Bosch MRC23EVSK 2.3 HP Electronic Modular Router System

LOVE this router. Plenty of power, smooth starting and operating. Very good ergonomics - love the trigger mechanism. VS covers a good range, soft-start is great - no bucking when starting. It also holds steady speed/power under load ... and I have pushed on this guy just to see if I could bog it down. I stopped short of being stupid /unsafe before I had bogged it! Fixed base does it's thing well, and plunge base is smooth, precise and overall great. Can't say enough good things. The ONLY downside I can find to this router is the weight - it is heavy. BUT any router of this power will be - heft comes with the power territory. It balances very well and is manageable despite the weight. I have had, oh, maybe a dozen routers over the last 25yr, still have many ... this is by far the most powerful + smoothest. Ideally, this would occupy the slot of "large router" in a shop and you'd have a trim router (and maybe a midsized too...) for lighter tasks. I honestly reach for a smaller one more often ... but this is an invaluable part of my lineup. In the role of large/power router, this one is unsurpassed IMHO.

Its a tank, stout and sturdy, does everything I expect it to do easily.

The 15amp router market is usually reserved for Router Table behemoths - the big Porter Cables, Hitachis, Triton, and several others; with the 12amp doing the hand-held heavy lifting. This 15amp Bosch is clearly an exception - and and excellent one. I've pushed this hard for the past three weeks, with deep mortises in Jatoba (an incredibly dense wood) using Bosch's template guide bushings, and hand-held edging - more delicate, precise work. This router is smooth, relatively quiet, very predicable, and a pleasure to use. This replaces my venerable PC895, which is 10 years old, still as good as new, but a generation or two older than current models. Being a long-term PC user, I was concerned that my trained hand & body positions would make using the Bosch difficult - not a bit. The real advances for me are: Soft Start, power switch on the handles (unlike others in combo packages); quiet operations; better engineered dust collection - though, this is not dust-free by any stretch of the imagination; and effortless power which comes without the heavy weight of the routers mentioned above. Festool is a common comparison to Bosch; and I own several Festool products. Unlike many Festool owners, I am not a rabid fan - I buy for long-term professional-level functionality. For me, the Festool price-premium is not justified, when compared to the power, ease-of-use, and quality engineering this product demonstrates - not to take anything away from the OF1400 or OF2200 machines - for me, they're just not worth the extra money, compared to this. For $300, you'll get one of the best on the market, and certainly enough power to handle whatever you'll encounter.

Another update - With the problem listed below, I brought it to the bosch center and they fixed the problem and even mailed it back to me free of charge. However, the same problem has recurred. got to go back to the bosch center. In between breakdowns, the router was only used a couple of times. UPDATE - I'm really hating this router. Just got it back from being repaired and it still doesn't work properly. The mechanism to raise and lower the bit in the fixed based has an E clip which become damaged if you raise the bit all the way. They replaced that but when I get it home, it still doesn't raise the bit. There is indents in the motor which allow the base to grab it which is what raises and lowers the bit. But now the clip isn't staying in the indent hence no raising the bit. Just past the 30 days so I can't return it. Going to the bosch center next week to see what they say. At this point I have only used it a few times and only in the table. With that being said, while the machine seems solid and performs well, there are a couple of design features that I feel need improvement. My previous router. pc 7529, had excellent under the table dust collection and this one does not. I guess I'm the minority in using dust collection this way but I had it so good there was no need for anything else. With the attachment, sold separately, is not angled down enough to allow it to fit under the table. I actually had to cut away from the bottom of the router table top. Even with that, the attachment is not closed enough to capture all of the dust. Also, with the attachment on, it makes it more difficult to fit the two wrenches to change the bit. Another feature I'm not fond of is when using the macro adjustment, there are three presets depth settings but only in the first one does it allow for the complete range in height adjustment from above the table. The led lights do next to nothing, the speed control should be on the top to allow for easier access whichever way you put it in the table and an on/off switch along with the lock-on handle would eliminate the need for a switch on my router table. Oh wait, that was my 7529, I miss that router.

Just received this router today. I had it out of the box and in operation in under 10 minutes. Watched a quick YouTube video on how to change motor and bits and adjust depth. What a machine! I am going from a 1961 BD Pro Router (still love my Dad's old router) but this is out of this world. Slow spin up to speed was awesome. The trigger control and the ergonomic handles are incredible. Forget the 1617 Bosch with wood handles and get this one! This is truly a first class pro machine. Single pass cuts with a sharp blade. The plunge system is awesome and doesn't have rubber boots to collect dust and debris. (Major factor in why I bought this machine). The motor easy changes and the depth setting is phenomenal. Well thought out controls and system. The case is even well designed and holds everything but my router bits. (Large case of bits). This will be my last router and plan to hand it down to my son. I think it will last that long. I will add more as I continue using it. I have several projects for a local non-profit children's theatre that I volunteered to make. Should be more fun with this router.

When I first received the router, the 1/4" collet would not grip my bits. I called Bosch and within minutes they were sending out a new collet. Mistakes can happen. More important is how mistakes are fixed. Bosch impressed me with this with how they immediately fixed this without any difficulty. I have been very happy with this router so far. I have mounted the fixed base under a homemade table. I appreciate the easy adjustments to bit height from above the table with the provided wrench. I have only used the plunge base briefly, but it is smooth and easy to use. I am impressed with how I can't notice any change in bit speed as I increase the amount the router is cutting. This router certainly has enough power for the tasks I've given it so far.

I purchased 2 of these. I had 2 1613EVS routers that are well used over the last 15 years and the bearings have seen there last days. First thing I noticed are these routers are heavy. Much heavier than the 1613's Took my first MRC23 and plugged it in. Turned it on and it was a bit vibraty at full speed. Dropped the speed down to about 4 1/2 and it smoothed out. So I plugged the 2nd one in and the same thing. So either I got 2 that are slightly out of balance in the same way, or this is just how they are. It's not a lot of vibration, just not silk smooth. Got it into the shop the next day and put one of my table edging bits in it. It's one of the larger diameter bits I own, 2 1/2". Since the opening of the base is only 2" I chucked the bit up above the plate and used the fine tune to plunge it through the plate. This router will be used with this bit, the other I'll leave at 2". I got out a pc of Maple, set up the bit for the finish depth. I did a climb cut and then the push cut. The router didn't waiver at all. My 1613 needed 3 passes to handle this bit. Right there I was impressed with the power of this router. The 1613 is 2.25HP and the MRC23 is 2.3HP. I'm pretty sure the .05HP didn't make that difference, the MRC23 is just a much stronger router. The plunge isn't silky smooth. I notice if you press straight down it's a bit sticky. If you push forward and down in the natural direction of the handles it operates nice and smooth. The 1613 had a similar issue, but because the springs were weaker, sometimes you needed to lift up to have it unplunge. I don't think the MRC23 is going to have that problem as the springs seem much stronger. The main reason I got this router instead of the less expensive 1617EVSPK is the fine tune adjustment. The 1613 has it and it's one of the best feature of the router. Making that couple of thousandths adjustment is critical to fine woodworking. The plunge stop is much more robust and tighter than the 1613. I'll feel much more confident using this stop. I haven't had the need for the light yet. But when I do stop fluting I always need some sort of extra lighting so I can see my lines. Hopefully these lights will eliminate the need for the extra lighting. I wish there was a switch for the lights. I normally don't unplug the router when I'll be using it a lot and the lights just stay on all the time. The fixed base will probably end up as a permanent router table. I'll be nice to be able to just slip a router in there when needed. Plus the fact that it has a key so you can adjust the height of the router from above the table. Never had that convenience before, should be nice. Probably make a real router table instead of the makeshift tables I always use. Overall this is a great router. It would have been perfect if it didn't have that high speed vibration.

After my 16 year-old logic controlled Craftsman 12 amp router died, it took two days of internet searching and decision making to finally settle on this unit. I am very pleased with the build quality and performance of this unit as it has the most bang for the buck, and with 15 amps of power, it remains at the top of the food chain. One negative factor that has permeated this thread was the unit's sticky plunger mechanism. Well, mine did stick right out of the box, but others have said these come without prior greasing from the factory. So, I applied Stihl 2-cycle engine oil to the posts and after working it into the mechanism for several minutes, the plunger travel became silky smooth. The supplied case is great for storing this unit and its accessories. The quality Bosch metal router table is well built, stable, and accurate, and its easy to switch the motor between the fixed base and plunger base. I attached the table legs to a 2x6 in order to further raise it above the 3/4" plywood base, which is now easily anchored onto my favorite Jawhorse for portability. The speed dial is well designed in that the RPMs increase by 3000 RPM for every number between 1 and 6, i.e. 10,000 on #1, 13,000 on #2, 16,000 on #3, etc., which is easy to remember (10K + 3, 6, 9,12,15K) and thus, you no longer need to worry about an LCD panel breaking later. Good job Bosch, 10/10 in design and implementation.

Bosch es calidad, ahora a someterlo al trabajo diario.

Wow was I surprised when I opened the case upon arrival, this unit is a beast compared to my old but reliable B&D fixed base. Inspected it for an hour and was very impressed with the engineering and quality. Quite intuitive to switch bases and this is my first plunge router. Machining is first rate and switch in handles combined with soft start is a definite safety plus. Clear bases and lighting is also a plus. All actions are smooth and threads are nicely tapped. The case holds the optional dust collection hoods and centering cone which look to be efficient. They should be included with the kit though for a small premium in price though as I can't imagine using this tool without them. One thing I can't figure out is how can one 15A Router can be rated at 3+ horsepower and the other at 15A at 2.3? It defies common physics. Wish manufacturers would stop this HP game.

Es un router de muy buena calidad, arranque suave y mucha potencia. Tiene dos bases lo que es muy práctico si lo piensas usar en una mesa para router, no hay que estar desmontando el router, solo dejas la base fija en la mesa y la base con profundidad variable para los trabajos manuales.

Excellent in every sense. Using this router is so comfortable, the levers are in the right spots, the turret is easy to use, the trigger. It's perfect.

Cliente satisfecho. El modelo y la marca lo mejor en este segmento. He utilizado routers de varias marcas a lo largo de décadas, así que basado en esa experiencia recomiendo ampliamente esta herramienta.