Without a cord trailing behind, compact cordless routers offer excellent convenience and control. I found Bosch’s new cordless Colt Palm Router to be especially solid and versatile. According to the company, the brushless motor and advanced battery design combine to give this new model the best power-to-size ratio in its class. My tests backed this up, with the router managing 104 ft. of a 1/4-in.-sq. rabbet on a single charge and no sign of slowing until the very end. 

I was especially taken with the versatility offered by the two bases. The fixed base is useful for standard trim-router tasks like chamfering, rabbeting, and rounding, and it adjusts well. You slide the base up and down the motor for large depth adjustments, and rotate the micro-adjustment wheel for fine ones. 

The plunge base is great for inlay work and small mortising jobs, or anything else where you need to plunge the bit in and out of the work as you go. I love the extra control offered by the two handles on this base, so I would likely use it for some fixed-base tasks as well.  

With a micro-adjuster on the stop rod and a pivoting turret with three separate stops, the plunge stop is as good as those on full-size plunge routers.  

I have a lot of routers in my shop, but I’ll be making room for this one. It’s a very solid, versatile trim router for hobbyists and pros alike.  

—Jeff Miller, a professional woodworker and teacher in Chicago