I’m sure you’ve heard by now, about Amazon’s Bosch $25 off $100+ holiday promo. You can find this same discount offer at several other authorized dealers as well.
While many of Bosch’s Colt router kits are not eligible for the discount, and the same is true for their full-sized router combo (at least the one I checked), their single speed Colt trim router, model P10E, is eligible for the discount.
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I tend to prefer variable speed routers, but if you plan to mainly use smaller bits, you might be able to get away with a single speed motor.
The Bosch Colt PR10E router is currently priced at $91. You could combine it with the Bosch PR002, a compatible edge guide that’s priced at$12. Together, the price comes out to about $103, with the promo discount dropping it to $78 at checkout.
The router comes with a 1/4″ collet chuck, collet wrench, shaft wrench, and PR001 fixed base. The edge guide is included with other Colt kits, but not this one. There also doesn’t look to be a case. But hey, you’re getting a Bosch trim router and edge guide for under $80.
Also check out these other brand discounts, and our many recent tool deal finds!
Buy Now(Bosch router via Amazon)
Buy Now(Bosch edge guide via Amazon)
See Also(Bosch straight router bit via Amazon)
Many Bosch Colt bases and accessories are also eligible for the $25 off $100+ savings.
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Compare(Other Bosch Colt routers & parts via Amazon)
Although Amazon’s product description doesn’t list the edge guide as being compatible with the PR10E Colt router, Bosch’s website says that it is compatible.
fred
The Colt is a nice little router in many ways – but is not without its foibles. The 1608 router that it replaced in the Bosch lineup – seemed to have better depth control and it was easier to lock its spindle.
We always used a 2 wrench approach with the Colt – and I’d recommend buying a second 10mm collet wrench (Bosch part 2 609 110 786) or grinding down some other 10mm open end wrench. Another thing is my preference for a round – somewhat larger base – which you can make or can buy one (PR009)
http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-PR009-Subbase-Template-Router/dp/B000LGM79A/
fred
Ignore my comment about needing to buy the 10mm spindle wrench – as it now seems to come with the Colt along with the 14mm collet wrench. It may have been only earlier models that shipped with only 1 wrench.
Sorry for my misinformation on this.
BTW – off topic for this Colt – but Bosch now seems to have caught on to what aftermarket providers were doing for full-sized routers – and is now offering an offset 24mm collet wrench – part # RA1152
Drew M
🙁 I just realized that my long standing preference for 1/2″ shank routerbits makes getting this router slightly silly.
Though, I was thinking this would be a nice tool to just leave a small round over bit in for knocking corners off things. So maybe if I get one, I can get a bit or two specifically for it.
JMG
I still have most of my power tools in my tool cabinets from when I ran a cabinet shop. If I were to start opening drawers and counting routers, almost one fourth of them would be small trim routers. The one thing that I found when pushing hard to beat a deadline, was that constantly having to change router bits ate up valuable time, and that it was cheaper in the long run to have routers dedicated to specific bits that were almost always in use, with a couple of extra routers for the odd bits that that weren’t. Trim routers, in many specific cases are simply easier to use than a router designed around a half inch collet. Not having to change bits and adjust depths every time I needed a different profile in an operation also improved my consistency in production as well.
fred
Amen to that.
Multiple routers in the shop – sometimes all set up and ready to go for different cuts/tasks. One trimmer and one or maybe 2 larger routers in the installers’ trucks for fitting work.
Using the Colt – Betterley now up-fits it with a dual sided stepped base to allow you to do 2 passes without changing the setup. They call it Twin-Trim:
http://www.betterleytools.com/
Drew M
I forgot (somehow) that an excellent woodworker who lives in my neighborhood must have 10-15 routers. I don’t think he EVER changes bits.
That betterly vacuum base plate is really neat. I might have to copy that idea and make a custom router table plate though, I think I would have to give up above table bit changes.
fred
In the shop we had twin shapers. At home I have to do with my router table which is starting to show its age (feature wise anyway)
Mr. Betterley (I forget his forename – just remember the surname) – died quite a few years back – but his company seems to have continued. He was apparently a wizard at Formica work – and certainly his legacy of tools (typically modified Porter Cable Routers) and jigs made things easier in our shop.
Matt
It seems like this one is around $80 every few months at Menards. Despite that, I’ve never bought. While I generally prefer Bosch, I’m planning to get the Dewalt variable speed fixed/plunge combo soon… seems like the flexibility would be worth the price.