Milwaukee 5616-24 2-¼ -Max-Horsepower EVS Multi-Base Router Kit Includes Plunge Base and BodyGrip Fixed Base
- Precise macro/micro depth adjustment systemto 1/64 increment, 3 metal depth scale and adjustable pointer
- Premium plunge system with four-point Oil Impregnated PM Bushing design
- 6-Position(1/8 increment) adjustable metal turret stops for precise, multiple-pass routing
- Tough, machined aluminum motor housing and base
- Quick release motorallows adds the convenience of pop & drop quick base changes,passing motor between bases
Multi-Base Router Kits Type: Router Kit (Fixed & Plunge) Type of Power: Electric Collet Size: 1/4 – 1/2 Minimum RPM: 10,000.00 Maximum RPM: 24000 Amperage Rating: 13.0 Horsepower: 2-1/4
Rating: 
(out of 32 reviews)
List Price: $ 454.00
Price: $ 231.49
Review by wdcraftr for Milwaukee 5616-24 2-¼ -Max-Horsepower EVS Multi-Base Router Kit Includes Plunge Base and BodyGrip Fixed Base
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Milwaukee 5616-24….Quiet, smooth, user friendly…..What can I say, except, it’s better than I expected. GREAT !!!! Put the fixed base under the router table, and use the plunge base for free hand work….Haven’t used it much yet, but it slips in and out of the bases so quick & easy, (Quicker than finding, and inserting wrench), I haven’t worried about the above the table height adjustment yet. Will have to drill a hole to accomodate wrench if I decide to use it. The micro adjust knob makes height adjustments in a snap too…
Review by C. Hale for Milwaukee 5616-24 2-¼ -Max-Horsepower EVS Multi-Base Router Kit Includes Plunge Base and BodyGrip Fixed Base
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I got the router for my birthday based on the review in June 07 Popular Woodworking. The machine is fantastic. The body makes the router feel much smaller and handle much easier than its 2-1/4HP would suggest. You can easily work single handed if you want with smaller bits. The rubber body and grips offer a positive feel and are very comfortable. The plunge action is smooth and the plunge lever is right at your fingertips. The switch can be reached with both hands on the router, although with the soft start it’s not necessary. The case will keep everything clean when not in use and offers lots of storage for 1/4″ and 1/2″ bits along and a set of template guides.
Highly recommended.
Review by Anonymous for Milwaukee 5616-24 2-¼ -Max-Horsepower EVS Multi-Base Router Kit Includes Plunge Base and BodyGrip Fixed Base
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After purchasing a Milwaukee Sawzall from Amazon and being very pleased with it, I was in the market for a router and was impressed with the Milwaukee height-adjustment design. My first purchase was a reconditioned 5615-81 1-3/4HP router. Although it was supposedly tested and inspected at the factory, there was a 3/4-inch long piece of metal rattling around inside the motor housing. It looks like part of a motor armature. Luckily, I discovered it before I plugged it in. It was fairly easy to remove, but Milwaukee quality control should have caught this.
Next, I decided to purchase this 5616-24 kit from Amazon. No rattle, but upon plugging it in and turning it on, there was a noticeable recurring vibration in the motor that increased with the speed adjustment. At the slowest speed, it pulsed about every half second and was strong enough that it would have disturbed cutting. The motor was also much louder than that of the 5615. I contacted Milwaukee Tech Support and they simply said that this was a variable speed unit with soft start, and deferred me to the local service center. Terrible.
Fortunately, Amazon customer service took the old one back and sent a replacement. The new kit arrived today and is smooth and buzz-free. Again, Milwaukee quality control should’ve caught the problem before shipping it out.
As for the rest of the kit, this and the 1-3/4HP kit are the best deal if you need both the plunge and BodyGrip bases and the clear sub-bases. The height-adjustment wrench and dust collector are of limited use to me. I still need to reach under the table to loosen the clamp before adjusting the height. The dust collector looks and feels really cheap. It is held in place by a U-shaped piece of metal which clamps to the edge guide holes. When using the edge guide, the U-shaped piece is removed and the collector is held in place by the edge guide rods. Speaking of edge guide, they should’ve included one, although the Milwaukee guide looks cheaply made. The gargantuan case will probably go into storage. The smaller case that came with my reconditioned router is much more handy.
The 1-3/4 and 2-1/4HP motors, bases, and accessories can be used interchangeably. If you look at the parts diagrams on the Milwaukee Web site, you’ll see that the added height of the red cap is to accomodate the electronic module. The motor housings are the same, just a different armature and field. The soft start feature is more like a delayed start. After flipping the switch, just as you start thinking that the unit is defective, the motor comes on. There is still quite a bit of starting torque transferred through the grips.
The plunge base is excellent. Plunge is smooth and controls are well placed, and it comes with the 1-3/16 clear sub-base installed. My only gripe is the cheesy stop rod and stop screw. It looks like it was made in the same factory as the other router accessories.
Review by Dennis N. Schmidt for Milwaukee 5616-24 2-¼ -Max-Horsepower EVS Multi-Base Router Kit Includes Plunge Base and BodyGrip Fixed Base
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First off I am not a hater. I’ve got well over thirty Milwaukee tools and think very highly of all of them with this one exception. For example I feel that the big 3 1/2 HP Milwaukee router (of which I own three) is the best router in the world for router table use. It actually hurts me to badmouth this product since I have such a high regard for Milwaukee tools.
The problem with this plunge base is that the motor is insufficiently clamped into the base as this clamping is entirely achieved by the use of the over center clamp. On a conventional base router this isn’t an issue since all of the load on the router bit is tangential. There is no force trying to push the router motor out of the base. A plunge router however is a different animal as when plunging there is considerable vertical force working against this clamp trying to push the motor out of the base. When under high vertical load (like plunging a mortise) the motor backs out of the base. All other multi based routers use this over center clamping system but augment it with a pin on the motor that fits into a slot in the plunge base to prevent the motor from rising up when the unit is plunged. The Milwaukee doesn’t have this additional feature.
I solved this problem by drilling and taping a hole into the plunge base for a set screw which I tighten against the router motor to lock it into place. This works fine but something like this should have been done by the factory and not me.
Except for this major flaw the rest of the plunge base is good. The plunge is smooth, the feel and balance of the unit is very good, the depth adjustment system is excellent, and the handles comfortable. I do think that the plunge release lever should be longer as it’s a bit hard to actuate, but, the handles intrude into this space making the use of a longer plunge release lever difficult.
Good unit with an unacceptable flaw.
Review by John W. Thompson for Milwaukee 5616-24 2-¼ -Max-Horsepower EVS Multi-Base Router Kit Includes Plunge Base and BodyGrip Fixed Base
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I’ve had problems with my Bosch combo.. (older maganesium base.. switch.. 1/2″ collect wouldn’t insert.. etc.) and sold it. My DW 621 is a good plunge router after adding a large base, but I occassionally would rotate the plunge release on the left handle and the router would spring up while in the middle of use. Maybe just me but annoying and costly mistakes were sometimes made.
I have had a Milwaukee 5625 under my router table for 5 years and I wouldn’t consider anything else but that “hoss”. I noticed that Milwaukee had just introduced a plunge router and it came in a kit with that Body Grip fixed base I have used and love.
I took a chance based on my experience with the 3 1/2 HP 5625 and sold the Bosch Combo and the DW 621. Ordered the Milwaukee Combo and it arrived. Started a new bed the following week-end with the Combo getting the call on mortices.. non through dadoes.. intricate joints and with an 1 1/2″ over-head bearing template bit used to trim the outline on legs for the foot and head that were 1 1/2″ oak after cutting the line just outside 2 mm on my bandsaw.
The results and my opinion based on 35 years of wood butchering are:
Milwaukee nailed the plunge on the first try adding a complimenting plunge to their already proven Body Grip. Motors easy to switch.. bit removal quick and easy.. robust as big brother 5625.. smooth plunge.. power with the 2 1/4 HP.. good dust control attachment.. excellent balance and the best feeling router I have had the pleasure of having in my hands in 35 years.
They took a long time to deliver a plunge to compliment their already robust line… but it was indeed worth the wait at my shop….!
John Thompson… Sarge