Which router should I buy — plunge, fixed base or palm trimmer?

Router marketing talks about power and speed. In practice the decisions that matter are the body style, the collet capacity and whether the depth adjustment is any good, because those three determine what you can do and how frustrating it is to do it.

Step by step

1. Understand the plunge router.The motor rides on two sprung columns so the bit can be lowered vertically into the work while the base stays flat, and a turret stop sets several depths in sequence. That makes it the only style that can safely start a cut in the middle of a board — mortises, stopped housings, inlays. It is also the most versatile for depth-stepped cuts.
2. Understand the fixed-base router.The motor is clamped in a base at a set height and cannot plunge. Lighter, better balanced for edge work, and easier to adjust precisely from above when mounted in a table. It cannot start a cut in the middle of a panel.
3. Understand the palm or trim router.A small one-handed router, usually 1/4in collet only, originally for trimming laminate. Modern ones are far more capable than that name suggests and are the tool most owners use most: round-overs, chamfers, small rebates, hinge recesses and edge trimming, all with far less fatigue than a full-size machine.
4. Decide the collet size.1/2in shank bits are stiffer, vibrate less, cut cleaner and are essential for large profile bits. 1/4in bits are cheaper and available in far more small profiles. A router that accepts both, by swapping the collet, is the right compromise — never use a reducing sleeve as a permanent solution.
5. Insist on variable speed.Large-diameter bits must be run slower or the rim speed becomes dangerous and the cut burns. A router with a single fixed speed cannot safely use big panel-raising or moulding bits. Variable speed is also what makes a router usable in plastics and non-ferrous metal.
6. Check the depth adjustment before you buy.This is where cheap routers fail. You want a fine adjuster that moves the cutter in small measurable increments and locks solidly. Try it in the shop: coarse-only adjustment turns every setup into a guessing game.
7. Check the soft start and electronic speed control.Soft start stops a big router twisting out of your hands on power-up. Constant electronic speed control maintains rpm under load, which is what stops the cut quality dropping as the bit enters the wood.
8. Check the accessories that come with it.A straight or parallel fence, a guide bush plate that takes standard bushes, a dust extraction port that actually connects to a normal hose, and a spanner arrangement that lets you change bits one-handed. Missing accessories are expensive to buy separately.
9. Consider a table from the start if your work is small.Narrow mouldings, small components and repeat profiles are all safer and better on a table. A basic table plus a fixed-base or plunge router covers a great deal of cabinet work.

Tips

• Weight is a real factor. A 2000W half-inch router held at arm's length along the edge of a worktop is exhausting, and fatigue causes mistakes.
• Check what guide bush standard the base takes. A base that only accepts one proprietary bush limits your template work later.
• Dust extraction on a router is genuinely worth having: the chips come off fast and hot and they go everywhere.
• Buy the router before the bits, then buy bits for jobs as they come up. A large boxed bit set is mostly profiles you will never use.

Alternatives

• Palm router only: If your work is edge profiles, laminate trimming, hinge recesses and small rebates — which is most home DIY — a good palm router alone is a legitimate choice, and you will use it far more often than a heavy one.
• Plunge router only: The single most versatile choice if you can have only one. Heavier and more tiring for edge work, but nothing else does mortises and stopped cuts.
• Combination kit: Several brands sell one motor with both a plunge base and a fixed base. Good value and genuinely useful, provided the depth adjustment on both bases is decent.
• Router table with a dedicated motor: If most of what you do is repeat mouldings, a permanently table-mounted router with above-table height adjustment is far more productive than lifting one in and out.

Questions people ask