Makita RT0701CX7 1-1/4 HP* Compact Router Kit

At 30 I've only recently discovered the existence of the amazing tool that is the wood router. I'm a musician that has recently got into customizing/upgrading my own guitars, and watched luthiers on youtube build their own instruments out of a router. I'm also a DIY'er in general around the house. And finding out about the router was like pandoras box of creation for me! Last month I bought a Dremel 4300 which I partly bought for doing some light routing. I gave it the task of making some custom drawer/cabinet faces for my bathroom. Well, the Dremel was not up to the task (it sucks for any serious routing). So I decided I was gonna bite the bullet and buy a proper wood router. I educated myself on this tool, and decided that I wanted to get a combination fixed base/plunge router. I went to every avenue and excessively researched these things for the best bang for my buck. Home Depot, Lowes, Harbor Freight, eBay, and here, comparing models. I was shocked to see the brick and mortar stores (especially HD and Lowes) have a pretty limited selection of wood routers and accessories. The cheapest in-store deal I could find was Lowes Dewalt combination fixed and plunge base router at $200, not including tax. That was a little too high of a price of an entry point for me. Then I ran across this Makita. I love Makita products. The price almost sounded too good to be true for a combination fixed base/plunge router. I ordered it. I quickly learned how to use setup the tool and I absolutely love it! I made my first cut doing some trim on scrap wood and was blown away. This thing is a wood-cutting beast. Using some cheap project lumbar from HD, I started crafting my own bathroom cabinetry. This thing just effortlessly cuts through wood. It's very easy to control, it doesn't violently start up (which I heard some are bad for). I love that it has a speed control. I leave it on the highest setting (which I heard is best to do), but the fact that it even has that is pretty awesome for the price. And my first set of router bits, I bought a nice kit in Harbor Freight (with coupon) for $30 bucks. They work exceptionally well with this Makita. I used for the plunge attachment and fixed based for doing trim. Honestly, I just love this thing, it's my new favorite tool! It's so fun and amazing the stuff you can make with this. It just takes a little patience and creativity. The tool came with a straight-edge guide for the fixed base which I found kinda useless. Some of the pictures of it in-action show a straight edge guide for the plunge base. I wish it came with this, but it's hard for me to balk for the price. The last thing, it would have been nice if it came with a case like other Makita products, too, but that's also not something to balk at. This is a great tool. I think it's an excellent buy for both entry-level woodworkers like me and more experienced users. And I see it being something that could actually save you money over time if you're into home remodeling as well. I'm definitely going to be using this to craft my own trim, railings, doors, and other things around the house. Highly recommend this router, definitely one of the coolest tools I've bought in my adult life!

I usually get geeked out about tools but I was especially geeked out about getting this router. First of all, when I was looking it was the best priced unit available. The day before I ordered the Bosch colt compact trimmer from my local Home improvement store. Both were out of stock but available for order so I rolled the dice. This was essentially the same price but included the plunge base so if money is no object, I might have gone with the DeWalt model. I honestly think the led lighting on the DeWalt makes it the winner especially with the flat sided, clear plastic bases. For the amount of times that I will use it, I went with the lower price option. I had previously used a Harbor Freight, orange laminate trimmer which had no "soft start" which gave it a genuine "deathy" feel to the tool. Not with this model. This is comfortable and somewhat quiet. I used it to mortise out door hinges on my living room doors and door frame. I made a hinge jig so that I didn't go over the hinge space. Everything went much better than if I tried to do it with a hammer and chisel. Changing the router bit was easy and it stayed in place during the time that I used it. I haven't used the plunge base yet, so cannot comment on that yet. I do plan on using it to carve a groove in butcher block and will update the review afterwards. I will say that the Plunge Base is compatible with Kempston 99000 10 pcs Solid Brass Template Guide Kit With Adaptor . The adapter fits right into the opening of the plunge base to use the templates. Otherwise the templates do fit the fixed base without the adapter. Depending on the price at the time, you may want to look at what is available but I have not been disappointed with this at all.

Needed a small router when my other brand let smoke out of it after just a few uses, decided to pick this one up, glad I did, it is nice, small, easy to handle and functional. Seems to be built good and solid. Looking forward to using it.

Love this thing. It's a great small router for tons of shop uses. Bought to plunge concealed hinges, but now I use it for lots of jobs. Super easy bit changes and height adjustment. I bought the dust collector attachment for both bases, I'd recommend both. Nice to see what's happening and not bog the bit down in chips. I use this all the time for light round over, chamfer, and rabbeting steps. Only flaw is that the on switch has no guard, it's just an exposed toggle. Before I even used this thing, I put a bit in it and accidentally tripped the switch. It jumped out of my hands and started spinning in circles on the floor. I learned my lesson and am VERY careful with the switch now, and make bit changes with it unplugged. Duh.

I needed a palm router for light stuff like roundovers on trim, the occasional hinge mortise, etc. To my pleasant surprise, what I got with this reasonably priced $140 fixed/plunge base combo was a versatile and fairly robust little router that now spends more time in my personal shop than on the job - doing heavier operations I previously would've thought limited to a full-size router. Don't get me wrong, 1 1/4 horse is still 1 1/4 horse. But if you're looking at this kit thinking "yeah, but am I gonna be able to cut dovetails? deep mortises? How about a vast range of profiles and patterns with only 1/4 shank capability?" The answer is yes. Now of course it's no replacement for your Bosch 1617, PC 890 or what have you. But if you're a hobbyist - or like me can only swing one kit for both typical finish carpentry and general woodworking - the 701 is a pretty good way to go. HOWEVER: it's not without its limitations. Mostly related to compatibility with the huge array of router accessories on the market today. Most commercially available compact router jigs, table plates, etc don't match the 4-hole pattern on this base plate - they're designed to work with the DeWalt or Bosch Colt. You will need an aftermarket unit such as the one made by Woodhaven if you plan on using guide bushings. In most cases with a little ingenuity there's a simple workaround (e.g drilling holes to match the 701's base plate). The question is, do you want to spend valuable time modifying or building shop made jigs, or your money on hardware and accessories to expand this router's compatibility with most aftermarket accessories? Rockler, for example, only stocks product designed to work with the trim routers they sell (Bosch, DW). For me it hasn't been that big a deal because I've undertaken these projects as the need arose. But a little time/$ here and there eventually adds up. Had I known all of what I do now, I may have given more consideration to other kits like the DeWalt. Now all that said, this IS a very good little router that's done most of what I've expected of it, and done it well. Operation is smooth, power is more than adequate (just remember it's still a trim router!), and switching between fixed and plunge bases is a snap (the plunge, by the way, is excellent). As far as features go, soft start is nice; the easy-to-use spindle lock works quite well; and rack and pinion depth adjustment was a great idea in theory but the gearing is far too loose for easy & precise adjustments, as you actually have to hold the unit horizontally when the cam's unlocked or the base will slide right off the motor! One final note, to echo a previous reviewer, Makita does not include - or even sell - an edge guide for the plunge base despite referencing it in the instruction manual. Or maybe one just isn't available in the US? Apparently DeWalt's works perfectly, though I haven't tried it yet. Sure it's easy enough to plunk down $30 on Amazon for one, but when you need it now, for today's project, these are the is the sorts of compatibility issues that will give you a headache (first world problems, right). Makita are you listening? Overall recommend. But do anticipate your potential router needs/wants.

Makita always builds quality tools and this little guy is no exception. I purchased this router primarily for the plunge function but it works great in our out of the plunge base. Very powerful and relatively quiet. Great for chamfered or rounded edges. The plunge base is great. It is set up to help you dial in the exact depth of your cuts. I have used it to route juice grooves in cutting boards and it performed very well. Love this router. The only sort of negative is the guide rail but I usually use jigs for precise cuts so it’s not a big deal. Very easy to change bits. Well lit.

This small router has some real power! It's done a great job for everything I've done so far and I have no doubt it can do anything in the future. The plunge base is easy to use and had some nice features such as: 3 different depth stop screws that the user can set, a dust shield to allow you to see the cut, and comfortable handles. I'd absolutely buy this again.

I pretty new to woodworking but I had some experience from hs using a router so I felt confident enough to buy one for making rabbets/dados and jointing edges. I had some reservations from the size but don't let that fool you, this little guy( or girl) can really do some serious work. I actually accidentally ate through a plastic table I was using as workbench when jointing a board without noticing a single hiccup in the entire process. I will say that the little galvanized guide that is included is kinda useless (for me at least). Another thing to note as I had not used a router in this capacity is that it make a huge mess, so spending a few extra bucks on the vacuum attachment may be a worthy investment if that's a concern to you.