If you are only going to have one router make it a fixed base model. The pluge routers get lots of attention but tend to be aukward to us in many applications. I had some Craftsman stuff years ago that didn't hold up too well. I upgraded to Makita which was better but vibrated and their tools tend to be very loud. Inow have mostly Porter Cable and Dewalt stuff. Dewalt went through a low point for a while but their tools are now exceptionally well designed. I still think it is hard to beat a Porter Cable 690 if you only have one router. Do spend the few extra bucks for the two bases and you'll have a plunge router too. I have used the PCs very hard and they seem to hold up to anything I can push them through. They use very large bearings and are a no frills workhorse. You can get after market accesories for them and you will never need to replace it in this lifetime. Watch those finges, Steve.