benefits/comparisons of various routers for wood?

[groomden]

anyone have any great ideas about which router to choose?

it looks like the 2 big competitors are either the Hitachi router or the Porter Cable one... which one runs quieter? ...or is a better value? ...or would you recommend?

thanks,
dennis

[Pplug]

The Hitachi is much quieter than the PC. I have them both. The hitatchi is in an old converted auto parts tester. The PC 7518 came in a used Techno 4896 I bought for cheap. I just recently switched out the PC for a cheap Chinese spindle and VFD and have not regretted my choice one little bit!

[abomb55076]

I have a PC set up on my machine and it seems to do the job pretty well. I have variable speeds and multiple sized collets. Its been able to cut whatever Ive thrown at it so far with no problem but I think its more the type of bit you use more than the router you have. I could have a really expensive router but if I have a dull bit, its still just going to "smear" the material instead of cut it. Either way you'll end up with a pretty good router though. Good Luck!