• 15 Amp motor provides the power and durability necessary for the toughest applications

• versatile, electronic five-speed motor with 10,000, 13,000, 16,000, 19,000, and 21,000 rpm settings accommodates various router bit cutting diameters and applications

• Soft-start feature reduces torque at start-up and motor maintains constant speed under load

• Auto-release collet system allows for easy bit removal after use

• Precision machined aluminum motor housing and base; Dust-sealed switch and sealed ball bearing construction enhance tool durability

I learned the bulk of my woodworking at Palomar College, which is where I was introduced to Porter-Cable routers. We were taught to always unscrew the base when we changed bits, so it's natural for me to do it that way. Their main workhorse is the Porter-Cable 690, and anything that will stand up to the kind of abuse that 150 students per day can dish out... I first purchased the 690 because of that, and when I made the ultimate router table in the Jigs and Fixture class, I graduated to the 7518.

Because of the weight (18 pounds), I have never left the motor in the router table, as some of my fellow students found that doing so tended to deflect the insert plate over time. I do leave the base attached at all times, but when I'm finished with the router table, I unscrew the motor, blow out all the sawdust from both motor and base, then store the motor in a cabinet. There are no scratches on the motor, and it has always been very easy to adjust the depth of the bit. I think those who are having problems with sawdust gumming things up over time could resolve this by simply taking off the motor and blowing out the sawdust when they're finished using it.

Changing bits has never been a problem because of the procedure I was taught at Palomar. I merely lift the insert plate with attached router out of the router table, unscrew the base and change bits. Pretty simple, really.

I have mostly used the 7518 in my router table, but there have been a few times when I've needed it for hand-held operations. The only drawback then is the weight, but all that power comes at a cost, I suppose. Actually, the much-maligned (and deservedly so) Sears router does pretty well for edge routing because of the light weight and those big handles.

After LOTS of use I can honestly say the 7518 looks like it's brand new. I firmly believe that I will be doing woodworking for the next thirty or forty years, and I have every confidence that my original Porter-Cable routers will still be in use, having, at the very most, had the brushes replaced.

It's a superb router. Buy it with confidence.

84 of 86 found the following review helpful:


Great for the table but...  Oct 19, 2000
I've had the 7518 about 3months now. It is dedicated to the routertable w/4" dust port (lots of air movement). Few things no one mentions regarding this router is it gets hot (told that is normal), this heat transfers through to the handles sometimes making it difficult to handle. I use an aluminum router plate with it and the heat transfers through it. The speed fluctuates dramatically in 10kRPM range and mine even stalled a couple times after starting the cut. Sawdust from routing MDF will get inside the motor and the speed module and slider switch. This makes it harder for the router to maintain proper speed. This same dust getting into the slider switch also causes the soft-start feature to fail and the router at times will not turn on (can take up to 45-seconds to start). Removing the cover and blowing the switch out with a air hose corrects these problems but it is something I wouldn't expect to see on a production router. It is the best I've found for the router table, but PC really needs to work on that slider switch and speed module before this router would get 5 stars from this owner.

115 of 121 found the following review helpful:


Consider carefully before you buy  Feb 22, 2006 By Drew Heywood
The Porter-Cable 7518 and 7519 (it's fixed-speed cousin) are solid routers, but you should consider their advantages and drawbacks carefully before you buy.

Handheld, they are beasts, but that's true of all 15A (15 Ampere) routers. They weigh about 13 pounds, and using them is almost like weight training. That may be what you need in a production environment, where you'll beat the router to heck, but it's overkill for a home shop. For handheld use a 12A handheld router is plenty. The primary application for a 15A router is panel raising with large bits, an operation that should never be performed hand-held. (The Ampere rating is an indication of the power the router can safely deliver on a continuous basis without burning out. It doesn't describe the power the router normally draws, just the peak power it's capable of. With smaller bits, you'll never need the kind of power that a 15A router can deliver.)

The chief reason most of us would buy one of these routers is to use it under a router table. In my opinion, the best way to do that is to mount the motor in a router lift device. This enables you to adjust the router height from above the table, without lifting the router and router plate out of the table top (They're heavy and the handles nearly fill the opening, making removal awkward!) or struggling to work under the table. I recommend a router lift that can raise the collet above the table top to simplify bit changes. My choice was the Jointech SmartLift Digital. The JessEm Mast-R-Lift also raises the collet above the table, but I've never used it.

Even in a router table, you need 15A only if you're routinely spinning bits larger than about 2", which are mostly horizontal panel-raisers. A 12A router is fine for most router table use. A 12A router won't last as long if you're using large bits, however.

I can't imagine why anyone but a production shop would buy the 7519. The single-speed feature may provide very slightly higher reliability but it greatly restricts the bits you can use. If you shop, there's no real difference in price between the two models. For almost everyone, the 7518 is the best choice.

Porter-Cable should be ashamed for their unwillingness expend any R&D on the 7518 and 7519. Nowadays, every router has a self-extracting collet, but these are the only routers I know that don't have a locking spindle and therefore require two wrenches for bit change. (PC's latest 2 1/4 horse router has an auto-locking collet, so how primitive is one that doesn't lock at all?) I'd also blast their cheapness for not including a 1/4" collet. The location of the power switch on top of the motor housing can be awkward, since you have to remove one hand from the handles to cycle power.

When using the supplied base, the adjustment mechanism requires turning the aluminum-encased motor housing inside a huge aluminum screw in the base. (Few engineers would design with aluminum sliding on aluminum, particularly when the surfaces can't be lubricated.) Operation is rough and awkward, particularly under a router table. There's nothing to keep dust out of the adjustment mechanism, so the aluminum screw can collect grit, and under extreme conditions can jam. A router lift circumvents all these problems.

In summary, I recommend that you consider the 7518 and 7519 only if you'll be mounting the motors in a router lift. If you don't want to spend the money on a router lift, consider one of the newer routers that has built-in above-table adjustment. 12A routers are now available from Milwaukee (Model 5616-20), Porter-Cable (model 894PK), Freud (model FT1700VCE), and others. The Triton TRC001 is a 15A router that is reputedly excellent for use under a router table, but I haven't used it.

If you want a single router for use in router table and hand-held, buy a multi-base kit to make it easy to switch functions. It is very time-consuming to convert a table-mounted router to handheld use when the router is screwed to the router plate.

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