WORKPRO Compact Router Combo Kit, 6.5 Amp

We include trim routers in installation kits that go out to most of our projects. As a commercial furniture installation company we typically purchase top quality equipment for installation work but were hoping to find a serviceable and less expensive trim router since they get limited use. This is not it. I cannot comment on noise, smoothness, or heat build-up during operation because I decided to return this item based on just the fit and function of the hardware, and not to run a tool that I am sure will be repacked and resold. So one star may not have been fair if you include the running quality of the machine; I did not test that. However, here are the items that made me decide to return it without even running.1: The rack and pinion style "fine adjustment " fits so loose that it might as well not exist at all. Measured lash in the knob before it even engages the gear is over 1/8" and the play in the gear when it does engage the teeth is probably close to 1/16"; essentially useless if you actually want to make any fine adjustments.2: The collet nut is rough and catches repeatedly on the threads when it run it off and on. I did not put a caliper on the interface but I did notice that the collet itself sits eccentric in the shaft until the nut is locked down. So there is definitely some sort of off-angle interface between the collet and the internal tapered shaft.3: The push button shaft lock (yes, it does have one which was a surprise), is so sloppy both in the fit to the shaft and the housing that it is mounted in that there is a massive amount of side play. Hopefully anyone using this will not change bits very often or will use the 2 wrench method of breaking loose the collet nut. I would not expect that push-button housing to survive much load.4: On the subject of the collet; the hole is undersized. SIgnificantly undersized. I presume to insure a solid grip on the bit. But I tried installing both a CMT and an Amana 1/4" shaft bit into the collet and both had to be pressed in with way more force than should be necessary. SInce this collet does not include a release feature (as on our Festool routers) that eases the collet out of the shaft as you loosen it to allow the collet to open and release the bit, I can only imagine that you will need to remove the collet completely and use a punch to push any precision milled router bits out of the collet. Perhaps the bits that came with the router would have fit but since the collet opening calipered out several thousandths under 0.250", no bit with an actual 0.25" shaft is going to fit properly (the Amana shaft actually measured at 0.2495")5: The castings are very uneven and asymmetrical in areas where you would expect them to be consistent strength and thickness. Most notably the casting that engages both the locking lever and the rack&pinion adjustment has a lot of variation in thickness and, oddly, is thinnest in the areas that will probably be subject to the most stress.6: Finally, and the reason I decided not to even run the machine was, when turning the shaft freehand in the normal direction of travel it had a definite course feel and faint noise (almost without a doubt, brushes trying to seat properly). When I reverse rotated the shaft it caught at about 1/4 turn then snapped loose. Continued turning in reverse rotation was courser and offered more resistance indicating very poor shape on the brushes which does not bode well for consistent speed control or longevity.In summary, let me be fair to this router. Based on the price and the very odd included bit assortment (why would anyone include a dovetail bit with a trim router?), I actually had pretty low expectations. But with the number of enthusiastic reviews it has received and that I really just wanted to find a "thrasher" that would see infrequent use and meet a minimum standard, I had hopes this would fit the need. Unfortunately when I put the $40-$50 saving against the lack of precision in the build of the router and the very suspect service life, I decided not to take the chance on it. I have taken chances on unlikely tooling in the past and have been pleasantly surprised a few time but this was not one of these times. Even for a DIY'r who is only going to take a trim router out 3-4 times a year and run it for about a half hour I would strongly suggest spending the extra money and buying a better quality router. In the end it will be much better value for your money.