Power
The total power of the router, more precisely, the engine installed in it. The
higher this indicator, the more productive the device is, the better it copes with complex work, the more force on the cutter (torque) it provides during operation, and the greater the spindle speed can be (although a powerful tool is not necessarily high-speed). On the other hand, high power significantly affects the dimensions, weight and price of the tool, plus power consumption and network load increase accordingly. In addition, high torque in some cases (for example, with delicate processing) is frankly undesirable. Therefore, a tool should be chosen according to this parameter, taking into account the real needs and the specifics of the planned work.
There are three main categories of milling cutters in terms of power: light (up to 700 W), designed mainly for simple household work; medium (up to 1500 W), able to cope not only with domestic, but also with most professional tasks; and heavy (1500 W or more), used in cases where high power is critical. However, this gradation is true only for routers (see "Type"), other varieties have their own specifics: for example, lamellar models, in principle, do not need high power.
Max. collet diameter
The largest collet size that the router can use.
A collet is a special type of fastening used, in particular, for installing working nozzles in milling cutters. For proper installation, the size of the collet must match the size of the cutter shank. Modern cutter shanks and collets for them have standard sizes - 6, 8 or 12 mm. The larger the size, the larger the cutter itself, the more powerful the tool and the more difficult the work for which it is intended.
As a rule, the maximum size of the collet is the size of the fixture that is standardly installed in the router. Thinner cutters can be mounted using special adapters (however, care must be taken, as such a nozzle may not be designed for the increased power characteristic of tools with a large collet).
6mm collets are found predominantly in light routers (see "Power"),
8mm mounts are found in most intermediate and professional level tools, and
12mm collets are found in the most powerful and heavy models.
Power cord length
The length of the power cord provided in the design of the router.
The long cord, on the one hand, allows the tool to easily “reach” quite remote sockets, provides additional freedom of action and eliminates the need to switch to another socket once again. On the other hand, it can be inconvenient if the power source is not far away and the excess cord has to be stored on the floor, chair, etc.; and with insufficient length, it is quite possible to use an extension cord. Therefore, in most modern routers, the length of the cord is about 2 – 4 m — this is quite enough to reach the outlet in most cases, and at the same time not so much that there is inconvenience due to the large excess.
Noise level
The noise level produced by the router during operation. This parameter is quite approximate, since the actual “loudness” depends not only on the characteristics of the tool itself, but also on the material and shape of the workpiece being processed, the type of cutter, the speed of work, etc. Therefore, in fact, the noise level may differ both up and down; in the characteristics, a certain average value is given, by which, however, it is quite worthwhile to navigate.
The “quieter” the tool, the more comfortable it will be to work with it, the less likely it is that the operator will need protective headphones. At the same time, we note that routers, by definition, are quite noisy — the most “quiet” models give out about 75 dB. Also, keep in mind that the decibel is a non-linear quantity, so it is best to use comparison tables when estimating the noise level.
Here is a simplified version of such a table for the range in which most modern routers operate:
75 dB — scream, loud laughter at a distance of 1 m;
80 dB — motorcycle engine, mechanical alarm at the same distance;
85 dB — a loud cry at the same distance;
90 dB — demolition hammer at a distance of 1 m, a freight car at a distance of 7 – 10 m;
95 dB — subway car (inside or at a distance of about 7 m).
