Hello all, my name is Ryan, and as you can see this is my first post here.
I've been using the lovely Craftman 17543 combo kit since November of 07, and I've loved just about every part of it. Until a few weeks ago.
In a matter of 2 days, I managed to have my first shop injury (which thankfully wasn't very bad, has healed, and I've since learned the importance of bit sharpness) and my plunge base died on me.
I'm not sure if it was dropped and I was never told, or if this was a developing problem, but over the course of the the day, the plunge motion became rougher and rougher, until one point at which the whole thing seemed to break... the plunge froze, there was a huge amount of play, it wouldn't plunge at all, etc.
I tried visually inspecting it for damage or the cause of the problems, but the plunge mechanism is pretty well contained and isn't accessible. I brought it to a Sears service center the other day to get a price quote, and they told me it would be a $50 charge, plus shipping (one way I believe). I only paid $100 for the combo, so I decided to hold off on the repair for a bit.
I feel like it would be foolish to pay upwards of %70 of the original cost to repair the unit, so now I am left with several options, although only a few are practical.
The Craftsman had developed some slop in the plunge over its life, and I'm not sure if I would want to spend so much on a repair/new one of the same caliber.
Through researching on these forums, I have read references to the Craftsman motor fitting a Porter Cable base. Is this correct? A PC base would probably run about $100 anyway, so this is probably not a wise route.
I've been running numbers, and I feel it may be in my best interest to buy a new combo set. Maybe you guys can help me with your experiences to influence my decision.
I am likely going to be buying the new set at a b&m store as opposed to online, so as to avoid shipping costs/time, the ability to bring a lemon right back to the store within 90 days (I'm assuming), and being able to use store credit/ coupons. Lowes has a bigger selction than HD, as the only kit I have any interest in at HD is the Ridgid set. I am mostly interested in the Porter Cable 893PK, the Dewalt DW618PK, and of course the Bosch 1617 set.
The majority of the wood I work with is MDF, so dust collection is crucial to any set i buy. The set most like my Craftsman is the Ridgid, with clear plastic adapters for dust management. The Dewalt and Porter Cable both have column-based dust extraction, but I have never used either and I am not sure how effective they are vs the craftsman (perhaps they work better, but I'm not sure). The Bosch has no dust collection, and the options available seem to be pretty expensive and not as unobtrusive as the others.
I have read much about the 893pk and the problems it had when it was first introduced. What is the general consensus about it now? Have the issues been addressed? I would hate to spend $60+ more on an inferior set simply for the options. But if it does compare to the highly-praised 690, then I would gladly spend the extra money.
Thanks for any help you guys can provide; I am eager to finally be done with the research and headaches over choosing a router.
I've been using the lovely Craftman 17543 combo kit since November of 07, and I've loved just about every part of it. Until a few weeks ago.
In a matter of 2 days, I managed to have my first shop injury (which thankfully wasn't very bad, has healed, and I've since learned the importance of bit sharpness) and my plunge base died on me.
I'm not sure if it was dropped and I was never told, or if this was a developing problem, but over the course of the the day, the plunge motion became rougher and rougher, until one point at which the whole thing seemed to break... the plunge froze, there was a huge amount of play, it wouldn't plunge at all, etc.
I tried visually inspecting it for damage or the cause of the problems, but the plunge mechanism is pretty well contained and isn't accessible. I brought it to a Sears service center the other day to get a price quote, and they told me it would be a $50 charge, plus shipping (one way I believe). I only paid $100 for the combo, so I decided to hold off on the repair for a bit.
I feel like it would be foolish to pay upwards of %70 of the original cost to repair the unit, so now I am left with several options, although only a few are practical.
The Craftsman had developed some slop in the plunge over its life, and I'm not sure if I would want to spend so much on a repair/new one of the same caliber.
Through researching on these forums, I have read references to the Craftsman motor fitting a Porter Cable base. Is this correct? A PC base would probably run about $100 anyway, so this is probably not a wise route.
I've been running numbers, and I feel it may be in my best interest to buy a new combo set. Maybe you guys can help me with your experiences to influence my decision.
I am likely going to be buying the new set at a b&m store as opposed to online, so as to avoid shipping costs/time, the ability to bring a lemon right back to the store within 90 days (I'm assuming), and being able to use store credit/ coupons. Lowes has a bigger selction than HD, as the only kit I have any interest in at HD is the Ridgid set. I am mostly interested in the Porter Cable 893PK, the Dewalt DW618PK, and of course the Bosch 1617 set.
The majority of the wood I work with is MDF, so dust collection is crucial to any set i buy. The set most like my Craftsman is the Ridgid, with clear plastic adapters for dust management. The Dewalt and Porter Cable both have column-based dust extraction, but I have never used either and I am not sure how effective they are vs the craftsman (perhaps they work better, but I'm not sure). The Bosch has no dust collection, and the options available seem to be pretty expensive and not as unobtrusive as the others.
I have read much about the 893pk and the problems it had when it was first introduced. What is the general consensus about it now? Have the issues been addressed? I would hate to spend $60+ more on an inferior set simply for the options. But if it does compare to the highly-praised 690, then I would gladly spend the extra money.
Thanks for any help you guys can provide; I am eager to finally be done with the research and headaches over choosing a router.