Router Forums banner

King Canada 3.25 hp router - comments?

26165 Views 39 Replies 25 Participants Last post by  Cherryville Chuck
King has released a new router this fall
I believe it is 3.25 hp, and it looks a lot like the Makita

The price I have seen it at looks good - $120 cdn
I currently have a PC 693, which I am quite happy with, but frequently want another router to do related cuts without haveing to remove it from my table (thus destroying all set ups)

This is a plunge router, with a depth adjust knob, and trigger switch, and variable speed.

The depth control looks like it would be great for very fine adjustments.

I am not sure about the trigger switch for table use - It does have a pin lock, so that might work. I have built a foot pedel switch that works great.

For the price, if it fits into my router table, which it should, it looks like the next tool to get.

I am looking for comments on this router from those who have one.
1 - 20 of 40 Posts
Hi Matt:
Does the King router come with 1/4 and 1/2 inch collets>
Who sells them in the Torornto area??
Mo.
Maurice said:
Hi Matt:
Does the King router come with 1/4 and 1/2 inch collets>
Who sells them in the Torornto area??
Mo.
Don't know who sells King in Toronto, but you might try Atlas Machinery.
You could check King or email the to find out who they sell to in Toronto.

The King flyer I have says it is new for fall 2004.
Art's in St. Catharines has them, as I saw some there today - and they say they have sold about 18 since November, with 1 return - the shaft spring pin did not pop back out.

The flyer says:
15 amp motor
plunge depth 0 - 2-3/8"
variable speeds 9k-22k rpm
comes with 1/4, 1/2 collet sleeves, 1/2 collet cone
1/2 straigh router bit, edge guide, guide holder, trim guide, chip defledtor, template guide, wrench, depth stop, wrench, carrying case.
HI
I have just purchased the King router model 8367.
It comes with a 1/4", 3/8" collet and 1/2" collet cone
I purchased it from ALL-IN-ONE WOOD TOOLS in Mississauga Ont.
phone (905) 826-4720
I haven't tried it yet??

price was $119.00 plus taxes and shipping

I am in Quebec and it cost me total price of $140.17 deliver to my home

Tony
Let us know your first impressions after you crank it up

Thanks in advance
3/8" bits are hard to come by in the US. The only easily available ones are used by the optical industry for shaping plastic eyeglass lenses. This is a ball shaped 3, 11 or 12 flute cutter, about 3/4" diameter. You can make use of about 140 degrees of the cutter. They are good for cutting coves, and by adjusting your depth of cut you can make a neat staggered edge of multiple curves. Hope this info is of use to you.

Mike

PS I'm dying without hockey! Go Wings!
King Router

HI
I purchased the King router model 8367 last month.
It comes with a 1/4", 3/8" collet and 1/2" collet plus, plus, plus.
I purchased it from Home Hardware in Penticton B.C. Canada
The price was $99.00.

When you plunge it up and down the springs are very noisy and sounds terrible. So I was a little hesitant at first. So I brought it home and
removed the springs,very easy to remove, and I use it table mounted. I have used it on a number of projects and it performs flawlessly.
For my purposes it's great lots of power. I realize it's not a Makita or one of the other high dollar units but for home and hobby work it's terrific.
I would recommend its purchase.
Gary Nevard
See less See more
Hi there! I checked out their site and some of the stuff looks like Freud and Delta?? Is it these made in Taiwan stuff with big brand names? I know King use to be big builders of tools a way long ago and they were considered to be top notch in competetion with beaver-rockwell. This was from word of mouth with one of the old woodsmith by my area. If anyone else bought the king products with good results please let me know. tx
chelseamedic said:
Hi there! I checked out their site and some of the stuff looks like Freud and Delta?? Is it these made in Taiwan stuff with big brand names? I know King use to be big builders of tools a way long ago and they were considered to be top notch in competetion with beaver-rockwell. This was from word of mouth with one of the old woodsmith by my area. If anyone else bought the king products with good results please let me know. tx
It's not much to add but I spoke to Timbertown in Calgary, their price $119 + gst (of course :mad: ).
The point I wish to make, as described by the salesman, the target buyer of King Canada is the contractor that will use the tool heavily for a year or two. If the tool breaks toss it in the garbage and get another one (rather than have to wait for repairs). Kings rep claims they are after the Craftsman and Mastercraft market by providing better quality and similar pricing to sales. They have over the counter warranty. If you want an inexpensive dedicated 7 1/4" circular saw for breaking down sheets King has one for $50 CD. Not the high end tool some demand but the pricing is very good.

With the comments above on the King router I think I'll skip the second base ($100) and put the King ($119) in a table and forget about it. :cool: How many removals and installs are worth $20 to you?

Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too? :D
My 2 cents.
CB
King

CanuckBeaver said:
It's not much to add but I spoke to Timbertown in Calgary, their price $119 + gst (of course :mad: ).
The point I wish to make, as described by the salesman, the target buyer of King Canada is the contractor that will use the tool heavily for a year or two. If the tool breaks toss it in the garbage and get another one (rather than have to wait for repairs). Kings rep claims they are after the Craftsman and Mastercraft market by providing better quality and similar pricing to sales. They have over the counter warranty. If you want an inexpensive dedicated 7 1/4" circular saw for breaking down sheets King has one for $50 CD. Not the high end tool some demand but the pricing is very good.

With the comments above on the King router I think I'll skip the second base ($100) and put the King ($119) in a table and forget about it. :cool: How many removals and installs are worth $20 to you?

Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too? :D
My 2 cents.
CB
King is made in Canada somewhere just outside Montreal. They have been making tools since 1920 or so that I know of.My dad was a cabinet maker and traded his Rockwell saw for one back in the fifties. It was top of the line then.
King

Matt said:
Don't know who sells King in Toronto, but you might try Atlas Machinery.
You could check King or email the to find out who they sell to in Toronto.

The King flyer I have says it is new for fall 2004.
Art's in St. Catharines has them, as I saw some there today - and they say they have sold about 18 since November, with 1 return - the shaft spring pin did not pop back out.

The flyer says:
15 amp motor
plunge depth 0 - 2-3/8"
variable speeds 9k-22k rpm
comes with 1/4, 1/2 collet sleeves, 1/2 collet cone
1/2 straigh router bit, edge guide, guide holder, trim guide, chip defledtor, template guide, wrench, depth stop, wrench, carrying case.
Also comes with 3/8 collet.
I just bought the king router but it does not have standard table mounting holes. I guess I'll have to drill out the mounting plate for my wolfcraft table. Any other suggestions?
HI Shane

If you don't want to drill out the base plate you can use U-Shape clips or just make a ring out of some plastic and use the holes that are in place.

But I do recommend drilling the holes out to fit your router, you don't want it to come free when it doing it's job..it only take 5 mins. or so to do it right from the get go.. :)

JUst pull off the plastic base from the router and use it for your template to drill the holes out, take care and get the center holes in line you can make a plug or just use your brass guides to get the job done,,,use masking to tape to hole the plate in place for drilling..

=====

I just bought the king router but it does not have standard table mounting holes. I guess I'll have to drill out the mounting plate for my wolfcraft table. Any other suggestions?
Researching the King 3 1/4hp router . . .

The price was $99.00.
I realize it's not a Makita . . .
Gary Nevard
I know I am dredging up an old thread here but it appears the King is precisely that . . . a Makita 3612C, and at less than one third the cost.

The parts lists are even almost identical, using the very same numbers.

Whether they are actually made in the same factory, on the same assembly line, by the same hands, I can't say . . . but I have my suspicions about it.

So $310 US for the Makita (according to a current Amazon listing) or $100 CDN for the King . . . hmmm

Think I'm :sold:
Junk

So I used this router in my table for a while with 1/4" bits and it was fine. I bought some 1/2" moulding bits and noticed that there was a lot of wobble. I sent it in to get repaired. Five months later they informed me that the bearings were gone and the repair would cost more than the router and that I had to go to the store I bought it off to get a replacement. So I did.... 3 weeks later the bearing went in the new one. Brought that back and sucked it up and bought the Freud FT2200.
What a difference....you get what you pay for.
Thanks Shane! I had considered a King router although I generally shy away from King tools, but the price was appealing. Caveat Emptor!
If I have learned anything in the last four years it is that no King shall ever cross my threshold. No way, no how.:nono:
How did you remove the springs?

HI
I purchased the King router model 8367 last month.
It comes with a 1/4", 3/8" collet and 1/2" collet plus, plus, plus.
I purchased it from Home Hardware in Penticton B.C. Canada
The price was $99.00.

When you plunge it up and down the springs are very noisy and sounds terrible. So I was a little hesitant at first. So I brought it home and
removed the springs,very easy to remove, and I use it table mounted. I have used it on a number of projects and it performs flawlessly.
For my purposes it's great lots of power. I realize it's not a Makita or one of the other high dollar units but for home and hobby work it's terrific.
I would recommend its purchase.
Gary Nevard
In the post you said the springs were very easy to remove- How is this done? Can you describe it? Thanks
Hi Matt:
Does the King router come with 1/4 and 1/2 inch collets>
Who sells them in the Torornto area??
Mo.
Hi Maurice:

TSC sold it in Grimsby. In Quebec, Unimat (COOP) and a variety of other hardware stores. _Some_ Home Hardware stores carry it.

The 3 1/4HP King router is cosmetically identical to the Makita 3612, except that it doesn't have the electronic brake. It appears that all other elements are identical. I haven't opened up either of them so I can't comment on the insides.
the way it was explained to me is thus: King Canada tools are, ironically, the imported stuff they sell, King industrial is however, the tools made in Canada that are highly regarded and of course, more expensive. hope this helps.
1 - 20 of 40 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top