Triton MOF001 2-1/4 HP Precision Plunge Router Review
The smaller Triton. Same above-table features, two-thirds the weight, and the better choice if the router also works in your hands.
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Triton makes two dual-mode routers and the choice between them is simpler than it looks: the big one is a table router that can be held, the small one is a router that is good in a table.
The MOF001 is the second. It keeps the design features that make the range worth considering and sheds enough weight to be a tool you can use freehand without regretting it.
What it keeps
The above-table winder — set cutter height from above with the supplied handle, no router lift needed.
Fixed-base mode, which disengages the plunge spring so the height stays put in a table.
The automatic spindle lock and above-table collet access, so bit changes happen from the top. This remains the single best argument for a Triton in a table.
Where 2-1/4 HP runs out
Big cutters. A full-width raised panel bit in oak, a large rail-and-stile set, or a heavy rebate in a single pass will bog this motor.
The workaround is real and not a fudge: take several light passes instead of one heavy one. That is better practice with any router — it produces a cleaner cut, keeps the cutter cooler and is safer — and with a 2-1/4 HP motor it is not optional.
If most of your table work is panel raising in hardwood, buy the 3-1/4 HP version.
Handheld
At this weight, edge profiling, hinge mortises and template work are all comfortable. It is still a full-size plunge router rather than a trim router, so for small one-handed jobs a compact router is nicer.
The switch
Both Tritons have a safety switch under a flip-up cover, and it disarms itself when power is interrupted. In a table with a foot switch or a paddle switch this is an irrelevance. Handheld, it is a small annoyance you stop noticing.
What works
- Keeps the above-table height winder, fixed-base mode and automatic spindle lock that make the Triton design worth buying
- Light enough to use handheld without fighting it, which the 3-1/4 HP version is not
- Takes both 1/4 in and 1/2 in collets, so it runs the small profile bits and the larger straight and rebate cutters
What doesn't
- 2-1/4 HP is not enough for large panel-raising cutters in hardwood — those want the bigger machine and a slower feed
- The same awkward safety switch arrangement as the larger model, which has to be reset after any power interruption
- Plunge action is serviceable rather than smooth, and the depth stop turret is basic next to premium routers
Worth comparing against
- Check price
Triton
Triton TRA001 3-1/4 HP Dual Mode Precision Plunge Router