The Katsu is great value for money especially for occasional use. It works great in a router table and is perfectly able for all trim router jobs. Personally i find the Makita battery router top heavy just like the Makita sander. My Katsu has done everything I’ve asked of it and after 3 years it’s still going strong.
Be interesting to know how the curry router has held-up after two years. I already have four corded routers so can't really justify the Makita cordless, so a cheapo cordless trimmer seems ideal, esp at a £53 price point these days. Just wondering what lifespan I'm looking at for (light) daily use (my 1/2" beast and my powered router table will do the grunt work)
apologies ive only just seen this. Its not skipped a beat, honestly, and it trims all the arrises off every component all round, day after day. Bargain!! amzn.to/4i3tAkr amzn.to/2LVq51Y We do earn a few peenies through these links if you use them :-) Thanks Ryan
Nice review Ryan. I’ve got the Mikita cordless and it has the same 2 button system. I’ve also got the Katsu corded which is about 3 years old and still going strong. The only thing I find with the cordless is it’s a bit too heavy and gives some wrist fatigue with extended use.
Sorry mate just saw this, youtube hides my comments sometimes. Yeah I have no probs with the katsu, and see what you mean with the weight. You can get lighter 1.5 ah batteries but probably only useful for light work. 👍
@@thelondoncraftsmanworkshop by the way, I would love to see a video on building kitchen base units, with a cut list in mm. Most vids are American and I haven’t seen one that lists the parts in a helpful way. I’m probably just being thick but I love the learning by video, it suits my brain 🙏🏻
These routers been round a long time and very highly reviewed I have the katsu wired router permanently fixed to a hand made router table never an issue a cracking router and at only £38 can’t go wrong, also can get several bases for it including a plunge router base for only £25 awesome routers.
Interesting review. I own the Makita corded and cordless trim router. I've got to say, if the cordless version was available earlier, I'd have skipped the corded version - you know 110v, massive tranny and all that stuff. Anyway, I use the cordless version almost exclusively now to buzz out hinge pockets, strike plates and the like. About a year ago, I bought the Katzu corded version to fix under my workshop router table - 12mm mdf and the leg of a reclaimed table - as I didn't want to use the 110v Makita or consign the cordless to the table and trash the batteries. What can I say? For the money, forty odd quid, the Katzu has done a sterling job of running off shaker style doors and has already more than paid for itself. Is it as good as the Makita? No. But is it more than good enough to live under a sheet of mdf in my garage workshop? Absolutely!
I bought the katsu as a cheap thrasher router. Apart from the cable coming abit loose, it's been great, and as a boatbuilder it gets used everyday on the full gamut of: composites, timber and the occasional brass & aluminium.
Just purchased the cordless Makita, thanks for your thoughts. I am just about to do all the edge's on some wardrobes. You said in a previous video you stack them all together and fill edge's to make process quicker and flatter. Do you router edge's AFTER this procedure? Thank you, GREAT CHANNEL
I bought the corded Katsu as a set with three bases. Pretty good value for money. The cord could be longer. I'm not sure about the single stage collet. Don't know if the Makita has a single stage collet or not. Never used the angle base, don't expect to either. The plunge base isn't too great, it wobbles on the guide posts so I don't think it will go down to exactly the same spot every time. Not good when doing guide collar work, which I do a lot. If it comes to it I can always buy a Makita plunge base. For £65 for the set it's a bargain and I'm very pleased with it.
I love the Makita trimmer, I would love to get hold of a battery trimmer that has guide bushings 12mm to do door jigs maybe with a dust extraction also...the trend router ideally for locks and lock jigs but to do hinges it would be ideal, big trend t10 is just to bulky in my opinion to do a job the trimmer would be very capable of 🙌🏻
2 button is a safety feature so you cannot turn it on with same hand that you are holding it with. Of course we’d all be holding the collet and turning it on!!!
This review is not very detailed. I got katsu at home, using it in cnc router and also got battery powered makita at my work. First of all, katsu have no rpm control, just power control so if i use it on low setting in cnc it slows down under load and i cant get stable chip load. Also have to ramp it up a bit to compensate that slowing down. Makita on low setting is very stable under load and i can use it even on "level 1". Second, makita is brushless and sooo quiet. Its HUGE difference and i really like to use it. Third, my katsu had very bad quality collet, not straight at all. I bought oryginal makita collet for 10$ and that solved my problem but i wasted a lot of time to figure it out. Is Katsu bad? No, it works great after replacing collet and its crazy how much you get for that price. But now i would pay more and buy makita, mostly because noise level. Running cnc for hours with that noise is nightmare.
I had both the Makita I picked up for £120 so no that much more than the Katsu, the Katsu was pants and the battery used to get stuck on it never again will I buy cheap tools,
Katsu can afford to undercut Makita's prices only because they don't have to spend money on R&D as they are a direct ripoff of Makita's research. I'll pay full price and support the real companies and own a tool that will last for years. Let's check back in a year to see how many Katsu's have bit the dust. cheers.
I’ve had Dewalt tools break on me within 2 years so i think time scales are irrelevant plus as he said “you can get 2 katsus for the price of 1 makita” so if by chance it does break you can get another. Pretty much all tool manufacturers have 18v router/trimmers and I wonder who has copied who out of them.
I have a corded katsu and a corded makita. How can u compare like they are close! The katsu is nearly twice as loud and burnt out and needed replacing twice beforei gave up. Katsu is cheap crap. Is this a promotion?
I like it, it's not twice as loud, it does everything the makita does and it hasn't broken on me and its more than half price so for me I love it. Not a promotion 👍
Ahh that's a shame, we still have the same one that is in this video. Nearly 3 years old, used 1-2 hours every day and never missed a beat. Maybe it's just a faulty one. I havnt got a bad word to say about mine, very strange!!
It maybe isn’t an entirely fair comparison to put up a “cheap” cordless tool up against a “quality” corded one. However, I think that using the Makita corded tool as the benchmark for other router/trimmers is valid. It is good for me as a DIYer to know that the cheaper tool would be up to the sort of jobs I would need it for without sacrificing power. I don’t have Makita 18v tools myself so the cost saving for me would be less…I also don’t want to get into another battery system so I’ll probably go for the corded Katsu for occasional use.
The Katsu is great value for money especially for occasional use. It works great in a router table and is perfectly able for all trim router jobs. Personally i find the Makita battery router top heavy just like the Makita sander. My Katsu has done everything I’ve asked of it and after 3 years it’s still going strong.
This is a great little comment thanks, just shows that the katsu does last and is reliable 👍
Thank you!!
@@thelondoncraftsmanworkshop Had my corded Katsu nearly 4 years, been well used, still working flawlessly.
Be interesting to know how the curry router has held-up after two years. I already have four corded routers so can't really justify the Makita cordless, so a cheapo cordless trimmer seems ideal, esp at a £53 price point these days. Just wondering what lifespan I'm looking at for (light) daily use (my 1/2" beast and my powered router table will do the grunt work)
apologies ive only just seen this.
Its not skipped a beat, honestly, and it trims all the arrises off every component all round, day after day. Bargain!!
amzn.to/4i3tAkr
amzn.to/2LVq51Y
We do earn a few peenies through these links if you use them :-)
Thanks Ryan
Nice review Ryan. I’ve got the Mikita cordless and it has the same 2 button system. I’ve also got the Katsu corded which is about 3 years old and still going strong. The only thing I find with the cordless is it’s a bit too heavy and gives some wrist fatigue with extended use.
Sorry mate just saw this, youtube hides my comments sometimes. Yeah I have no probs with the katsu, and see what you mean with the weight. You can get lighter 1.5 ah batteries but probably only useful for light work. 👍
hi - you recommended a small round overr bit in another video. What is it called please?
Hi, the link to the cutter (1.6mm radius cutter) is in the video description 👍👍👍
@@thelondoncraftsmanworkshop thanks and sorry 😀👍🏻
@@thelondoncraftsmanworkshop by the way, I would love to see a video on building kitchen base units, with a cut list in mm. Most vids are American and I haven’t seen one that lists the parts in a helpful way. I’m probably just being thick but I love the learning by video, it suits my brain 🙏🏻
@Duggy171 ah that's no probs , and you're welcome 👍
These routers been round a long time and very highly reviewed I have the katsu wired router permanently fixed to a hand made router table never an issue a cracking router and at only £38 can’t go wrong, also can get several bases for it including a plunge router base for only £25 awesome routers.
Sounds like a brushed motor and does not stop instantly
I am tempted but I love Makita
In terms of sound, which one is loudest?
The mains powered router 👍
Interesting review. I own the Makita corded and cordless trim router. I've got to say, if the cordless version was available earlier, I'd have skipped the corded version - you know 110v, massive tranny and all that stuff. Anyway, I use the cordless version almost exclusively now to buzz out hinge pockets, strike plates and the like.
About a year ago, I bought the Katzu corded version to fix under my workshop router table - 12mm mdf and the leg of a reclaimed table - as I didn't want to use the 110v Makita or consign the cordless to the table and trash the batteries.
What can I say? For the money, forty odd quid, the Katzu has done a sterling job of running off shaker style doors and has already more than paid for itself. Is it as good as the Makita? No. But is it more than good enough to live under a sheet of mdf in my garage workshop? Absolutely!
I bought the katsu as a cheap thrasher router. Apart from the cable coming abit loose, it's been great, and as a boatbuilder it gets used everyday on the full gamut of: composites, timber and the occasional brass & aluminium.
someone said smtgh about comparing oranges and apples ... corded and cordless ???
ok
Just purchased the cordless Makita, thanks for your thoughts. I am just about to do all the edge's on some wardrobes. You said in a previous video you stack them all together and fill edge's to make process quicker and flatter. Do you router edge's AFTER this procedure? Thank you, GREAT CHANNEL
I bought the corded Katsu as a set with three bases. Pretty good value for money.
The cord could be longer. I'm not sure about the single stage collet. Don't know if the Makita has a single stage collet or not.
Never used the angle base, don't expect to either.
The plunge base isn't too great, it wobbles on the guide posts so I don't think it will go down to exactly the same spot every time. Not good when doing guide collar work, which I do a lot. If it comes to it I can always buy a Makita plunge base.
For £65 for the set it's a bargain and I'm very pleased with it.
I only have the cordless version and it's beautifully made for the price 👍
It’s the warranty and after sales for me with Makita.
I love the Makita trimmer, I would love to get hold of a battery trimmer that has guide bushings 12mm to do door jigs maybe with a dust extraction also...the trend router ideally for locks and lock jigs but to do hinges it would be ideal, big trend t10 is just to bulky in my opinion to do a job the trimmer would be very capable of 🙌🏻
2 button is a safety feature so you cannot turn it on with same hand that you are holding it with. Of course we’d all be holding the collet and turning it on!!!
Comparing a wired tool with a battery operated one???
You can’t compare those ….
This review is not very detailed. I got katsu at home, using it in cnc router and also got battery powered makita at my work.
First of all, katsu have no rpm control, just power control so if i use it on low setting in cnc it slows down under load and i cant get stable chip load. Also have to ramp it up a bit to compensate that slowing down. Makita on low setting is very stable under load and i can use it even on "level 1".
Second, makita is brushless and sooo quiet. Its HUGE difference and i really like to use it.
Third, my katsu had very bad quality collet, not straight at all. I bought oryginal makita collet for 10$ and that solved my problem but i wasted a lot of time to figure it out.
Is Katsu bad? No, it works great after replacing collet and its crazy how much you get for that price. But now i would pay more and buy makita, mostly because noise level. Running cnc for hours with that noise is nightmare.
I had both the Makita I picked up for £120 so no that much more than the Katsu, the Katsu was pants and the battery used to get stuck on it never again will I buy cheap tools,
Mines still going strong, absolutely no downsides to it at all. Its had constant use daily since I put this video up. I'd buy again 100%
I guess the Katsu is only really viable if you've already bought into Makita, i'll stick to Dewalt
Good video, thanks
Great channel and a sub from too 👊👊👍👌
Thank you!!
Really appreciate the sub also 👍👍👍😁
Katsu can afford to undercut Makita's prices only because they don't have to spend money on R&D as they are a direct ripoff of Makita's research. I'll pay full price and support the real companies and own a tool that will last for years. Let's check back in a year to see how many Katsu's have bit the dust. cheers.
I’ve had Dewalt tools break on me within 2 years so i think time scales are irrelevant plus as he said “you can get 2 katsus for the price of 1 makita” so if by chance it does break you can get another. Pretty much all tool manufacturers have 18v router/trimmers and I wonder who has copied who out of them.
Weird flex. You keep buying Makita so the rest of us can buy Katsu. Cheers, bro!
I bought that corded Katsu and it was so poor. The spindle was out so the bits spun out of true. Dreadful tool. Buy cheap, buy twice.
London handyman...
Have you got a RUclips channel??
I have a corded katsu and a corded makita. How can u compare like they are close! The katsu is nearly twice as loud and burnt out and needed replacing twice beforei gave up. Katsu is cheap crap. Is this a promotion?
I like it, it's not twice as loud, it does everything the makita does and it hasn't broken on me and its more than half price so for me I love it. Not a promotion 👍
katsu trim router failed and burnt out after a few uses maybe 25 uses and 2 years, only used it for round overs.. crock of rubbish sadly
Ahh that's a shame, we still have the same one that is in this video. Nearly 3 years old, used 1-2 hours every day and never missed a beat. Maybe it's just a faulty one. I havnt got a bad word to say about mine, very strange!!
Same rating as the Makita on Amazon…. User error, perhaps?
Nooice!
corded to cordless is NOT a comparison
It maybe isn’t an entirely fair comparison to put up a “cheap” cordless tool up against a “quality” corded one. However, I think that using the Makita corded tool as the benchmark for other router/trimmers is valid. It is good for me as a DIYer to know that the cheaper tool would be up to the sort of jobs I would need it for without sacrificing power. I don’t have Makita 18v tools myself so the cost saving for me would be less…I also don’t want to get into another battery system so I’ll probably go for the corded Katsu for occasional use.