The Perfect Combination of Brains and Brawn. Festool’s OF 2200, $800, is a big router with a light touch. Weighing in at over 17 pounds, the OF 2200 sports a 3-1/4 hp (18-amp) motor to power through just about any routing task–from deep pocket mortises to heavy molding cuts. But the beauty of this beast is its ability to handle the biggest job with ease and finesse. For example, the depth of cut can be adjusted in increments as fine as 1/256″ and the plunge mechanism is silky smooth but locks tight with a lock on each column to eliminate flex. There are several ergonomic tweaks that make the router’s size more manageable. More on those later. Toss in the versatility and time saving features, and it’s plain to see Festool has set a new standard for plunge routers.Of course, a machine like this comes at a price. But, when you consider the time, effort and hassles this router saves and the quality of design and construction, it puts the price in perspective. Plus, the OF 2200, like all of Festool’s products, is part of a large family of inter-related tools designed to work with each other. I found the value is really there for the pro and the serious hobbyist alike.

I put the OF 2200 to work in my shop over the past month. The router never disappointed me. I used it to cut mortises and large geometry edge profiles in wood and to plow dados with Festool’s optional guide rail system. The overall design of the router is well thought out and free of the gimmick features and operational hassles I’ve found in other plunge routers.

Photo 7. The depth stop has a cam lock on the bottom. The cam lock is used to attach the depth stop to the fixed step on the turret while the depth of cut is fine-tuned. Once the perfect setting is reached, the stop is locked in place with the depth-stop lock, and ten released from the turret. The result is a perfect setting on the depth stop without having to make trial and error setting.
Accuracy and Durability. I’ve already mentioned the 1/256″ precision on depth adjustment, but there are some other features that fall under the accuracy heading. One is the electronic speed control (MMC) that allows infinite rpm adjustments between 10,000 and 25,000 rpm. Once the speed is set, the MMC keeps the bit spinning at its assigned RPM regardless of load. The spinning shaft is held in place by three bearings, one at the top of the shaft, one at the bottom and one in the middle. The three bearings not only dampen vibrations, but also insure a smooth cut and long router life. It all makes for a robust drive system capable of continuous duty in the shop or on site. There’s a quick mount fence available as an accessory that attaches to the guide bars with a single lock knob and a micro adjust knob for the fence. Unfortunately, the fence is not included in the basic router kit.
Dust Collection. Routers are notorious for making mounds of dust and shavings. They are also one of the hardest tools to collect from. Festool has come up with the most effective router dust collection system I have seen. Coupled with Festool’s CT 22 vacuum and their 2″ accessory hose, dust collection was nearly 90% on the router I tested. Dust collection dropped to about 75% when I used the smaller 1-in. hose that comes standard with the CT-22.

Photo 8. Dust collection is excellent on the OF-2200 thanks to a telescoping shroud between the base and the router that captures and funnels chips to a large diameter tube. A swivel head hose attachment helps keep the vacuum hose out of the way. A chip defector is used to corral chips from edge routing operations.

Photo 9. Festrool's storage containers are out of the ordinary as well. Shown above is the Base Accessory Kit for the EF-2200. The kits are stackable and designed to piggyback on Festool's shop vacs. A quick reference chart with pictures maps out where all the accessories belong in the case and how they are attached and are used on the router.
Final Thoughts. This is truly a very fine router. I have to try hard to think of something I don’t like about it. I did find it a bit awkward to lay the tool down when the chip deflector is on the base. You can’t set it on the base or the chip deflector gets in the way. You can’t set it on it’s back or the dust collector tube gets in the way and setting it on it’s face means laying it down on adjustment knobs. I also wish the depth stop gauge was in inches rather than millimeters on the units sold in the U.S.
When looking to purchase the OF 2200 router, consider the Base Accessory Kit as a necessary part of the purchase price. The kit greatly expands the versatility of the router. The Basic Router Kit costs $800 and comes in it’s own Systainer 4 case. The router also comes with a base plate, an insert for standard guide bushings a chip catcher and a 1/2″ collet. The Base Accessory Kit costs another $310 and comes housed in a Systainer 3 case. The Base Accessory Kit includes a parallel edge guide, connecting rods, a dust extraction hood for use with the edge guide, guide rail adapter, an extra wide support base plate, a guide rail base plate, a small bore base plate, a template guide base plate, plus 1/2″, 3/4″, 1″. and 1-3/8″ guide bushing plates.
Like an expensive car, the Festool OF 2200 is designed for those who demand performance and reliability. In my opinion, the Festool saves so much time and aggravation; it’s worth the extra money. For the pro especially, time is money, and this router will save you time in making adjustments, changing bits and swapping out base plates for various tasks.
