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Post by aas on Oct 23, 2023 11:58:31 GMT -5
Picked it up today, had a quick look, will try and play in the next week or so
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Post by newuser on Nov 1, 2023 1:50:31 GMT -5
The foot might be the killer app, helps balance on uneven surfaces which is something I seem to do more than is recommended. Might be where a trim router would be best used, but I don’t have one Clamp takes quite a bit of muscle to open, at first wasn’t getting collet in as it wasn’t fully open. The smell of the carbon brushes is noticeable, I had thought the of1010 was brushless for some reason but it seems brushes are available for it, or older models. Depth button release could do with being larger, hard to squeeze it from certain angles. Might be on purpose, they do highlight being able to lock depth gauge to columns to prevent accidental height change.
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Post by aas on Nov 8, 2023 21:25:17 GMT -5
I've used this a few times now, it's the perfect job-site router for me. The three things that do it for me are tool-less bit change, the plunge lock mechanism, and built in rail groove, although I agree the foot is pretty useful and the clip in base accessories too.
There is no smell from the brushes for me, and plunge lock release has been intuitive and easy to use.
It's a quality tool, well worth the price. I had concerns about the plastic fittings like guide bushes etc., but they do seem to be strong. The collet lock lever is metal, it needs a decent bit of force to open.
At a guess I'd say it is slightly heavier than the small Festool, I have the recent OF1010R, but it feels better made. The biggest problem with the Festool for me is the faff of fitting and centring guide bushes - no such problem with the LO55 as they twist in place then lock down with two thumb screws.
All in all, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a small 8mm router.
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Post by Knight Woodworks on Nov 10, 2023 17:22:42 GMT -5
Thanks for the review. It sounds good. If the LO55 ever makes it to the US I'd give it serious consideration.
John
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Post by newuser on Nov 10, 2023 22:39:23 GMT -5
Think I was mixing up festool of1010 with brushless sander which is a rare case of wired brushless and the advantage is shorter body. Need nose close to case to smell anything, just got a small whiff today again while very gingerly trying a radius cut with lo-fa (another new purchase) on aluminium edge.
And unlike its bigger brother, this router doesn’t need plastic plate screwed to base as it has the drop foot.
One thing I noticed was that I was mixing up the power and height buttons with the router on its head and changing cutters, thankfully I followed advice and manually unplugged it or could have been profiled fingers! They’re both red buttons so something to take note of. It’s a pity festool stopped selling the plug it adapters which I only noticed recently as bought last ones in 2021. Be much easier to quickly disconnect it then, have all other Mafells converted.
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Post by aas on Nov 11, 2023 4:06:57 GMT -5
I've decided I'm not a fan of the plug-it's on Festool, it adds an unnecessary step to switching tools and it adds bulk / length to the tool.
I use an individually switched multi-plug plugged into the vac, all the tools I am using at any time are plugged in and I can isolate individually if need be, or switch the whole lot off with the master switch if need be. If your workplace is organised and each tool goes back in it's place, cables never get tangled up, and switching tools is just pulling the vac hose off and putting it on the next tool.
It also avoids the mistake off rushing down the mountain to pick up a tool, rushing back up, opening the systainer and finding there is no lead!..
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heiko
Junior Member
Posts: 80
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Post by heiko on Nov 12, 2023 16:49:45 GMT -5
I've used this a few times now, it's the perfect job-site router for me. The three things that do it for me are tool-less bit change, the plunge lock mechanism, and built in rail groove, although I agree the foot is pretty useful and the clip in base accessories too. There is no smell from the brushes for me, and plunge lock release has been intuitive and easy to use. It's a quality tool, well worth the price. I had concerns about the plastic fittings like guide bushes etc., but they do seem to be strong. The collet lock lever is metal, it needs a decent bit of force to open. At a guess I'd say it is slightly heavier than the small Festool, I have the recent OF1010R, but it feels better made. The biggest problem with the Festool for me is the faff of fitting and centring guide bushes - no such problem with the LO55 as they twist in place then lock down with two thumb screws. All in all, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a small 8mm router. Hi, I seen a test of the lo55 where the guide Business are of center and the paralellguide have bow. Could you check this on your lo55? The video was in german.
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Post by aas on Nov 13, 2023 13:23:34 GMT -5
I'll have a look later in the week for you
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Post by aas on Nov 15, 2023 5:13:52 GMT -5
So I measured the exterior of the 20mm guide bush to the opposite side exterior of an 8mm 3 sided cutter with a vernier caliper, getting 13,9mm on all 3 points. Of course this should be 14mm, so I checked the guide bush, it is 20mm on the main part of the bush, it just drops off at the end where I put the caliper as I wanted the caliper to be as flat as possible - I'm happy enough to say this is concentric.
For the parallel guide, I put a Starrett straight edge up to it and held it up to an LED strip light - I can just see a slither of light all along, it seems one end is out by a hair - literally the width of a hair!.. this is straight for me.
To be fair, if I use a parallel guide, I tend to add an MDF front as I can make it almost zero clearance and I find the MDF has a nice smooth edge to slide down the workpiece.
No problems with my LO55 I'm pleased to say.
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heiko
Junior Member
Posts: 80
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Post by heiko on Nov 15, 2023 17:21:56 GMT -5
Thank you!
Greetings
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Post by henrun on Jan 20, 2024 10:31:58 GMT -5
I got my LO55 yesterday. It was supposed to arrive in early December but never materialized. I did have one on order since the day it was announced.
It was worth the wait. I did fit it with a plugit - which was a bit of a hassle. Changing out cords on the LO55 is not super easy. But I got it done. And for me it is worth it since I get the bulky part above the working surface (shortened the fat rubber part of the plug it machine end) and I use several plug it tools with the same cord and hose combo: the Domino, the Lamello, sanders etc.
Looks as small as the Festool OF1010 I have, but it is actually a bit larger, not by much. Handling is better, for sure. I like the OF1010, but the depth setting on the LO55, the depth adjustment button and the dust collection is better - and the LED light works well enough to set that precise adjustment when sneaking up to a pencil mark or similar.
The MAIN feature is of course the Lever for changing the router bit. This is faster and much more convenient than any other router I have used. Well done Mafell!
It is fairly silent (as is the OF1010) and in use it was an immediate feeling of great control and sufficient power. I have several Hole rails from Bosch/Mafell so I got the expensive parallell guide for it which will give me some more options for use.
If I could summarize it I think the LO55 is and has everything I would wish for in a (corded) small router - it is definitely an upgrade to the OF1010 - which I will probably keep as it is still a fine machine.
I do have a Hikoki 36V router and it is very capable and that makes me wish there was a cordless option from Mafell. Even for use in the workshop I find that the cordless Hikoki with a suspended vac hose really minimizes entanglement and makes for a good setup. The Mafell dust collection is much better and with the Hikoki I have made a small station where I have the table hooked up to the shop vac (Felder 160) as well as running a suspended vac hose. It does an ok job with the Hikoki cordless for dust collection. With the Festool OF1010 the dust collection is better and with the Mafell LO55 I am now at the point where I don't bother to engage the large Felder shop vac and run a Festool vac with LESS dust than any other two point dust collection combination so far.
So far the LO55 does impress. Will post back when I find any shortcomings, surely there are some.
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Post by aas on Jan 23, 2024 1:50:56 GMT -5
So far the LO55 does impress. Will post back when I find any shortcomings, surely there are some. The collet nut is big. I'm used to 'normal' sized nuts that tend to drop inside the 30mm guide bush for extra plunge depth. To cut a long story short... a bit tired trying to finish a cut in some solid surface with an MDF template, I thought the cutter was blunt and the burning smell was me trying to force the cut for the last couple of mm... no it was the huge collet nut being forced into the plastic guide bush... result being melted plastic around the collet nut and the guide bush has a new conical form !.. on the plus side, I found out that these new plastic accessories are very tough !
If I could add some options to really make it perfect, I would like some clip on base plates like the OF2200, especially one with a small hole for the cutter and an extended offset base for edge work. I'm not totally convinced by the small magnetically attached 'filler' piece to give more support around the cutter.
Other than that, it's still my go to router, I haven't used the OF1010R in a while, I should go back to that for a better comparison, but then I'll have to get a spanner out to change the bit...
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Post by henrun on Feb 2, 2024 14:50:00 GMT -5
I have used the LO 55 extensively last two weeks. I have not tried the inserts yet though. I have been routing circles (loudspeaker builds) and recesses for bassports and speaker elements. For this I made a circle jig out of compact laminate (6mm) with a sliding/locking insert which allows me to go between and adjust sizes pretty fast. This works so well that I am considering a second LO55 in the future since I am not as likely to switch between the base plate and the circle jig on projects. Call me lazy, but there are other routers around.
I did make the base plate hole smaller for the circle jig, I don't know exactly what I ended up with, but around 38mm, which is enough to allow for the dust extraction to work. For circle cutting and recessed stuff I use 7-18mm straight bits so no need for a larger hole.
If I get me another LO 55 for the other tasks I will probably make another baseplate for it with a smaller hole, I also think the existing one is a little large for most of what I do. I will see if I can make something that will still allow for decent dust extraction.
I would not call myself a "router guy" but the LO55 has made me look forward to using it.
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Post by aas on Mar 17, 2024 7:30:14 GMT -5
I do have a Hikoki 36V router Thanks for reminding me about this tool, I had a look and found one in the sales for about 300€ euro with 2x 5,0ah multivolt batts, charger and case - pretty good deal. Used it a few times, will need to get a 30mm guide bush for it, and make a new sub base with smaller opening, but it's comfortable to use, fairly light and powerful enough for average tasks.
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Post by henrun on Mar 18, 2024 12:19:48 GMT -5
aas: I made a smaller base for the Hikoki 36V router out of 6mm compact laminate. Since then I have gotten more use out of it. I have been chamfering some loudspekare boxes and going around corners where a 45 meets a 45 angle would be a bit dangerous/easy to ruin with the standard base as the hole is just too large.
I use the Hikoki every now and then thanks to the power. I have tried to eliminate the mess but have resorted to to most routing in one corner of our workshop where it is easier to clean up...
Further down the line I am thinking of adding another LO55 since I made that circle jig for it. Not just because it is a hassle switching bases but I like having same operation on routers. There are a lot of OF1010 routers out there on the second hand market so I will have to put my Festool on the market first and get the second Mafell once it sells. No rush at the moment but the more I think of it the more it makes sense.
As a side note my next-door colleague who picked up the LO55 together with me has used the guide bushings for it and has been VERY impressed with the dust collection. There is virtually no dust left and the channels are clean.
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