I'll second (or third or fourth) the comments about the porter cable 690. Very robust router that has performed flawlessly for me. You can get a couple of different bases from standard to plunge etc that change quickly on ebay or the net. I have 2 standard bases and one plunge. Comes with a 1/2 and 1/4 inch collets. I use it in my cnc machine, router table and a handheld plunger base. Swapping the head from one base to another takes about 30 seconds. It a hard start and no variable speed, but works great with the (on sale 12.99 Harbour Freight) router speed controller I just got. Here's a link for the basic unit for $119, and with 2 bases for $149.
http://www.woodworkersshop.com/Porte...690_Router.htm
-Marc
P.S. Oh, and the handles can be easily removed.