so far works great perfect for my needs

so far works great perfect for my needs  Read Less

The router works good. The collects that come with this router are junk. The bit sticks in the router and is a pain to get out....  Read More

The router works good. The collects that come with this router are junk. The bit sticks in the router and is a pain to get out. Luckily I broke the collet and purchased a collet for a bosch 1617 router it works on the hitachi router and is a lot better quality. No more problems. Hitachi needs to make better collets for this router.  Read Less

I've had this router for about a month now, and have used it in a variety of small scale projects. I've used it for hand-held r...  Read More

I've had this router for about a month now, and have used it in a variety of small scale projects. I've used it for hand-held routing, and mounted to a router table. This review is for both the router & the other components of the kit.Positives: + Powerful motor + Affordable price + Kit contains some very useful accessories + Works really well + Porter-cable baseplates/accessories appear to suit Negatives: - Lackluster fit and finish - Has some quirks that require workaroundsThe router kit comes with the following:-> Fixed & Plunge bases-> 3 plexiglass baseplates that attach to the bases with 3 screws each. Two of them are circular, and the other one is a 3-quarter circle with a flat side that can be used to guide the router along a fence.-> 2 wrenches for tightening/loosening the collets to insert/remove bits-> One 1/4 collet and one 1/2 collet-> 5 Aluminum guide bushings of various sizes-> A dust guard to attach to the plunge base-> Large plastic carrying case that fits everything-> Instruction manual.I'll say up front that most of the annoyances that other reviewers have pointed out are based on fact.The switch is really inconvenient to access while performing handheld routing with the fixed or plunge bases. Not impossible to get used to, but can be be awkward when doing delicate stuff.The plunge base does stick. I stripped the parts as suggested by another reviewer, sanded the rods and applied tool oil, which helped. But the problem has not completely gone away.The collets do tend to get tight after sustained routing, making it hard to remove the bit. Sanding and oiling helps in this regard, but does not eliminate the problem completely. There appears to be two points of `stick' while loosening the collet. You have to make it past both points for the bit to get loose. Not sure if this is a design feature or flaw.The motor does not come freely out of the fixed base. It sticks just near the point of release, and you need to `wiggle and twist' the motor in just the right way to free it. I've gotten used to it now and it is automatic, but it is certainly a design flaw.On the positive side, the router works very well once everything is set up. The self-start works well. The motor itself is relatively silent and very powerful. If you are using the router mostly mounted to a router table, many of the annoyances (switch position, sticking plunge base) become irrelevant. The fact that accessories are easily available is a big plus for me. I don't think there is any option available that gives you so much for this price. On the whole, I am very happy with this purchase, and would buy the same product again.  Read Less

A lot of complaints I've read about this, are justified, but I've been able to rectify almost all of them. I like this for my ...  Read More

A lot of complaints I've read about this, are justified, but I've been able to rectify almost all of them. I like this for my purposes and get good results.  Read Less