Katsu vs Makita palm router/trimmer. Copy or Contender?

Here's my initial unboxing video and first thoughts about the Katsu router compared with the Makita. I bought the Makita specifically for routing things such as pickup routs and f-holes in cigar box guitars with a small bearing-guided bit, and had another conventional larger base plate router for other work. After my old B & Q router packed in I decided to buy the cheap Katsu for doing neck pocket routs and other stuff, so that I could have two routers set-up with different bits. I opted to get the Katsu with the additional larger baseplate.

It's clear that the Katsu is a close replica of the Makita, and that it is built down to a price - the plastics and the cable on the Katsu are very obviously lower quality than the original. The Katsu is about 15% lighter, and they are both rated at 710W.

It's always useful to have a back-up: having a tool let you down when you are in the middle of a project or production run can be very disruptive. Time will tell how the Katsu holds up in use - we'll continue to use the Makita for most of our routing tasks.

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