Craftsman 17543 11 amp 2 hp Corded Fixed and Plunge Base Soft Start Router with Electronic Feedback

A really nice design but poorly manufactured. November 28, 2011

This would be an excellent router but for three things. First you can't remove the bottom base plate without stripping out the screws, if you can get them out at all. They are made from too soft of a metal (Who ever is over seeing Quality Control needs to find another line of work.) The hole in the bottom plate is to small in diameter to accomadate large bits. (definately an engineering screw up.) Having the on/off switch on the top side of the motor is a bit of an inconveniance, and can be dangerious. It would be nice to see the old style pistol grips on the base with a trigger switch and a quick disconect wire leading to the motor. Grips that were found on the old style craftsman routers.  I was so disapointed with not being able to remove the screws in the base plate that I took it back for a refund.

PS: any and all routers need a hard case, this router does not have one.

DIY Weekend Warrior Finds Great bang for the Buck November 18, 2011

This was my first router.  I by no means am going into woodworking as a profession and have never used a router previously, but I did my research read some reviews and Craftsman ended up coming out on top.

I needed a router to replace a custom threshold my puppy chewed up.  I decided to go with a combo router, because it's more versitile.  The idea of making a sign for our campsite when we go camping was appealing and you never know when a tool like this could come in handy.  I'm already thinking about another project to use it on.

The tool it self came pre-assembled ofcourse with everything you needed to start out except the bits.  Since every where I read said to purchase 1/2 inch bits over 1/4, that's what I did.  I bought a intro 12 piece set online that was very reasonable and had the main bits I needed.  Unfortunately the plastic guide plate under the fixed base had to be switched out with another plate to fit the bit I wanted to use, which you can get many different plates at sears for $20.  It also came with a convenient carrying bag to put the router in after.

The tool was much easier to use than I thought it would be.  Replacing the bits and the bases were easy enough.  The soft start helped to keep away from the jerking beginings of some models.  The tool did a great job on my board and it even came out better than the one my contractor originally put in.

I've been happy with Craftsman products and my tool collection is becoming replaced with craftsman as needed.  The quality and bang for the buck are great.  Plus the reward point incentive helps me purchase new tools for free down the line as well.

I would buy this router again.

Don't buy one on the clearance shelf October 13, 2011

I made the mistake of buying one off of the clearance shelf. And it had many parts missing that were taken by customers who needed parts for theirs. I am missing the plunge base and the chip guard. The collets and nuts for them. That's what I get for buying one as is. The salesman order some of the parts and I had to order more parts when I got it home. But that was on 9/28/11 and I'm still waiting on parts. I should have just went to ************** And bought one complete for the same price that I'm paying for the router and the parts. And no plunge base. You get what you pay for sometimes. But not at sears.

The Craftsman 17543 Router needs improvements June 16, 2011

I am disappointed with this router, at least the fixed-base configuration. Setting the depth is a real pain, at least compared to my old Craftsman router. It is especially difficult when upside down in a router table. The screws in the base are metric, which they don't tell you in the manual, so watch out. The body was too long to fit in my router table without putting risers under the table legs. The chip guard is not necessary, but you can't change bits without removing it which is not as easy as the manual implies. The LED lights are nothing but "gee whiz". The power switch is not safe. My old router required holding down the power switch and then depressing a hold button. It's easy on this router to have the power switch in the "ON" position when you plug it in, and watch out. Soft start - who cares?

The variable speed is nice.