Makita RP2301FC 3-1/4 HP* Plunge Router, with Variable Speed

Needed a bigger router to do leveling on slabs and jointing boards. It did great, has plenty of power. Makita is known for quality. For those who look at bad reviews, not every tool will be good. If you get a "lemon", contact Makita directly.

This router is very powerful and easy to control. The plunging action is very good and the controls are ergonomic.It sucks for mounting under a table - don't get this if you plan to use it with a table. There's no way to disable the plunging mechanism and no way to adjust the height without a tremendous amount of effort.The dust collection (which requires an optional attachment) is mediocre.The optional rail guide works very well with Festool guide rails, I don't have any Makita rails to try.However, if you really want the Festool OF 2200 you aren't going to be happy with this.

Honestly I'm always blown away by makita and the upper end tools. I don't consider myself a quality craftsman nor am I a woodworker by trade but I am in a position where I can afford nice tools that make a job that much more enjoyable. I've previously owned a porter cable plunge router and it is night and day between the two of these. I've used this router in cutting bowties into oak and walnut boards and both are smooth as butter. I over shoot the lines but that is more me getting accustomed to this beast. My ownly complaint is with the plunge mechanism itself. It doesn't feel as smooth as I would have expected but it is still smooth none the less. Very quality tool.

I bought this router strictly to plane slabs and tabletops and I must say it is a beast. I made one pass over a 8' Pecan and epoxy tabletop and it never bogged down or lost power. Its heavy enough to sit firmly on my router sled which is good. Its easy to control for the size and power. I am happy with this router. It would be nice if it came with a case or even a bag to store it in. I know you can buy the crates from Makita but then you gotta buy the foam inserts. I bought this because I didnt want to spend the $1000+ on a festool. Maybe Im just spoiled on my Festools products. But all in all this is a great router for the money. I wont be doing any trim routing with it, I have another router for that but for planing slabs and tables you cant go wrong for the money.

I've owned this router for 2 years -- one of several routers I use. It has mostly good points, with one serious flaw (that can be fixed).Good points.Trigger position is perfect for me. No need to look away from the work to turn on the router.The power cord is typical good Makita quality.The plunge action is as smooth as I've seen In anything shy of Festool.The connection of PC template guides is simple and secure.The plunge measurement is quite smooth and requires only reasonable force.The control to hold the plunge depth is well positioned and easy to use.The turn-on is smooth.The electronic turn-off brake works well (though it does torque the entire router with the rapid rotation stop.)The Bad!There are two nuts -- a wing nut (without ears) and a cap nut which keep the plunge mechanism from going "sproing.". Both are made of plastic (nylon?). They are quite weak, and have not at all held up in my few uses in my summer-hot garage workshop. After a few uses, the wing nut cracked, and the cap nut stripped (without being manipulated). The solution was easy -- I ordered a steel wing nut and cap nut (M10-1.5) from Albany County Fasteners, and got back in business. This is not my go-to router. (My Festool Q1400 is.). However, there are uses for the high power, and I do like this router. I'm disappointed that Makita would have such weak nuts that are expected to hold against the plunge springs. Thus, only 4 stars for a router that, for this price, should have 5 stars.

This router is excellent.I have only used it so far for flattening a coffee table, but it exceeded all expectations. It did not bog down at all and is heavy enough that it did not bounce or chatter.The plunge on this is incredibly smooth as well. Previously I have only used my Bosch 1617 for plunge routing and was not a fan of how stiff the plunge was. That is not an issue at all with this unit. I was a little worried that this router would be heavy and too cumbersome to use for daily routing but with the ergonomics of the handles it does not feel that large while using it. I'd even say the added weight is a benefit in most cases as it keeps the router steady.All in all I would highly recommend this router.

Finally got a chance to use it today in the most undesirable way imaginable, cutting in mortise and tenon joints over my head on some timber framing. Wood chips raining all over me, a little heavy for using overhead but that heft adds to the stability and control, under normal circumstances this is a big advantage. It runs so smooth and quiet it was an absolute pleasure to use, speed stayed perfectly consistent no mater how light or heavy of a load I was putting it under.The pictures are deceptive, they show it with the edge guide which actually is not included, wish I would have known that I would have ordered one and a jig guide. It just includes the router, the collet wrench, 1/4” adapter and a dust collector adapter that has a hose connection too tiny for any dust collector or shop vac hose I’ve ever seen so know idea what you’d use it with.

I had Dewalt's equivalent for a number of years and finally got tired of pieces breaking here and there on the darn thing. I finally gave up when the bit lock on it launched itself into oblivion for no good reason. I did my research for a replacement and found this Makita. I like it! I like its construction quality . My first use was to plunge mortises for legs on a kitchen table I was building. It worked beautifully. For me, everything feels right about this router. It's easy to use and it does what I expect it to do.