Review: Milwaukee 2723-20 Cordless Compact Router

The Milwaukee 2723-20 cordless router is a slick little compact router that operates on Milwaukee’s M18 batteries. This router has enough features and power to be useful at home, in the shop or on the job site. If you already use Milwaukee M18 tools this can fit right into your tool lineup. There’s a few drawbacks to consider with this router as well. Let’s take a closer look.

Cutting Power & Motor

The Milwaukee 2723-20 router runs on 18V battery power and can generate a max of 1.25 HP. It’s variable speed motor can run from 10,000 to 31,000 RPM, which is pretty fast for a smaller compact router like this.

People that use this find it to be powerful enough for their trim and laminate work. It might feel like it has a little less torque than it’s corded counterparts on the market, but it’s still plenty powerful.

The motor starts and runs smoothly and adjusting the speed feels smooth as well. When stopping the motor, the bit stops nearly instantly, which is great for safety.

Milwaukee uses what they call Redlink technology to monitor and optimize the battery and motor operations on this tool. This helps to keep things from overheating or working too hard to the point of damage while also pushing the hardware to it’s most capable levels.

The collet size on this router is 1/4 inch and you can only fit 1/4 bits on this one.

Battery Power

This router uses any of Milwaukee’s M18 batteries which provide 18V of power. The batteries will operate fully until cut off and won’t lose power before running out of juice.

The kit we looked at didn’t include any batteries, however some might. Be sure to look closely at the kit you buy to see if it includes any batteries or now.

There’s a few options available for M18 batteries. Generally, the cheaper options will have less capacity but will offer the same level of performance while they do have power. There are capacity options as low as 1.5 AH, which will get you a few passes with this router, all the way up to 6AH or even higher.

Most people who own this router seem to find 5AH batteries to be the best option – they are still reasonable in terms of size, weight and cost, but won’t run out of charge as fast as the smaller versions.

LED Lights

Another nice feature on this little router is the LED lights on the bottom of the motor. Not all compact routers have this feature, but it’s very handy when they do since visibility is important when using a router tool.

The lights are bright enough to be effective and with the smaller size of the base you can see what’s going on even when lighting conditions aren’t the greatest.

Fixed Base

The fixed base that comes with this router works well and comes with a couple different sizes of base plates.

The depth of the motor within the fixed base can be adjusted by releasing the clamp, pressing the macro adjustment button for the biggest part of the depth change, and then using the micro-adjustment dial on the motor to fine tune. Then clamp the base back down to complete the adjustment.

Some people have had issues with the base not clamping tightly enough and the fine adjustment dial moving during cuts, changing the depth during the cut. People that have had the best luck are paying special attention to clamping down the base very tightly when making adjustments, and it can be a little finicky to get used to. Other than that, everything else performs well with the fixed base.

The base has a smaller 4 inch base plate and also a 5 3/4 inch template base plate that is a little larger, which can be interchanged as needed.

Plunge Base

Milwaukee does make a plunge base for this router. The part number is 48-10-5601. The plunge base adds some good capabilities to this little router so it’s worth taking a quick look at. Make sure to take a close look at the accessories included with the kit you’re buying – the kit we looked at didn’t include this plunge base.

The plunge base has 1/8″ step increments with a 6-step depth stop turret. The max plunge depth is 2″. It’s made from machined aluminum but does use plastic for some levers and parts. It also comes with a dust shroud, which is nice. People have had issues with the plastic levers breaking, so it’s good to be aware of that.

The 5-3/4 inch template guide base will work on this plunge base as well.

Offset Base

This router also has an offset base available, it also wasn’t included in the kit we looked at. The offset base is designed to help you do flush trimming with a compact router. The base is solid and made from machined aluminum. It allows for 1/4″ of adjustable depth with it’s proprietary bit.

Handheld Design

This compact router can be used one-handed and you don’t need overly large hands to get a good grip. Most people should find this router to be very maneuverable and balanced during use. If you are going to use heavier, higher capacity batteries it might get a little top-heavy, so keep that in mind.

Build Quality

The build quality is pretty good overall with most issues people are having being issues with a particular unit. The weak points on this router seem to the be the plastic parts, like usual with most power tools. Levers and switches can break but Milwaukee support is also available to help if you run into issues with your particular unit.

It’s hard to say if it’s a build quality or a design issue, but if you have issues with being able to tighten or clamp your base properly to keep it from adjusting during cuts, you might want to contact support and let them know right away.

Included Accessories

There is a bare tool version of this router available, and also a basic kit that includes the following:

• 4 in. round sub-base plate
• 5-3/4 in. template sub-base plate
• Wrenches

Other Available Accessories

Makita offers some accessories to expand the capabilities of this router, which need to be purchased separately or with one of their available packaged kits. Here’s what’s available.

Offset Base (48-10-5602)

Setup & Assembly

Like most routers, this is pretty easy to setup. There’s not a lot of parts to assemble. We recommend going through the manual to make sure you cover everything important in terms of adjustments and fasteners so you are using the tool safely. You will also want to pay special attention when making depth adjustments the first few times to make sure you are tightening up everything appropriately.

Changing bits is pretty straightforward with this tool as well, and bits can be swapped out fairly easily with the spindle lock and a single wrench.

Warranty

Milwaukee offers a pretty great 5 year warranty on their power tools for defects in manufacturing and workmanship. This will help cover you if you run into issues with your tools.