GKF125CEN Colt 1.25 HP (Max) Variable-Speed Palm Router

My wife said I couldn't open this gift before Christmas. It's time to open it. now!:) WOW! what a nice, well engineered tool by Bosch. I have an 890 Porter-Cable router for big jobs but never had a palm router for smaller work. I like the LED lights that illuminates the working surface very well (I used to use a Milwaukee work flash light when routing). The "lock" button on the spindle holds it while you tighten the collet. No need for two wrenches anymore. It feels balanced and comfortable in the hand. I like the finger indents in the body that gives you steady routing during intricate work. The indents keep your fingers safely away from the cutting surface. The photo of my pine wood paper plate/napkin holder, shows the ceramic painted "butterfly" inlay I inserted in the front of the holder with the router. This is a nice machine!

Been in a woodworking shop for 9 years and have used many different brands of routers. Bosch has always been an excellent router brand. The grip on this router is far more ergonomic than the cheaper 1hp variant Bosch router. Though it is also heavier and larger than the 1 hp version. For me, (being a smaller guy) the added weight and size do make it a bit more fatiguing to use than the smaller version when doing a lot of routing but if you only need it for a few passes on some material to out an edge on, it's excellent. And I suspect average sized or larger guys would prefer the size and weight of the 1.25hp router over the 1hp. The LED lights seem pointless to me but the clear round base is far better than the square black one on other models. One thing this router has that I've never seen before on any tools is a ball joint that the cord is connected to the router in. Why other tool makers and other product designers in general don't have that feature is beyond me. But it puts far less wear and tear on the cord connection on the router. Overall I'd say the router is well built, plenty of power and the added weight and power makes it vibrate less when using it on hard woods compared to the 1hp variant. Lastly, I read a lot of reviews talking about the micro adjustment is worthless on this router and I was a bit concerned about that. But after using it I realized that while it's not perfect, I certainly have no issue using the micro adjustment properly. People who complain about the adjustment being worthless either don't know how to properly adjust it or they got defective routers.

My husband really likes this, it's light and well engineered. Seems less dangerous than larger ones.

This tool is straightforward, easy to use and control, and gets beautiful results. It's simple to adjust depth/speed or change out bits. The router starts and stops very smoothly, which reduces the chance of accidentally nicking the piece you're working on. And it's very lightweight, not a clunker at all. If you are buying this for router carving, which is what i use it for, i suggest checking out the brand Dave's and getting a plate for this model (also available from amazon or at makeawoodsign.com). With this router plus the plate, I've been able to do really intricate designs. Couldn't be happier with it.

It spins the bit, but I'm not sure, if this is any better than any other router. Maybe long term reliability, but I can't comment on that aspect yet. There are few things I don't like about it though. First is the locking button - I'd definetelly prefer to use two wrenches to tighten the collet, like on some old routers. That button is just not easy to hold for me, maybe because it's on the wrong side, maybe because it's sleek, instead of being a little bit rubberized - it's just hard to get a good grip. Then comes the "fine" height adjustment - I could not make it work, ever. It seems to be working okay increasing the depth, but reducing the depth - instead of adjusting the base, it just tightens up to eventually "click" skipping the threads without ever moving the base. I don't know why it happens, as mechanics seem to be pretty simple - you switch the base locking mechanism in to the intermediate half-tight state and rotate the nut, which is supposed to adjust the base on the threaded rod, but it gets stuck and I don't know why. Maybe because chips are getting in to the thread (which they do fairly easy, because thread is on the inside and without a vacuum next to it - chips tend to penetrate everywhere). So far I used it to make a small changing table, some other wood projects and even to mill few plastic pieces, but I don't think there is something I won't be able to do with a cheaper router.

The Bosch GKF125CEN Colt 1.25HP palm router that I purchased met my expectations as a first time router owner. I was able to complete my project for which I needed the router. What annoys the heck out of me is the fact that someone slapped a non-removable sticky label (4x6 iches) about Amazon's purchase order of a pallet of these from Robert Bosch Tool Corporation that covers pretty much every bit of of the back of the box printing. This label had nothing to do with my purchase of the tool from Amazon. As if I needed three different bar codes about the serial shipping container code and that this was carton# 278 of 343. I guess I will never be able to read the info on the ack of the box. Since I will store the router in that original box, it annoys me.

I've had this router for a few months. I have a bigger Bosch router mounted in a table, but this little one is great for intricate small bit work. Great visibility while cutting as well.

Es una herramienta muy confiable, útil y resistente

Be very aware this comes from the US and has a US plug on it. The one I received (and sent back) also looked used

Me encanta su tamaño, fácil de trabajar con el, con la ventaja de regular su velocidad, adaptándose a la dureza de cada madera

I had the old Bosch colt for years. I thought that was a great design. The new model is just that much better, nice feel, better fine adjustments, more powerful motoer. . Excellent router, all round. Friend's of mine in construction say other routers do not last. This one is well built and very well thought out.