There has been a lot of hype over this Makita cordless trim router since word and pictures leaked out back in March of 2017. Even more chaos stirred amongst the wood-power-tool-lovers when Australia got the 18V brushless router several months ago. Word spread quickly and questions loomed: when will we (US) get it? what’s the holdup? is it UL? We’re pretty confident it was UL holding this up…go figure.

Worry no more, the wait is over. We received the Makita cordless trim router a few days for review, and they should be filling the Home Depot shelves very soon. We give you our take, and our pro’s take on this new handy Makita 18V brushless router.

The ergonomics and power to weight ratio remind us much of the Makita Sub-Compact CX200RB 18V Combo set.

The Pro’s Top 3 Feaures

1. Cordless – easy to work around the piece
2. Grip – rubber grip and finger grip (jimping)
3. ON/OFF Lock – electronic lock for safety

-read more features below.

Using the new Makita 18V Brushless Router

Stopping by the Seventeen20 custom furniture shop, I wanted to show Jon (owner) the new Makita cordless router. Since he has multiple routers that range in the 1HP and above range, I don’t expect him to be thrilled about this little router. Immediately, Jon holds it in his hand, gets a feel for it, and says…”Thanks!!. Ummm, I’m not giving it to you, and by the way, there is nothing here to use it on. He immediately convinced me of how wrong I am, and proceeded to show me.

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Trim Router In A Real Woodworking Shop

Seventeen20 makes custom furniture with big thick wood table tops, and big heavy welded steel bases. I watch them use huge routers to cut huge dove tails and other dados. With one of the tops sitting at one of the workstations, Jon threw a 4.0Ah Makita 18V in the router and fired it up. Working his way around the top, he was able to put a quick round-over (bullnose) on the whole top within a couple of minutes. A larger router, doing such simple work is more cumbersome and clumsy. Also, the cord likes to get hung up at each corner. The Makita cordless trim router makes finishes the job quick and Jon has a huge smile on his face.

Makita Cordless Trim Router Features

Push Button Arbor Lock

An electronic lock keeps anyone from just bumping the button and turning the router on. The user must first push the lock/unlock button, then the power button can be pushed to release the power. A push-button arbor lock allows the user to only use one wrench for bit changes. However, to ensure a tight fit, two flat spots are milled on the shaft for tightening with two-wrenches as well.

A clear acrylic dust extractor shroud can be quickly installed with the included thumbscrew. Also, an included router fence allows the user to quickly make dados at a particular parallel offset. Adjusting the height of the bit is very easy, by flipping open the clamp and rolling the geared thumb-screw. In addition, a LED casts light upon the work area, as long as the router is on.

Eyeballing and Setting Depth

Depth Adjustment

We really like the rubber grip to grasp with your hand. Almost as important, we also like the finger grip on the base where you place your index finger from the opposite hand. We would call this jimping in the knife world. The grips enable the woodworker to guide and control the Makita cordless trim router with ease.

Conclusion

The Makita cordless trim router is a handy tool that makes quick work of simple needs. It’s doubtful that you want this for heavy-duty stuff, but it’s proven that it’s not just for the small shop. And, this is why they call it a “Trim” router. These should be hitting shelves very soon, and the price should be in the $199 for the bare tool. Check it out at the Home Depot.