James, the 3612 is a fixed speed router, the 3612C variable speed with soft start, well worth the difference because, bench mounted where really large cutters can be used, the peripheral speed of the cutter is so much faster than the centre, and should be slowed down, just how much, experience will teach you. For hand held use at start-up a big router like that kicks like a mule and in my usual humble opinion, this can be dangerous, especially when, even the likes of me, occasionally omit to check that the router is OFF before plugging it into the power socket, I know you won't all believe that last sentence!
