I own a larger Porter Cable Router and decided I wanted a little Palm Router, so I picked up the Bosch PR20EVS at Home Depot for about $90. When we went to the Bosch event last year, I had a chance to see this router and learn a little bit about it. At the time I had a chance to play with it for a little bit, but not like I have since I’ve owned this router. One thing to note is they now offer this router with a Plunge Base
With this kit you get the router, a plastic carrying case, fixed base, straight edge guide and wrench. When I took this out of the case, the first thing I noticed was how nice it felt in my hands. The over molded grip contoured my hand very nicely and made one hand operation easy. The unit is light, weighing only 3.2 lbs. The router felt nice, but let’s see what’s behind this ever popular router. The unit is powered by a 1 HP, 5.7 amp motor. On the top there is a dial to control the speeds, anywhere from 16,000 to 35,000 RPM’s. Because it is a palm router, the collet capacity is 1/4″. The depth adjustment is 1-3/16″ which can be controlled by a micro adjustment on the tool or the router itself, macro adjustment. The base is square instead of the rounded style I am use to. Plus the base is made out of aluminum. The router base will accept up to 1-5/16″.
Starting up the tool you will notice a nice soft start, so you don’t feel that jerk in your hands. Soft starts are great especially for routers. Bosch implemented a circuitry system to help keep the speed constant under loads and also the unit has an overload protection to help protect your router.
After using this router for a while on my bathroom project and some other small trim, I have fallen in love with this router. Now my Porter Cable stays put, well unless I have a bigger bit than a 1/4″. Besides the soft start, I really like the spindle lock and how easy it is to change bits. On my Porter Cable I need to use wrenches to change a bit and it is a pain to get a good grip on the nuts once the base is on. With the spindle lock and the nice wide open front, changing bits is a breeze. As with my Porter Cable this also has a quick clamp system to easily take the base on or off.
Bosch PR20EVSK Colt Palm Grip 5.6 Amp 1-Horsepower Fixed-Base Variable-Speed Router
My only complaint is the carrying case. While the case is nice and offers plenty of room for bit storage, I wish it was set up a little different. In order to store the router in the case, the base needs to be at a certain position. Which means if you have the router set up for a specific height with the bit, you can’t just put the router away and then pull it out later for the same use. You will have to take time and get the router set up to that specific height again. Not a huge deal, but for one of my trim projects, I had everything set up and called it quits for the night. I had to make more trim the next day and it would have been nice to leave it set up and in the case.
All in all this is a great router. I love the size, power and performance of this tool. This is very easy to control and it creates quality work. I will be upgrading and getting the plunge base for this router. If you are looking for a palm router, this has all the bells and whistles and for under $100, it’s hard to beat.
Great writeup Eric! I need to purchase a router I just dont know which one…this one looks very compact and looks like you put it to work! To bad about the case…I would have liked to see it come in an Lbox!
This is a very nice router but im waiting for a sale cuz here they sell it 169$ , it works great on soft l’aluminium . Nice review !!!
Great review Eric. That is REALLY hard to beat at under $100 AND it’s a Bosch. I really like this router. The only thing I notice is these compact routers don’t fit most router tables. I know theses are meant to be portable but it would be really nice.
I too would love to see Bosch package their routers in l-boxxes
Nice router. I like compact tools
I’ve had this one for almost 5 years. Your review is spot on. The feel, soft start, electronic speed control, and case design all echo my thoughts exactly. Like many mentioned above the L-Boxx would be the best upgrade for this tool. I hate that I can’t leave it set up either. And it’s a nightmare trying to get the cord wrapped up just right. Also, isn’t that a ferrite bead on the cord and not an anti-theft device? Dan, you’re an IT guy, you’ve probably seen thousands of those things in your career.
Hi Jeff, Good catch, actually on this particular unit it is an EMTAG which is a store security tag. Routers must get stolen a lot because I have seen these tags on quit a few routers. As far as I know the EMTAG has no high frequency suppression properties. :} The EMTAG probably allows you to be tracked by the feds too lol
Great review!! I was actually just in the stages of buying a new trim router and my two choices were the Bosch Colt and Dewalt’s newest trim router. I ended up buying the Dewalt, which was actually more expensive. I like it but after watching this video and reading your great review, I am probably going to take it back and exchange it for the Colt, and get 10 dollars back. Also, One of my Co-workers has it and he loves it! So thanks for the great review and input. Bosch gives your more accessories with its Router, and a hard case!!! Thanks again!
Thanks for the feedback. I have used mine a lot and love it.