Guest
Price:$519.12
Image: http://specialdealfinder.info/image.php?id=B0000DCBKH
Best deal: http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B0000DCBKH
I have several Porter Cable routers, and they have been reliable and well built tools. That is why I chose this when I was looking for a lighter plunger router. The router is fine when in the fixed base, but the plunge base is a different story. There is quite a bit of slop in the plunge bushings which allow the router to angle from side to side as it is plunged, and it invariably binds in the process of plunging which forces you to rock it back and forth to complete the plunge. It is essentially useless for precision work. I had originally purchased it for exactly that; as a plunge router for use with guides on templates. The plunge base is now just a useless relic, and it is suitable for use with the fixed base only. If you're looking for a medium sized plunge router, look elsewhere.
The 890 router is a fine, quiet machine. However, the grip-vac and plunge bases leave a lot to be desired. I have only found one type of router operation in which the dust removal functions adequately-template routing of dishes. All other operations, free hand or on a table less than 10% of chips and dust are removed. Additionally, the dust port on the plunge base is too small for any vacuum hose/fitting I can findand I finally rigged a dodge 318 bypass hose to facilitate connection to my shopvac. Since dust and chip management were my primary for selection of the 890, I am very unhappy with this purchase. Yard sale bound. Maybe I should have waited for the arrival of the new MLCS
Overall, it's a fine system, and I'm glad I bought it.However there are some astonishing design blunders:1. On some of the plunge bases, the depth indicator is made of translucent plastic instead of transparent. This makes it impossible to read the depth indicator.2. The spindle lock actuator on the plunge base is completely disfunctional. The motor unit cannot be brought down far enough to engage it.3. With the dust shield in place, it's impossible to make above-the-table bit changes. Worse yet, with large bits, the entire unit must be removed from the table to change bits. Without the dust shield, above-the-table bit changes are quite easy; but you get a lot of dust sprayed around.
I bought this set mostly for use in a Bench Dog RT150 router table with the fixed base. Wanted the GripVac base for occasional "out of the box" use where the vac feature would be nice. The fixed base/motor work REALLY well in the RT150. The motor release and height adjust controls are very accessable through the cabinet door and the accessory top-side height adjust knob, though a free mail-in item, is not really needed. The only things you have to reach for are the speed control (easy), on/off (easy), and the collet lock (less easy, but tolerable). The motor is very quiet, the soft-start "way cool", and power more than adequate. The clear plastic sub-bases ae less impressive. Seem like polystyrene, but I hope they are something more durable that that. I am less impressed with the plunge base. It's OK, but compared to my P-C 7529 plunge router, it's pretty crude in features, but then it only added $30 to the cost of the fixed-base router and $6 of that is for the plastic base that can take guide bushings. Too cheap to pass up. An annoying thing about the plunge base is that it has a 1" dust port, but the location makes it very inconvenient/impossable to use with P-C's 1" dust hose.
Somebody stopped thinking too soon in the design stage. No fine plunge adjust, either. I give the GripVac base 5 stars and the plunge base three, so an average of four. Overall, a very good product and worth the money. Sure wish P-C was less stingy about warranty. Milwaukee does "lifetime", why does P-C only do 1 year? By the way, the CD they give you with the kit includes a video of instructions on building a simple router table. Unfortunately, the audio periodically fails. Not a big thing, but it does make P-C look bad to ship such a thing. I think they need a little Demming influence there.
I recently bought this router to supplement my Milwaukee 3.5HP table router. I have, thus far, been nothing but impressed by this new offering from P-C. It is, by far, one of the quietest routers I have yet to use (other than the original Elu I used in Europe). The dust collection system is functional, the multi-point accessible power switch is a great innovation, and the general feeling of solid quality is P-C at its best! If I had any complaint, it would not be against P-C - it would be that you really should peruse the manual first - I didn't notice the additional switch access until later (who uses manuals anyway, until they have a problem with a product).
Featuring an extremely accessible motor release and height adjustment controls, as well as an ultra-powerful and low-noise 2-1/4 HP motor with superior electronic feedback (10,000 - 23,000 RPM), the Porter-Cable 894PK offers precision for superior results. Brass post busing ensures durability, while a dust collection insert helps improve visibility and keep your workspace clean. For added convenience you can replace bits with one hand, a bypass control makes larger adjustments, and an easy-to-use knob tackles more precise and minute alterations to 1/128-inch. The 894PK works with most 890 and 690 router series bases and comes with a helpful CD-ROM that breaks down the process of constructing a work table, a carrying case with plenty of bit storage, a transparent sub-base, 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch self-releasing collets, one wrench, dust collection insert, and GripVac handle.
SIMILAR PRODUCTS:
Porter-Cable 42690 Edge Guide (for Models 100, 690, 691, 693, 891, 892, 893 Routers):http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B0000222V9
Porter-Cable 75301 Height Adjuster:http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B0002ZFN50
Porter-Cable 39332 Vacuum Hose for 1-Inch O.D. Dust Ports:http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B0000222WV
Porter-Cable 42000 9-Piece Template Guide Kit:http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B0000222V1
Porter-Cable 557 7.5 Amp Plate Joiner:http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B00004YKUO
ACCESSORIES:
Porter-Cable 42000 9-Piece Template Guide Kit:http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B0000222V1
Porter-Cable 42690 Edge Guide (for Models 100, 690, 691, 693, 891, 892, 893 Routers):http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B0000222V9
Porter-Cable 75301 Height Adjuster:http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B0002ZFN50
Milescraft 1204 SpiroCrafter Router Pattern Cutting Kit:http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B0001GMEOS
Milescraft 1202 TurnLock Universal Router Bushing Set:http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B0001GMEOI
Image: http://specialdealfinder.info/image.php?id=B0000DCBKH
Best deal: http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B0000DCBKH
I have several Porter Cable routers, and they have been reliable and well built tools. That is why I chose this when I was looking for a lighter plunger router. The router is fine when in the fixed base, but the plunge base is a different story. There is quite a bit of slop in the plunge bushings which allow the router to angle from side to side as it is plunged, and it invariably binds in the process of plunging which forces you to rock it back and forth to complete the plunge. It is essentially useless for precision work. I had originally purchased it for exactly that; as a plunge router for use with guides on templates. The plunge base is now just a useless relic, and it is suitable for use with the fixed base only. If you're looking for a medium sized plunge router, look elsewhere.
The 890 router is a fine, quiet machine. However, the grip-vac and plunge bases leave a lot to be desired. I have only found one type of router operation in which the dust removal functions adequately-template routing of dishes. All other operations, free hand or on a table less than 10% of chips and dust are removed. Additionally, the dust port on the plunge base is too small for any vacuum hose/fitting I can findand I finally rigged a dodge 318 bypass hose to facilitate connection to my shopvac. Since dust and chip management were my primary for selection of the 890, I am very unhappy with this purchase. Yard sale bound. Maybe I should have waited for the arrival of the new MLCS
Overall, it's a fine system, and I'm glad I bought it.However there are some astonishing design blunders:1. On some of the plunge bases, the depth indicator is made of translucent plastic instead of transparent. This makes it impossible to read the depth indicator.2. The spindle lock actuator on the plunge base is completely disfunctional. The motor unit cannot be brought down far enough to engage it.3. With the dust shield in place, it's impossible to make above-the-table bit changes. Worse yet, with large bits, the entire unit must be removed from the table to change bits. Without the dust shield, above-the-table bit changes are quite easy; but you get a lot of dust sprayed around.
I bought this set mostly for use in a Bench Dog RT150 router table with the fixed base. Wanted the GripVac base for occasional "out of the box" use where the vac feature would be nice. The fixed base/motor work REALLY well in the RT150. The motor release and height adjust controls are very accessable through the cabinet door and the accessory top-side height adjust knob, though a free mail-in item, is not really needed. The only things you have to reach for are the speed control (easy), on/off (easy), and the collet lock (less easy, but tolerable). The motor is very quiet, the soft-start "way cool", and power more than adequate. The clear plastic sub-bases ae less impressive. Seem like polystyrene, but I hope they are something more durable that that. I am less impressed with the plunge base. It's OK, but compared to my P-C 7529 plunge router, it's pretty crude in features, but then it only added $30 to the cost of the fixed-base router and $6 of that is for the plastic base that can take guide bushings. Too cheap to pass up. An annoying thing about the plunge base is that it has a 1" dust port, but the location makes it very inconvenient/impossable to use with P-C's 1" dust hose.
Somebody stopped thinking too soon in the design stage. No fine plunge adjust, either. I give the GripVac base 5 stars and the plunge base three, so an average of four. Overall, a very good product and worth the money. Sure wish P-C was less stingy about warranty. Milwaukee does "lifetime", why does P-C only do 1 year? By the way, the CD they give you with the kit includes a video of instructions on building a simple router table. Unfortunately, the audio periodically fails. Not a big thing, but it does make P-C look bad to ship such a thing. I think they need a little Demming influence there.
I recently bought this router to supplement my Milwaukee 3.5HP table router. I have, thus far, been nothing but impressed by this new offering from P-C. It is, by far, one of the quietest routers I have yet to use (other than the original Elu I used in Europe). The dust collection system is functional, the multi-point accessible power switch is a great innovation, and the general feeling of solid quality is P-C at its best! If I had any complaint, it would not be against P-C - it would be that you really should peruse the manual first - I didn't notice the additional switch access until later (who uses manuals anyway, until they have a problem with a product).
Featuring an extremely accessible motor release and height adjustment controls, as well as an ultra-powerful and low-noise 2-1/4 HP motor with superior electronic feedback (10,000 - 23,000 RPM), the Porter-Cable 894PK offers precision for superior results. Brass post busing ensures durability, while a dust collection insert helps improve visibility and keep your workspace clean. For added convenience you can replace bits with one hand, a bypass control makes larger adjustments, and an easy-to-use knob tackles more precise and minute alterations to 1/128-inch. The 894PK works with most 890 and 690 router series bases and comes with a helpful CD-ROM that breaks down the process of constructing a work table, a carrying case with plenty of bit storage, a transparent sub-base, 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch self-releasing collets, one wrench, dust collection insert, and GripVac handle.
SIMILAR PRODUCTS:
Porter-Cable 42690 Edge Guide (for Models 100, 690, 691, 693, 891, 892, 893 Routers):http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B0000222V9
Porter-Cable 75301 Height Adjuster:http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B0002ZFN50
Porter-Cable 39332 Vacuum Hose for 1-Inch O.D. Dust Ports:http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B0000222WV
Porter-Cable 42000 9-Piece Template Guide Kit:http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B0000222V1
Porter-Cable 557 7.5 Amp Plate Joiner:http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B00004YKUO
ACCESSORIES:
Porter-Cable 42000 9-Piece Template Guide Kit:http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B0000222V1
Porter-Cable 42690 Edge Guide (for Models 100, 690, 691, 693, 891, 892, 893 Routers):http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B0000222V9
Porter-Cable 75301 Height Adjuster:http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B0002ZFN50
Milescraft 1204 SpiroCrafter Router Pattern Cutting Kit:http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B0001GMEOS
Milescraft 1202 TurnLock Universal Router Bushing Set:http://specialdealfinder.info/index.php?id=B0001GMEOI