The Router Lift is a fantastic way to adjust your router table bit higher quickly and easily from atop.
It is a key tool for any kind of routing table user and gives you a hell lot of benefits and accelerates your workflow.
But getting a perfect router lift is hard height.
So, we have created an ultimate list of best router lifts that will help you to choose the best one for you.
Best Router Lifts – Our Top Picks
Best Overall: JessEm Mast-R-Lift II 02120 Router Lift
“Pretty high standard, double sealed bearings, unique clamping blocks, fits most fixed base routers.”
Best Value: Incra Mast-R-Lift-II-R Router Adjustment System
“Convenient & simple, sealed ball bearings on the lift screw and cam lock for fast, easy, and perfect height adjustment.”
Best Budget: Kreg PRS5000 Precision Router Lift
“Accurate, reliable, quick and repeatable setups, fits all Kreg router tables and popular brands.”
Expensive: INCRA Mast-R-Lift-II Router Lift
“Exclusive system with 5 sealed ball bearings on the lift screw and cam lock for the smoothest and lowest-friction router lift.”
Cheapest: Bosch RA1165 Undertable Base
“Durable fixed base, mount virtually any table surface and common router table plates.”
Router Lift Reviews
The following Router Lifts are unique and heavy-duty lifts to enjoy sag-free support.
All of these are durable, high-quality & well-known in the current market and offers great service.
1. JessEm Mast-R-Lift II 02120 Router Lift
The first router lifter we will cover is the JessEm Mast-R-Lift II 02120. It comes from a well-known brand called JessEm. This router lifter is a solid machine that can work with almost any kind of fixed-based routers. So, you don’t have to dedicate an entirely new router for the lifter itself. This lifter machine has a hard-anodized surface which will last for many years without any scratch. The big advantages are that you can control the bit height from the upper surface of the lifter kit. You can use the crank handle to adjust the bit height with the highest precision possible. Everything is on the spot, but you have to buy extra insert rings as the kit comes with only one ring. The initial ring is quite big for most of the woodwork, so buying several insert rings will be a wise step. Overall, it’s a great router lifter within its price range.
2. Incra Mast-R-Lift-II-R Router Adjustment System
This is another great router lifter with quality inside. This router lifter has a perfect mechanism to lift your router bit with precision. You just have to use the lift crank and that’s it. You can easily increase or decrease the height like a thousand percent of an inch. So, you don’t have to get down under the router table. Although it goes with a range of router table, it’s good to check the list if it will fit with your router table. As we talk about the inserts, you will get six magnetic insert rings. Those are magnetic so you can quickly set up the rings on the slot. The lifter has 6 sealed bearing for smooth operation and you will love to work on this facility. The whole kit is built up to help you get acceleration on your work. The router lifter is compatible with all famous brands. So, you don’t have to take any hustle when installing.
3. Kreg PRS5000 Precision Router Lift
Here’s the Precision router lift with all proper mechanisms to lift your router bit perfectly. This router lift kit will give you excellent control over your bit heights. So, you can adjust the bit height without bending down the table. It’s also easy to lock the height adjuster by using the locking slot right after the craning slot. The whole kit comes with a hard-anodized surface to give you peace of mind while working with woods. In this package, you will also get three insert rings with sizes of, 1″, 2-5/8″ and 1-3/16″. That being said, you don’t have to go for extra bits as you get them with the router lifter. However, you must check that if this router lifter is compatible with your existing table or router. If you are new to the routine stuff, then you can easily choose this one over others as it gives lots of facilities within a short price range.
4. Rockler Router Lift FX
It’s a quality lifter with all the preceded features. The router lift will work flawlessly during your working period. You can adjust your routing bits height from the upper surface of the table. It gives no haste to increase or decrease the height. This lifter is preferably ideal for large insert rings. The upper surface of the lifter is suitable for woodworking stuff. However, the router lifter kit does not offer height locking. So, you must be aware that after massive usage, the height can get altered. You can check the height and adjust it perfectly and it’s not a big deal. Overall the router lifter is a hardcore machine that is made for any type of professional carpeting project. It’s also great for beginners as it can work with different brands of routers and tables. According to its price, it’s not a high-end lifter but still can work for a longer period with ideal routers.
5. INCRA Mast-R-Lift-II Router Lift
Here’s a solid router lifter from INCRA. This router lifter is a great tool to adjust your router height. It gives you full flexibility in your routing projects. You just have to set up the router eight and lock it down. This lifter has an exclusive cam-lock mechanism that will give you smooth and secure locking of your router bit. Also, when you increase or decrease the height, you won’t’ notice any sound either. It’s a fast and quite next-generation machine that is perfect for any kind of woodworking project. The lifter can work with almost any INCRA routing tables. However, it would be wise to check out the compatible table and routers sizes for this lifter. Overall, it’s a great router lifter giving you great productivity over your projects. It will always snap on to the point and make your work faster than before. It will not give you any friction after a long period of usage. So, it’s a no brainer for the beginner as well as professionals who want to upgrade their kits.
6. Woodpeckers V2-420 Precision Router Lift
The Woodpeckers new Precision router lifter is one of the best in the work. It has a simple mechanism that can easily handle your routing bits. The whole kit has a single carriage with making sure the highest stability. The interesting thing about this router lifter is that it has a unique thumb lifter. It might get right sometime but, the scaling makes it perfect for setting-up your router height precisely. Along with that, you will get a cranking option that will help you to set up the height in seconds. The whole kit has three rings to make the lifters work with a proper lock when you need it the most. The upper surface has a great coating with small scaling lines which will help you to calculate length during the routing process. The materials of this product are built for the heaving routing process. It means, this Woodpeckers router lifter is perfect for any kind of industry-standard job.
7. JessEm Rout-R-Lift II 02310 Router Lift
Here’s another router lift from JessEm. This router lift is made for 3-1/2″ motors. The router comes with all the options to lets you stable your router with your desired heights. You don’t have to go under the table and adjust the height, simply you can use a crank handle for it. This router has a specific cranking slot on the surface. Besides the cranking option, you will also get locking slots. Yes, this router lift can lock your router bit for a long time. This router bit also lets you change the router bit from the upper surface of the lifter. The whole kit can work on a big range of routing tables. If you want to build a new routing table, you can get a demo on how to build it. The total product is 8.8 pounds in weight. So, once it placed on the routing table, it can easily operate throughout your woodworking project.
8. Woodpeckers V2-414 Precision Router Lift
This router lifter from Woodpeckers is specially made for Milwaukee 5625. Also, these well-known router lifters have silver-colored 9-1/4-Inch x 11-3/4-Inch large plate. With the router lifter kit, you will get three different sizes of insert rings. The lifters offer you a cranking option and thumb while to adjust the bit height. The Woodpeckers exclusive mechanism help you to adjust your routers’ bit height with a second. The amazing thing is that you can alter the height with much more precisely. Those features let you complete your routing job without any interruption. The kit features one motor garage that gives the maximum stable harness to your routing motto. Like the previous set of Woodpeckers router lift, this also has three sealed rings with a self-leveling mechanism. Overall, it’s a good piece for your personal and professional projects. All those features are enough to tackle today’s routing related problems, as you will get every required option. The kit will help you to concentrate on your routine works rather than the routing machine itself.
9. Bosch RA1165 Undertable Base
Here comes the master of good material, Batch under-table router base. Don’t get it wrong, because, the router lifter is not under-table. You will also get a long wrench type of thing to adjust your router height from the tabletop. Well, the under-table adjuster is also well built with all those scaling markets. Alongside this functionality, the router lifter can work on a variety of routing tables. The base is perfect to hold routers with total stability. The whole kit has engineered with total precision so you can adjust your bit height when needed. You don’t have to struggle with under table functionality, as you get to control the height with the wrench handle. The inside structure can be adjusted if you need to use much bigger routers. Also, adjusting routers on the base is easy. All of those are built to give you a total productivity boost. So, If you don’t want to hit your bank and get a decent and long working router lifter, this is the way to go.
Router Lift Buyer’s Guide
We always want to buy the best one for our needs. Considering some points during purchase will help you to get the best match out of bests. So, make sure that you have reviewed each below options before finalizing your purchase.
Compatibility
The capability of a router lifter is important, as you may have to work different types of routers. Let you know one thing, one router lifters is not suitable to use with all routers. You must purchase routers that are comparable with your current or future routers.
In case you use quite smaller routers, you can also check if your router lifters are offering an adapter for it. Getting an incompatible router lifter can increase the vibration and it can create interruption during your routing works.
Quality
Quality is another key aspect of your router. If you are going to work more on your router, you should go for a quality router. You must make sure that your router lifter matches your expectations. As far as material, you should always go for an aluminum body. Other options can be good, but aluminum will be strong and light-wight at once. So, it’s will be a wise decision, if your router lifer has an aluminum body.
Plunge Type
You got to be concerning about the plunge type of your router lifter. Some router lifters offer you a flexible plunge and others don’t. So, If you need to adjust your router, you can easily do it with a flexible plunge type lifter. On the other side, you won’t be able to move your router on the plunge of the lifter.
Locking Mechanism
The locking is a great feature of any modern router lifter. But, you must know about the mechanism behind locking your routers. Most of the time, the ball bearing mechanism works smoothly and silently.
Height Adjustment System
The key feature of any router lifter available in the market is height adjustment. You should make sure that the lifter has a slow and study height adjustment system. For better result, you must experience the height adjustment, before buying. So, it won’t be hurdle after buying, as you are being sure about your preferred adjustment system.
Ball Bearing
The ball bearing is a new age mechanism, that reduces friction. Instead, it makes the system more smooth and flowing. The router that has ball bearing, will work faster and quietly. So, if you want a fast and efficient workflow, you should buy a router lifters witch as a ball bearing in it.
Lift Adapters
Your bigger routers will work fine on your router but small ones will not. Mostly, they will not fit into your router lifter. So, before buying your lifter, make sure that your router lifters have an adapter for small routers. So, it won’t give you extended vibration and work fine.
Ease of Use
Most of all, the user of the router would be you. So, It will be best to give priority to ease of use, before buying a router lifter. Not every lift provides you the same kind of ease. You must check your lift so, you get the feeling of how it will give you ease to use during your routing process. Don’t choose routers without ease of usage.
Precision
The precision is the ultimate goal of using a router lift. You should be sure about the lift you are buying gives you the most precision. You can achieve precision with the crank handle for most of the routers. As routers don’t offer you any measurements to sale your height adjustments, you have to count the rotation cycle instead. However, some router also offers you them scroll with required scaling. So, keep those in mind while choosing your router lift.
Benefits of a Router Lift
A router lift saves you a lot of time and hustle. If you are a serious router guy, you must own a router lifter for ease of work. The router lifter eliminates the need for bending under the router table and adjusting the router for a particular height. That’s too much for just increasing the height of your router bit. With a router lifter, you don’t have to do this stuff, and you will get perfect height adjustment.
Most of the time you can easily change the router bit height with a crank handle. With some router lifter, you will also get the option to lock-out the router height. So, your router height won’t get altered after long usage. Some router lifters also provide the option to zeroing the router bit height before starting height project. Which will saves you from being confused about the bit height.
Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)
It depends on the router you use and your skill. Not all the router needs a router lift. Most of the router comes with its adjusting knob to adjust the height of the base. But router lift is highly recommended for the router which has no adjusting knob.
Several companies make quality and durable router lifts. In the top list, we recommend JessEm, Bosch, INCRA, Kreg, Rockler, Woodpeckers, etc.
Final Verdict
The router is the big release for any router user.
However, if you are a serious router table user, it’s a must for you.
And you should check if you will get the required functionality from your lifter.
On the other side, if you are an occasional router table user, you should prioritize your specific requirements on the lifter.
This way you don’t have to go for a big price and get the perfect lift.
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