Accessories

Well made and economical unit
While I am not a woodworking expert, I have enjoyed getting to know this tool. It seems very well made for the price point. As has been mentioned, it is lacking some of the finer features of high end units, but has been an excellent entry level router. I have used this as both hand held and bench mounted and it seems to have all the power I need. The switch location has been mentioned as a problem, so I have been VERY careful about how I hold the router when switching ON and OFF. Obviously this is not an issue when table mounted. I would highly recommend this router.

Almost perfect for hand held use
This 1-3/4hp router is just about perfect for hand held use. It's relatively lightweight, compact and rugged. The self releasing collets make stuck bits a thing of the past. Fine adjustments in height are a bit more difficult with the lever release base compared to the old style since it's a bit tricky to make the base tight enough to prevent slop and loose enough to allow adjustment, but the quick action and secure hold make up for that to some extent. The best feature is the anti rotation feature. Anyone who's ever forgotten to tighten the lock on a table mounted router knows how scary a loose router can be. With this base, the router will rotate down but not fall out of the base when turned on with the base unlocked. Removing the router from the base is still quick and easy.

Rating the 690LR
Have only used it once, but like it very much. Most of my power tools are Porter-Cabe

Porter Cable 690lr
Bought my first Rockwell router in 1974. I own 3 of these and have jigs made to accept the base, and many specialized bases to fit this router. It's more efficient for me to set up a router and leave it for a designated job. When I'm doing a run I can have as many as 5 different routers set up. This PC has a different base lock that seems to work very easily, along with the newer style chuck that makes for easy bit removal.

Great router, good price
This router is awesome! I am hooked on buying tools via Amazon because I got a real Porter Cable router for a great price. The router is solid, has worked perfectly for me thus far, and is really smooth. You can tell it's a quality tool just by the sound of it and the silky feel. Really, nothing else to report, and I think that's how it should be for a tool like a router. It just works every time, plain and simple.