Customer Reviews

Triton TRA001/TRC001 3-1/4-Horsepower Precision Router

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought the router specifically to use in the table. I mounted it in Veritas router table and it works just fine. I love the quick height adjustment and super fast above-the-table bit changes. It doesn't get any better than this. Be sure you have a table set up that allows you to easily reach the side knob used to do coarse raise-lower. I can see this would be a problem if you did not have easy access. I find myself using the router when I would have avoided it before because of bit change and set up times.

I never intended to use the router free handed, but I did recently. I needed to cut a circle, so I popped it out of the veritas table (quick to do with their router clamping mechanism) and used the Triton base and circle cutting attachment. Nice! Even though the router is quite large, I cut a 1 1/4" diameter hole precisely and hassle free.

The vacuum hose location is designed for a weird 38 mm screw-in hose. I don't know where to get one except from Triton with their dust collector so I did not bother.

This has got to be the safest router invented with its clear plastic shroud, you cannot get your fingers near the bit and the power switch interlock makes it impossible to do an accidental start while changing a bit. This might actually prove to be an annoyance if you want to use an external switch Because you have to be able to reach the side mounted switch to turn the router on after a bit change. There is no option here.

Watch for occasional specials on Amazon. I purchased mine using a special $50 off coupon with free shipping. At $269 delivered cost, there was absolutely nothing else that would touch it for the price, especially if you are considering something that would require an expensive router lift to achieve the same functions as the Triton.

It appears that all the problems reported by others have been cured (collet problems, power switch problems). Those issues were noted in 2002 reviews. I bought mine in summer 2005.

I'm a retired info systems professional and make furniture for family and friends, not professionally. I've used this router for two major projects in the year that I've owned it. I would have rated it 5 stars except for a problem I had with the rack and pinion lift system near the end of my last project, which involved 8 hours of on-site (not in my workshop) dado routing over 4 days. The gear drive got very stiff in the last hour and occasionally locked up. However, even past the warranty, Triton took back my router and sent me a refurbished one (in advance - no waiting - the replacement, which appeared to be new, arrived in two days). I was asked to pay only for shipping - a nominal fee. I shipped the old one back in their shipping carton. They also updated the switch cover, although I never had a problem with the switch as I've read about other owners. I expect this will become my table router. The rack and pinion combined with the fine adjustment make it ideally suited for table work. Incredible power. Never slows up. Never heats up. Slow startup makes it very easy to control, and it's surprisingly quiet for a router with so much power. I expected plastic parts to cause problems, but have had NONE. It's a very solid machine. It is a bit heavy (expect a 3+ HP router to be heavy), but in a table it won't make any difference.

I bought this in Feb on sale, but didn't use it until May 24. I am building a router table and was using a upward spiral bit to route out the ledge for the plate. First, using the triton bushing plate, I found it must have some major runout because the groove was filled with brass shavings. Second, the collet could not hold onto the bit and on the fourth side of the groove, came completely out. Third, the plunge rods receivers have brass inserts; when i raised the router, the brass insert was just sitting at the base thumbing its nose at me. Oh yeah, it wouldn't free plunge.

After the initial hype I read in the magazines, I was sorely disappointed. Don't buy it until they improve the manufacturing process or whatever is causing it to be so substandard

I recently purchased the Triton 3.250 HP router.

At $329.00 a pop the tool should be good enough out of the box that one should not be contemplating the things one must change, alter, fabricate, and replace just to get the tool to perform correctly.

I'll start off with the things that annoyed me first.
I'll say the nice things later on.

The router base plate has raised letters molded onto it so that they stick out sharply. It's hard not to point out that this is just plain stupid.

The cap holding the hefty spring for the plunge seems to have a weak attachment to the body. It may last - maybe. But it's not as robust as I'd expect. One hard thump and it's curtains for that plunge spring retainer cap.

The plastic router base plate is fairly cheesy. It's too thin and came slightly warped from the factory. I'll replace that bit of garbage with a real one made from 3/8 sheet PVC for when it's out of the router table - where it's going. I'll probably have to do something about the screws holding the plate in as well. I'm thinking Heliciols with a detent.

The attachments that come with the tool are fairly worthless. The metal is plenty heavy, it'll stop a 9mm at 30 feet. Triton ruined the attachments by using cheap plastic lugs as the clamp points which given the weight and power of the router won't resist movement. The circle cutter is a hopeless joke. A small nail driven through a cheap lug of plastic is what holds back all three and a quarter of those ponies? It's stupid. I would not trust it on a nice piece of lumber. I will likely replace the plastic clamp lugs with steel or brass and maybe it'll be OK then - maybe not.

The winder engagement mechanism is a tad stiff. Strong hands won't have a problem.
The button in the right winder to engage free plunge is a tough push.
The plunge spring is over done. It's a lot stronger than needed. Maybe they used poor quality steel and it'll weaken with age?

The depth control stop mechanism is worse then worthless. The thing is a cheap cheesy plastic bit of trash that will fail just as the user gets to trust it. There are two stop screws that one can set to different heights. The plastic body is attached to the base by one screw which becomes progressively looser as you rotate the plastic stops back and forth.
I won't depend on it at all. If I want the depth stop option I'll replace it with one I'll make from brass and mount it more securely.

The spindle & collets are OK sort of. The engagement threads are a course thread. This is simply wrong. Engagement threads in this application should be fine threads not course. The thread quality is crude at best. It feels as though the dies used to cut the threads were dull. The parts make a grinding noise when engaged.

The ground tapered surfaces in the collet seem OK. Router Bits settle in nicely and hold when the collet is tightened DISCLAIMER: I haven't had opportunity to run a lot of lumber through the thing yet. so I can't say if it'll back off and let go of a bit The collet has one single lonely slot. That one slot is all there is to tighten the collet around the bit. The stress on the collet is relieved by two grooves placed radially. It works but it's definitely not quality. For the small cost of a properly made collet assembly this is inexcusable.

The switch has an annoying plastic sliding cover one must slide away before engaging the power. The switch is ideal for table mounting as it's a positive detent switch On/Off switch requiring the user to flip it off.


The thing is a little noisy more so than many routers but it's got a beast of a motor so I'll let that slide.

POSITIVE aspects of the Triton:

The soft start is exactly that. My wife can start this tool up with no discomfort and that's saying something. The switch is ideal for table mounting as it's a positive detent switch On/Off switch requiring the user to flip it off.

The shaft lock works very well. It engages when the router is lowered to change a bit.

The plunge shafts are heavy a thick and have no perceptible wobble. The bronze bushings that guide the router body along the shafts are smooth and free running. The shafts appear to be pressed into the aluminum base with an interference fit - I didn't try to remove them. It's possible they are threaded but I seriously doubt Triton would have attempted engineering that sophisticated. I can only hope the fit was specked and cut well enough to walk the fine line between coming loose or causing stress cracks in the cast aluminum base.

The winder is convenient, works well, stays put without, the need of the cam lock - even while cutting, and the fine adjustment screw is an excellent idea. I've seen some complaints about backlash but, taking the backlash out is not an issue if one knows what one is doing.

The motor is - well - it's a beast. Using this router is like shooting the Smith and Wesson 44 Magnum. If you aren't ready for a big tool you won't like it. On the other hand, if a big powerful hand shaper is what you wanted then it delivers. I wanted the 44 mag' and I got it.

The first cut I made was to see if I could bog it down. I used a carbide two flute 3/4" bit buried one inch in kiln dried pine. First, I plunged straight into the middle of the wood. Then I chewed my way around in a spiral, increasing the feed speed as I went. Then I increased the depth to 1.5 inches - same result. The Triton is stronger than I'd hoped. It's like holding a miniature shaper in my hands. It's a beast. Then I changed bits a couple times looking to hog as much wood off as possible with a couple large profile cutters. Again, it does wonderfully leaving a glassine finish in one pass.

After that I introduced it to some rock maple. It did wonderfully chewing anything I threw at it and left a fine finish. I ran some end mills through it: a 4 x 1/2" flute HSS and a 2 flute 1/2" x 3" long high spiral HSS. I really like the way it works with end mills. The 2 flute high spiral buried all the way in pine and maple can take a substantial cut.

I purchased this tool to go in a table and that's where it's going.
As such, the issues with the spring, the spring cap, the depth stop, the stupid attachments and the cheesy base plate all fade away.

This leaves the collet as the primary flaw.

I always wanted a shaper.

I am glad I paid the show price of $190.00
It's available at Amazon for $269.00, which I think is high.

If I'd paid the full list of $329.00 I'd feel cheated because of the lack of sophistication, poor quality, poor choice of materials, and technical failings in the tool

Note: Festool's big gun is $400.00 - a lousy few dollars more and it needs no tweaking out of the box.

I bought this router from Amazon a few weeks ago to use with my new Legacy Ornametal Mill. For that application the plunge stroke is very important and I used the listed specs to decide on this router. However, my router has a total stroke of 3.25" vs the listed spec of 3.5" and the last 5/8" of this stroke is not usable as it is part of the collet lock out mechanism. In other words the router can only be plunged to 2 5/8" with the motor running. That's a big disappointment.

I recently purchased this router for table use only and thus far couldn't be happier. What I really like is the ability to change bits above the table with one wrench. With a twist of the raising-lowering knob the collet extends above the table and the locking mechanism locks the shaft making it simple and easy to change bits. I haven't owned it long enough to comment on durability, but a buddy has this same router in a table . He has a one man custom cabinet shop and has run hundreds of raised panel doors on his. He just recently went to a shaper. But his experience with this router was the deciding factor for me--as I said so far , I love it.

This router is outstanding! I use it mainly as a dedicated table router. It is a real joy to be able to change router bits from above the table, and the height micro-adjustment and variable speed control are real assets, as well. I now cut dados, dovetails, and moldings in less than half the time required with my older PC plunge router, and I don't have to lift the router out of the table and fumble around with two knuckle busting wrenchs when I need to change bits.

I have used the router to cut sliding dovetails in table legs made from VERY hard oak and pecan. It never even slowed down. I have also cut 1/2" dados in oak in one pass, as well as oak moldings, with this product. It performed these tasks effortlessly.

Though it's priced at the top end of the price scale, it's worth every penny---and when you add in the included circle cutting trammel and edge guide which are usually extra cost options with other manufacturers, the price isn't really out of line.

Very pleased with this product!

The only suggestion I have is that Triton could do a better job with their owner's manual for this product. The one provided is a bit skimpy on details.

After 5 months I've given up on this product. The design is nifty, the company is very responsive and dealing with them was pleasant but the product itself is poor. Quality is really not up to snuff, with problems occuring after only a couple hrs use. I have been through 3 of these things, with a failed switch in all three, and faulty winding mechanism in one. I suspect that they will get it right one day, but wait until they advertise it with a sealed switch. If you make dust, this router is not for you. Dust gets into the slider tubes and prevents the collet from being fully raised (a great idea IMO that just needs a little refining). I use dust extraction but it isn't enough. Lost time, lost faith, lost another sale. I'll buy something that works like Porter Cable or Dewalt.

I was locked in an obsessive debate over whether to buy this router or its smaller sibling as a dedicated router for my Lee Valley/Veritas router table. The advantage of this is its power. The advantage of the smaller 2 ¼ HP model is all the goodies that come with it. Plus, it has built-in above the table height adjustment that seemed awfully sexy - and a good value.

But then I thought about it. Since this model has a fine height adjustment knob, how big a deal would it be to simply reach under the table and twist the knob (instead of inserting a nice fancy crank from above)? A few others seemed to agree with me. Sometimes I have to remind myself, it's not about having cool tools - it's about making things with tools that work well.

I bought this beast and I could not be happier. It is huge. It is powerful. It has great features. It is really well built. It is, unfortunately, sold with largely useless instructions. But once you figure out for yourself how it works (not always entirely intuitive) you realize what a well engineered product it is. A clear, built-in dust collection shroud, an interesting edge guide, and a ½" straight cutting bit round out the package you get. My only less than enthusiastic observation (other than the useless instruction manual) is that it isn't really a soft start - it's more of a delayed start. Nothing particularly soft about it. Is this a problem? No, not at all - just an observation.

But here's the best part - the feature that makes it so very, very perfect for use as a dedicated router in a router table. You can do above the table bit changes - really simply and easily. Put that together with the power and the build quality and you have a real winner.

Oh, and one other thing. While the instructions are pretty useless, Triton phone support is outstanding - great, knowledgeable people more than willing to help you out.

I have used this router as a table router only, but my experience has been amazing. I cannot comment on its hand-held use, but am sure that it will preform admirably. If you use or build a router table where you can easily access the handle and fine control knob, it is the equal of any router lift system. I use my Triton in a table saw extension wing, and find myself using it more than either my Bench Dog or Jessem lifts. I feel like I purchased a lift and motor for half the cost.