearance and not actually survive. My router actually died after 2weeks. This is the second PC router I have had fail on me this year. The life of both was less than what I would expect for a craftsmen. My sense from this eperience and other recent eperiences with other PC tools is that PC is targeting hobbyists and empasizing packaging over quality this is forcing me into the arms of DEWALT and BOSCH.

There's a lot to like about this router, but it has several quirks. First, I've had trouble with the trigger switch on mine. On my router table, upside-down, the switch will catch in the on position, but about 1/4" from being bottomed out. The net result is that there isn't a good contact in the switch and the overload protection kicks in when I try to run a 1/4" bit to any depth at all - even 1/16". I have to wrap a velcro strap around the trigger to keep it bottomed out - I use the switch on top of the router to turn it on and off on the table anyway. Second, the height adjustment is slow and awkward, and I always have to play with it a bit to get the turn direction right. Given that, it's a least very accurate, and I can almost always get it exactly where I want it. Third, the dust collection stuff is virtually unusable on a table.

So much for the quirks, all of which are irritating but manageable. The real problem with this router is that it is gutless for its size, even with the trigger switch all the way down. I have a little 1.5 HP Makita router that has more power. Even though it is more difficult set depth precisely on a router table, I still revert to it on occasion.

The first few thing I noticed about this router is the smoothness of the plunging mechanism. The release and lock lever are ergonomically correct and it always seems to lock and release on a dime. The softstart is a nice feature, when you turn it on it doesn't try to pry itself from your hands. The fence that came with the kit is also accurate specially when plunging mortises. The only dissapointment is the brake. On my router it worked for about the first ten minutes and then it quit. I guess I will be taking it to the service center to give it a brake job.

At face value this seems to be a very nice router but, upon closer inspection, the design has serious flaws. First the base seems to be too thin of a casting as you can feel it bend if you put side pressure on it. Base stiffness is critical for precise plunging. This unwanted flexibility may be due to the dust extraction tunnels cast into the base. Secondly the plunge is not nearly as smooth or precise as the DeWalt 621 as there is a lot of slop between the rods and their linear bearings. Third the plunge lock works opposite to the way that it should. Plunge locks should be normally off and applied to lock. This, as with all PC plunge routers, is normally on and worked to release. This is much harder to use when mortising than the lock down method used on the DeWalt 625 and on Hitachi's and Makita's large plungers. A minor point is that the plastic chip shield is a joke as it falls off easily. On both the DW621 and this PC turning the router on and off requires a finger dance with the PC's being slightly easier. What's wrong with a simple trigger switch without all of the clusmy, and in my opinion vastly more unsafe, so called safety switches? Spindle locks are not a feature as is claimed as when the collet releases you have a good chance of damaging the rods. PC did a nice job of giving you the option of using two wrenches which is a better way to chuck and unchuck the bit without damaging the rods. Nice handles which is a plus. This could have been a great router like the DeWalt 625. Instead it's simply an acceptable one.

Porter Cable has a design flaw with the trigger locking switch. To use this in a router table, your must lock the trigger on and use a switch located on top of the router to turn it on. The problem is the switch lock breaks easily and the router will not function properly. I found this out the first time I used it in my table and sent it away to be fixed. After the fix, the repair lasted 20 minutes. I am now looking for another router to use in my table. I will only use the 7529 for hand held applications where I constantly hold down the trigger myself. Porter Cable should have a recall on this. I am not the only person with this problem. I posted my problem on a tool chat room and other woodworkers shared the same story. If you want to use this router for a router table, get another router. Save yourself the trouble.

Great mid-sized router! This kit is full of features and is worth the money. The edge guide is one of the best i have ever used and this router is perfect size for free-hand routing and still has plenty of power for most table operations.

I used the router last weekend to do some raised panel work and i could have used a little more power. Also, when i first got the router the plunge seemed to be a little to stiff, but over the three weeks i have had it i have operated it probably about 10 hours and the plunge is very smooth now. I guess it just needed broken-in.

If you can only affort one router then buy this one. However if you can afford two, get this router if you are going to free-hand or run average size table bits, but get a 3 1/2 hp router for larger bits(2"+).

I'm currently on my third one. All have had switches fail, my current one is hotwired bypassing the top rocker swich. PC said a year ago it would send me a new switch, still haven't seen it. If you use this in a router table the handle switch mechanisim will plug with sawdust, and will not work. All Three have had the collet lock break, and I have had Makita's version for four years (model 3612C) and its still going strong. By the way I own seven other routers and use them in my furniture shop.

Router arrived in good shape. Overall the unit has plenty of power for most jobs. Like some other reviewers, I too have trouble with the trigger release since it is not a natural motion (maybe that's by design, I dunno). The plunge stop is easy to set. The spring is a little stiff so it does take a bit of effort to plunge the unit down. The electronic variable speed is relatively easy to set. I'm concerned, however, that dust and chips seem to build up around the variable control and work their way behind it. The first few times you use the router it seems a little odd in that the motor "spins up" slowly unlike a traditional fixed-speed router which runs full-tilt almost instantly. Bit changes are relatively simple. A spindle lock is provided. I didn't have any problem with the 1/4 inch collet like one of the other reviewers did. I still find myself using my old fixed-speed router for a lot of applications where I don't need the plunge capability (e.g. round overs, simple edge profiles, etc.) The PC unit accepts a variety of standard collars which is great for some applications.