196094-2 Plunge Router Base Replace for Makita XTR01Z RT0700C DRT50 DRT50Z RT0701C RT0700 Router Trimmer

Perfect fit for my cordless makita router. Depth control is easy and has variable height adjustment for quick change. Would recommend

So far I’ve had a good experience working with the aftermarket plunge base. Fit is tight and ease of function, for the price, it’s well worth it. Some of the materials it’s made with are sub standard and I expect to replace them at some point. Knowing what I know now, would I still buy it? Absolutely, it’s been an excellent addition for my homemade router sled.

Quality flaws make it unusable. Buy the real Makita base. I bought this base for small spiral bit plunge cutting. I realized after I received it that it needed a guide bushing plate for template work. So I ordered the guide bushing plate (Makita brand) and it looked like it would fit. All I had to do was remove the two set screws for the plate. Two screws. Two screws that, by design should be removable. Apparently when they were installed during its manufacture, they were torqued in beyond belief. Either that or installed with permanent Loktite. I used every trick in the book. No joy whatsoever. This is a horrible bit of design failure that basically makes this base useless for any template work. Two screws. As a side note, during my disassembly of the base plate, I noticed that the “c” spring retainer had been installed with a base washer that was improperly set at an angle in one of the the sliding tube mechanisms. This meant that the depth of the plunge was shortened by, probably about a quarter of an inch. Again… with a guide bushing and template, this is a critical feature to have as much plunge depth available since a template and bushing kill at least a quarter inch of available play. This sloppy assembly severely limits the usability of the tool. Run away from this one.

Good

Unfortunately, not adaptive for other small trim routers. Seemed study enough, solid, fluid movement...

I choose this unit because I was in a hurry and I did not want to wait an extra two weeks delivery time for the Makita. This unit feels cheap compared to a name brand product, but that doesn’t really bother me. What makes me made is this product has been so cheeped out that the screws are junk and they all stripped out when I tried to change the base plate. Now I have to go get an extractor set to get the crappy screws to come out and buy replacement screws. This unit is priced nearly equal to the name brand Makita product. By time I go to the store and buy an extractor set and screws, plus my wasted time, this unit is not worth it. I wish I would have waited for the real deal Makita.

As you can see in the pictures, I have modified the base by grinding down the internal lip that prevented the router from getting the depth needed. I used a Walmart brand router, and it does the job perfectly. Only complaint is the useless knob with numbers on the depth gauge. This can be fixed by glueing the knob to the depth gauge screw as in the pictures. Not bad for a budget plunge base with handles for palm routers.

The overall sturdiness is fine, but quality control is lacking. A lot of people would have returned this item because the opening would not accommodate the Makita motor. I had to use a wire brush for 15-30 minutes to grind out the powder coating inside the opening. Very frustrating, but I, fortunately have the tools to fix almost anything. Hopefully, you do not have this issue. One off? Maybe!

Ok so I'm going to be as unbiased as possible and let everyone know whats up. Im a professional woodworker/joiner who picked up the Makita DRT50 recently and wanted a sturdier base, and also the ability to plunge cut cuz why not? I'll mostly use this router for round overs and laminate trimming but also probably a few grooves and stuff because I have used this router to hog out solid wood before and it does just fine if you take small passes and don't push it hard. So, firstly yes it feels cheap, the springs in the plunge action are noisy and feel cheap. Probably a little too strong also. There is also a bit of slop up and down the first 2 mm of travel but overall there is very little play laterally in the plunge rails. So thats good... It feels nearly as solid as a Festool plunge router when you try and twist the base/ motor so thats a big bonus (at least on my unit). Although yes, the plunge action on this unit doesn't even come close to feel with a Festool, but I do enjoy the plunge lock ALOT more on this unit. The Festool has to be screwed alot and this is just a lever by the handle that locks/unlocks. The body is pot metal as is expected but solid enough. Maybe a little heavy for what it is. Handles are comfortable and well positioned but here comes the bad... I inspected the base and The screw for plunge measurement is near garbage. It's hard to adjust the red guide and the screw is super tight/grimy from the factory. I do like how you can manually adjust the speed stops tho and anyone worth their salt will run test cuts when setting it up. The router barely fits into the chasis and I'm sure the router body is going to get scratched up after being inserted and removed after a while. Onto the dust collection and let me say oh my. It sucks. The front 2nd window is bad and wont secure itself... Super super cheap. Its barely held in by the one small tab and rattles freely. The main shroud that connects to the vacuum isn't as bad but meh... I'm sure the dust collection is a bit better on the legit model and probably isn't going to fall off and be a danger to the operator. Anyways I knew I was cheaping out when I decided to not go with the legit model from Makita. Its not so bad that I feel like returning it but yea its not great. Maybe I'll swap the springs to something a little better eventually.