Routers · table against hand
Will the router live under a table or in your hands?
These two are close in price and opposite in intent. The Triton is designed to be mounted upside down and adjusted from above; the Bosch is designed to be held, with the fence and guide adapter that make handheld work accurate. Buying the wrong one is a daily irritation rather than a disaster.
| Compared on | TRA001 | GOF 1250 CE |
|---|---|---|
| Motor | 2,400 W | Not stated |
| Above-table adjustment | Yes | Not stated |
| Parallel fence included | Not stated | Yes, with fine adjustment |
| Template guide adapter | Not stated | Included |
| Price in Germany | €463 | €370 |
| Listed on amazon.com | Yes | Yes |
A tick marks the better answer on that line only. Counting ticks does not decide the page — the two verdicts below do, because these machines answer different questions.
Buy the Triton for a router table. Height adjustment and bit changes from above the table are the whole argument, and 2,400 W is the power a large panel-raising bit wants.
Buy the Bosch for handheld work. A fine-adjust parallel fence and a template guide adapter in the box are the two accessories that make freehand routing accurate, and buying them separately costs a meaningful fraction of the router.
It can, and it will annoy you at one of the two. A table router wants above-table adjustment and mass; a handheld router wants to be light and to have its fence to hand. Most workshops that use both end up with two, and the second one is often the €57 Einhell with a dedicated bit left in it.
Because a large bit on a small shank deflects under load, which chatters the profile and occasionally snaps. If you intend to use bits over about 40 mm (1.57 in) in diameter, you need the bigger collet and genuine variable speed — those bits must be run slower.
2,400 W · dual function · table-ready
The router built to live under a table: 2,400 W, above-table height adjustment, and the reason most home-made router tables have a Triton in them.
Best for: A router table — this is the machine the category is built around
Professional plunge · fine-adjust fence
A professional plunge router that ships with the parallel fence, the template guide adapter and the wrench — the parts usually sold separately.
Best for: A workshop that wants a professional router working properly on day one
Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.
