KATSU Electric Wood Hand Trimmer Laminator 1/4" 3/8" 220V

Bought this to fit a new b-fold door to our en-suite. I have a plunge-router but got this for ease of use, and it's been brilliant. I opted for the round base so I could rotate the router as I worked, to get better visability of the cut; this wouldn't be possible with a square base. This is only my preference, though. It's not too loud when in operation. I actually forgot to put on my ear-defenders for a couple of cuts, and didn't really notice, to be honest; it's noisy, obviously as it's a power took, but not uncomfortably so. I set the router speed to '3'. which seemed fine, as I was cutting a relatively softwood door. The depth adjustment wheel on the supplied collar worked well, although the scaled rule printed on the side was not entirely useful (I used vernier depth gauge to check the bit depth, but a steel rule would work just as well). The quick-release depth locking-mechanism did the job, and it was a doddle to remove the collar. I used the offset edge tool, when recessing the hinges, and it worked well. Changing the bit was easy, too. Far less hassle than than changing the bit on my plunge-router. I had to make a freehand cut to fit a flush-handle, and it was surprisingly easy. The router is not too heavy to move (although I would recommend using two hands for added control) , and it didn't try to jump ahead as it was moved about. NOTE If making a deep cut : TAKE YOUR TIME! I had to cut out a 12mm recess, and (through lack of experience) went straight to that depth. The router obviously struggled, as too much wood was being taken off in one go. Once I dialed it back and did several runs, each time increasing the depth by 2-3mm, it was far easier. Overall, I am extremely impressed with this great, little router, and for forty quid, it's a real bargain.

I bought this for a little lightweight work in MDF - mainly some biscuit joints and a bit of rebating. It managed these with ease and even managed a quite deep rebate with a larger cutter that I would normally have chucked on my bigger router. Comes with a rack and pinion adjustable base, fence and transparent dust collection cover as well as an offset edge guide bearing and a pressed steel spanner. The router sits comfortably in the hand and seems well balanced. Easy to reach the switch and speed control. The base is easy to remove, adjust and secure. Runs smoothly - no obvious runout issues. Quite loud but no worse than most small power tools. Cable is good quality, flexible and reasonable length. Cutter change is easy with an easy to access spindle lock. The supplied spanner is a bit rubbish but adequate. On the downside, the casting of the body is slightly rough in parts but is concentric and solid. The rack and pinion mechanism could be smoother but I have not had any problems setting and adjusting depth. The clamp mechanism seems secure. There is no soft start but that would be surprising on an item at this price point. Comes in a cardboard box with an insert but no tool storage box. Pleased with my purchase and think it will be more flexible and useful than I was expecting.

Picked up two of these routers based on reviews, videos etc that spoke highly of them. Now of course there was negative and neutral reviews so I went into the purchase not expecting an amazing high end tool but something half decent and better still, two for just over €100 delivered. The Makita router it's based on (and obviously a far superior machine) was for sale locally at €165! The routers were delivered before the delivery date....super! They are nice heavy machines, there is a feeling of a level of quality with them......just don't look too closely, they are, litteraly, a bit rough around the edges. The plastic and metal castings could do with a bit of tidying up but in reality this won't affect the performance surely?! I bought two as I need them for specific tasks in a production so they'll be assigned a cutter and used for that task alone. They work fine, speed is good, lock mech on the base is solid etc although I have noticed with one of them the bit does seem to be slipping outward ever so slightly in the collet (they are supplied with 1/4" collects fitted) using Trend 1/4" bits. I'll have to take a closer look at this one, and see if this can be remedied. Overall, yeah perfectly fine for the price, these will not get hard or heavy use, I have other routers for that so I'm happy with what I got for the monies I paid 😎👌

Very good quality unit that produces good results. The adjustment knurled wheel is very handy, and makes depth setting very easy. Best useful tool I've purchased in ages.

For an affordable palm router, thing machine is a best... and I used my last one for almost 5 years before it finally died on me. I actually used mine as part of my router bench and it had extensive use throughout the years. Thankfully, Katsu still sell them so, got a new one in my basket already. The height adjustment is smooth and the clamp is rock solid. Would highly recommend for hobbyist and professionals alike.

Brilliant machine, cuts well and powerful. Well worth the money. Weight is nicely balanced, easy to use and easy to change the bits etc

This is value for money. It is a well made router. Noisy due to the fan but a simple mod to retrim/modify the edge/tip of the blades markedly cuts the noise; model aviation and prop know how came in handy! I bought a makita plunge router attachment and works well. Fit is perfect and far better than the cheaper alternative. It job is routing bindings, cavities and truss rod channels. It fits on my binding jig and used free hand, the cut is clean and manages hardwood eg sapele. I also use top end bits by radian tools for the very best cut and with this router, it really is top notch and accurate. Quality blades allow the router to cut more efficiently. All in all a good bit of kit made better with a little bit of know how. 4* because here is where the accessories are mediocre and manufacturing costs are savwd. Look at Matika add ons

I would consider myself an enthusiast when it comes to diy and simple furniture making; blanket chests, book cases etc. I was reluctant to spend over £100 on a branded trim router that may only get used a handful of times a year! I am extremely impressed with this trim router. Out of the box it came with more than enough accessories to get you going; dust shield/ extractor adaptor, adjustable guide / fence, spanner to remove bits, and a few other bits you can use to achieve all sorts of cuts with. The size makes it easily to manipulate for smaller jobs, but at no point has is bogged down with it having a smaller motor than some routers, I have used it on up to 21m furniture ply, flush trimming and didn’t seem to struggle. As I say, it is far from used daily, but seems sturdy enough, my only gripe would be the depth adjuster, initially there was some play when tightening down the clip, which meant the depth of cuts didn’t always stay consistent on the first few cuts I did, easily sorted though by tightening the small bolt on the side of the clip which clamps down securing the adjustable base in place. This did cause the thin metal the clip clamps onto to slay out, however if you pinch these together while clamping down this seems to work fine. Ultimately this is an extra 10seconds of work I am happy to do in order to pay close to a third of the price of branded alternatives, which to my untraining eye look identical? Would recommend to anyone.