Way back in December of 2003, Bill Hylton took a look at Festool’s OF 1000 E router. He noted its squat unusual look, 7.5 amp rating, 1/4″ and 8mm collets & and was bemused. But after working with the tool for just a short while he concluded, “It may not be the dream router you visualized, but it routs like a dream!”
Craftspeople in the field likewise were impressed with Festool’s router, but kept telling the German manufacturers that here in the states, they needed a big router in the 3-1/2 horse power range that handles 1/2″ shank bits. Enter the 2000 E plunge router.
This big black and green machine is more traditional looking in form, but brings with it the quality engineering that Festool is noted for. At 16.7 amps (providing 2000 W) it is truly a powerhouse. For all of that bit-twisting power it runs very quietly, using soft-start electronic feedback to maintain whatever bit speed you’ve set it at. (Its RPM range from 12,000 to 22,000.) Outfitted with 1/2″ collet (a 1/4″ is available as well) the 2000 E is everything that the U.S. market has been asking for.
Its plunge operation is very smooth. Featuring intuitive gross and fine adjustment, the model that I have has graduated scales in metric units. I don’t find this to be a problem, but those of you who like to add, subtract and multiply fractions may. The router has an information matrix on the body of the tool entitled “Multi Material Control”, and I found it a bit inscrutable. I understand that it is a guide to bit speed as it relates to the type of cutter you choose to machine certain material types & but I must confess it looked to me like a bingo score card.
This tool, while certainly appropriate and desirable for the average woodworker, is designed with the professional in mind. Its accessories, dust extraction system, systainer storage and transport case as well as its likely durability make it a no-brainer selection for those in the trades.
It’s my guess that you will begin to see this router in professional shops with regularity. And I sure would like to see one in my personal shop, too, but with a regular catalog price of $450, I might need to wait for Christmas to get one. But as I have been told, buy the best tool you can afford and you will only cry once. Find out more at https://www.festool.com.
