Comparison Bosch GKF 550 Professional 06016A0020 vs Makita M3601

The general design features and purpose of the router depend on the type.

— Vertical. The classic, most common type of milling cutter. As a rule, vertical devices consist of the motor itself and a specially designed sole that provides support during operation. The sole is often made adjustable in height, which allows you to change the distance at which the cutter protrudes and, accordingly, the depth of processing. However, this change can be accomplished in another way.

- Edge. In accordance with the name, this type of router is intended mainly for edge processing and chamfering. Such units are lighter and more compact than vertical ones, which, in particular, facilitates work in cramped conditions. On the other hand, they are less productive and have fewer customization options (in particular, they are very rarely equipped with adjustment of the processing depth).

- Lamellar. Specialized milling cutters designed for cutting grooves for lamellas - fasteners in the form of thin plates. The design of such a tool is such that each groove is cut literally in one movement - this significantly speeds up and simplifies the work. Lamella milling cutters, as a rule, are not intended for other purposes.

— Additive. Similar to the lamellar ones described above, filler milling cutters are used to cut out “...seats” for fasteners. However, in this case, these places are intended for dowels - oblong products with a round or elliptical cross-section (also known as choppers or dowels) and are not grooves, but holes, usually quite deep.

- For removing nail polish. The purpose of this type of router is clear from the name: they are used for removing paint and varnish coatings; the principle of their operation is similar to angle grinders (“grinders”). When removing varnish, you often have to deal with fairly large areas to be processed, so a tool of this type, as a rule, allows the use of large cutters that provide a larger working width. In this case, the engine power may be low, because The load on the cutter in this case is small.

— Milling motor. This type can be described as milling cutters with minimal equipment - consisting of a motor in a body, a spindle and a collet and devoid of a base, guide rails and other similar devices. As a rule, such tools have an oblong body and a fairly small size and weight, which gives quite a wide range of possibilities for their use - from working as an impromptu hand engraver to installing it on an automated machine. However, in most cases, motors for milling cutters will still require additional accessories.

— For cutting tiles. Another type of milling cutter, the purpose of which is described by its name. Such devices themselves have an oblong body and operate similarly to drills; however, the matter is not limited to round holes along the diameter of the cutter - a cutter can also be used to cut a line in the material, for example, to create a hole for an exhaust fan, or to cut a fragment of a non-standard shape. Such features are indispensable when working with tiles.

- Disk. Milling cutters using a disc-shaped cutting attachment. Their main purpose is to cut grooves. In design and principle of operation, milling cutters of this type are similar to circular saw, however, these tools cannot be equated. Unlike saw, disc routers do not cut through the entire thickness of the material - they only create a groove of a certain depth, usually a V-shaped profile, on the surface. Additionally, they use cutters instead of saw blades. One of the most popular uses for this tool is cutting fold lines on aluminum sheets.

The total power of the router, more precisely, the engine installed in it. The higher this indicator, the more productive the device is, the better it copes with complex work, the more force on the cutter (torque) it provides during operation, and the greater the spindle speed can be (although a powerful tool is not necessarily high-speed). On the other hand, high power significantly affects the dimensions, weight and price of the tool, plus power consumption and network load increase accordingly. In addition, high torque in some cases (for example, with delicate processing) is frankly undesirable. Therefore, a tool should be chosen according to this parameter, taking into account the real needs and the specifics of the planned work.

There are three main categories of milling cutters in terms of power: light (up to 700 W), designed mainly for simple household work; medium (up to 1500 W), able to cope not only with domestic, but also with most professional tasks; and heavy (1500 W or more), used in cases where high power is critical. However, this gradation is true only for routers (see "Type"), other varieties have their own specifics: for example, lamellar models, in principle, do not need high power.

The highest spindle speed provided by the router motor. Measured in revolutions per minute. For models that do not have speed control (see "Functions"), this paragraph indicates the standard number of revolutions.

For different work, the optimal speed of rotation of the spindle (and, accordingly, the cutter) will also be different. For example, hard materials like stone require fast rotation, but wood does not; some types of nozzles work better at high speeds, others at low speeds, etc. Detailed recommendations for each specific case can be found in special sources. When choosing, it is worth paying attention not so much to the maximum rotation speed as to the general range of speeds - how much it corresponds to the planned tasks. We only note that in models with a large allowable cutter diameter (see below), the maximum rotation speed can be relatively low - the working edge of a large cutter moves quickly even at low speeds, and for effective acceleration of such a nozzle, too much power would be needed.

The largest collet size that the router can use.

A collet is a special type of fastening used, in particular, for installing working nozzles in milling cutters. For proper installation, the size of the collet must match the size of the cutter shank. Modern cutter shanks and collets for them have standard sizes - 6, 8 or 12 mm. The larger the size, the larger the cutter itself, the more powerful the tool and the more difficult the work for which it is intended.

As a rule, the maximum size of the collet is the size of the fixture that is standardly installed in the router. Thinner cutters can be mounted using special adapters (however, care must be taken, as such a nozzle may not be designed for the increased power characteristic of tools with a large collet).

6mm collets are found predominantly in light routers (see "Power"), 8mm mounts are found in most intermediate and professional level tools, and 12mm collets are found in the most powerful and heavy models.

The distance by which the height of the cutter can change relative to the support platform of the router, in other words, to what depth the working nozzle can be lowered relative to the upper position. This parameter is used for vertical and edge models (see "Type"); however, edge routers with height adjustment are very rare. In fact, the amount of travel not only describes the maximum working depth provided by the tool, but also indicates the presence of depth adjustment; for models without such adjustment, this parameter is not indicated at all.

As for specific numbers, for simple household work, a stroke of 25–30 mm is considered quite sufficient, and in a more serious tool, values of 70–80 mm can be found.

Additional equipment included in the delivery of the router in addition to the device itself.

— Fresa. Working nozzles — milling cutters — can be included in the delivery set of milling cutters, this eliminates the need to purchase such nozzles separately. On the other hand, before buying a tool with this feature, you should make sure that the complete cutters correspond to the features of the planned work — otherwise you may overpay for unnecessary nozzles. Usually, there are several cutters in the set.

— Dust collector. A special container for collecting dust, sawdust and other debris generated during the operation of the router. Most often it is made in the form of a soft bag, and a special pipe is used to connect to the tool (a vacuum cleaner can also be connected through the same pipe). Note that the overwhelming majority of modern milling cutters are equipped with nozzles for dust collectors, but the bags in the kit are relatively rare. Usually, a dust bag can be purchased separately, but for some users it is preferable to immediately buy a tool with a bag.

— Copy base. The copy base is the base (sole) of the router (see "Type"), specially designed to work with copy sleeves. The copy sleeve is a ring fixed on the tool body, into which the cutter is threaded. When working with such a sleeve, the operator rests the outer edge of the ring agai...nst the template and moves the tool in such a way that the base is constantly pressed against the template. Thus, the distance between the cutter and the template remains unchanged, and the working nozzle repeats the shape of the template; this is indispensable for precise work, especially with lines of complex shape. Many routers allow you to install a copy sleeve on a regular sole, however, there are models in which you need to install a special copy base for this. Such a base has certain differences from the standard one, due to the specifics of the work — in particular, it usually does not have depth adjustment, because. the presence of an adjustment mechanism can adversely affect the accuracy of work.

— Protective limiter. The protective limiter is a small ring that covers the working nozzle. This ring, as the name suggests, provides additional protection for the operator from dust, chips and other debris generated during operation. In addition, it prevents foreign objects (primarily fingers) from getting under the cutter and increases the efficiency of collecting debris in a vacuum cleaner or dust collector (see above). And so that the operator can control the process of work at the same time, the protective limiter is usually made transparent.

— Guide rail. A device designed primarily to ensure that the router during operation can move parallel to the edge of the material being processed. The rail rests against this edge during operation, and the tool itself extends a certain distance from it on special guides. Thus, it is possible to cut recesses parallel to the edge of the workpiece. The distance from the rail to the cutter can be adjusted, some models even provide special scales on the rail itself.

— Case / bag. This category includes all devices designed for storing and transporting tools; at the same time, hard containers in the form of characteristic suitcases are usually called cases, while bags, on the contrary, are made of soft materials. Anyway, the case / bag simplifies storage and carrying: firstly, due to the fact that such devices themselves are more convenient for long-term carrying than a tool; secondly, due to the fact that the router, the power cord, and all additional accessories can be folded into one place, reducing the risk of losing any of it.

The length of the power cord provided in the design of the router.

The long cord, on the one hand, allows the tool to easily “reach” quite remote sockets, provides additional freedom of action and eliminates the need to switch to another socket once again. On the other hand, it can be inconvenient if the power source is not far away and the excess cord has to be stored on the floor, chair, etc.; and with insufficient length, it is quite possible to use an extension cord. Therefore, in most modern routers, the length of the cord is about 2 – 4 m — this is quite enough to reach the outlet in most cases, and at the same time not so much that there is inconvenience due to the large excess.

The noise level produced by the router during operation. This parameter is quite approximate, since the actual “loudness” depends not only on the characteristics of the tool itself, but also on the material and shape of the workpiece being processed, the type of cutter, the speed of work, etc. Therefore, in fact, the noise level may differ both up and down; in the characteristics, a certain average value is given, by which, however, it is quite worthwhile to navigate.

The “quieter” the tool, the more comfortable it will be to work with it, the less likely it is that the operator will need protective headphones. At the same time, we note that routers, by definition, are quite noisy — the most “quiet” models give out about 75 dB. Also, keep in mind that the decibel is a non-linear quantity, so it is best to use comparison tables when estimating the noise level.

Here is a simplified version of such a table for the range in which most modern routers operate:

75 dB — scream, loud laughter at a distance of 1 m;
80 dB — motorcycle engine, mechanical alarm at the same distance;
85 dB — a loud cry at the same distance;
90 dB — demolition hammer at a distance of 1 m, a freight car at a distance of 7 – 10 m;
95 dB — subway car (inside or at a distance of about 7 m).