[DesertRatTom]

I'm a fan of Bosch. Their 1617 EVSPK kit has fixed and plunge base. Been around for awhile and parts and service/support is top of the heap. A lot of us here really like them. and for about $60 you can buy a separate base you install in the table and can adjust height from above the table. You pull the motor out of the hand-held base, insert it into the table base and you've got a great table routing setup. I just don't think you can beat the 1617.

 

[DesertRatTom]

When I went shopping for my first good router, they had both Bosch and DeWalt on display. But the DeWalt was broken. When I looked it over I realized the screw design and ring around it were a definite weak spot. All the problems I've read about with the DeWalt have to do with the height adjustment mechanism. Shame, because in many ways it is a bit nicer to handle freehand than any other router, but poor design is never acceptable to me. And then Stanley bought them and that company has a terrible reputation for buying up and exploiting old brand names.