Festool OF2000e Router Review

Description
The Festool OF2000e is a heavy duty production plunge router in the 3 1/2hp class. It's motor is rated at 16.7 amps and is the largest router motor that I am aware of, all others I've seen in the market top out at 15 amps.

The OF2000e form is typical for a large plunge router. It comes in a large Systainer along with several accessories. These include an edge guide, both 1/2" and 8mm collets, a 30mm guide bushing, a dust collection shroud, side stop, and collet wrench. As per usual the router also comes with a long power cord to match the Festool dust extractor hose length.

The base has an opening 2.8" in diameter. The opening in the dust shroud is 2.1" in diameter but it is not flush with the base so I think you could use a horizontal panel raiser even with the shroud installed. The plunge depth is 2 9/16" with the end of the collet set about 1/2" below the base plate when fully plunged.

Weighing in at only 11.2 pounds, the OF2000 has a very high power to weight ratio which makes it more maneuverable and easier to lug around compared to similar heavy duty routers.

Optional foot accessory shown installed

In Use
The plunge action is very smooth with a moderate amount of spring resistance. The OF2000e is a very smooth running machine with gobs of power; like a 3.5hp Swiss watch. Part of the smoothness I am sure is due to it's double bearing design. Every Festool machine I've used is smooth running though so I'm sure there is more contributing to this than just the bearings. The soft start motor is variable speed running from 12,000 to 22,000 rpm. A very handy speed chart is placed on the router body to match speed to material and bit diameter.

The OF2000e has all its controls located in typical positions. The ergonomics are well done, the handles fit well and provide the proper degree of control. The power switch, speed control, and plunge lock are all easy to reach. Changing bits on the tool is very straight forward and typical; a single wrench and spindle lock button design is used. The spindle uses a collet captured in the nut, a design that I prefer over a loose collet and nut or even a threaded collet.

Unlike the smaller Festool routers, the OF2000e kit is not natively capable of being used with the Festool guide systems, a separate accessory is available for this though.

The dust shroud is a separate item unlike the smaller OF1000 router. It consists of a single clear plastic piece that snaps on or off. The dust collection of coarse works best on surface cutting, edge cutting would not be very effective; overall the dust collection works well within reasonable expectations.

The OF2000e has a fairly typical depth stop system. A three position turret is used but the depth stop itself has a micro-position end on it to make adjustments in very small increments (1/256"). However, the depth scale is marked only in metric.

Image courtesy Festool

The included edge guide is fairly standard, it installs into holes in the route base and is locked with two small knobs; the fence is also micro adjustable at the guide end. The fence is quite sturdy. The guide bushing is bolted to the bottom of the base plate with three screws. Festool offers a selection of bushings but they are all metric and there isn't a PC adapter in the lineup.

Summary
The Festool OF2000e is a very heavy duty and sturdy router. It is designed for production or high stress tasks that might silence lesser machines prematurely. The smaller Festool router will probably feel more maneuverable and easy to use for most owners, however, if your requirements are more towards the heavy duty end, the OF2000 would be a better choice.