I had some reservations about paying over $300 for this lift but most of them were eliminated when I took it out of the box. It is a heavy, well machined, professional piece of equipment. Any remaining reservations were eliminated when I put it to use.

I paired this lift with a Porter Cable 7518 router and a Bench Dog ProTop router table for a major raised panel wainscoting project (see my PC 7518 review). This lift is fantastic and eliminates most, if not all, of the negatives of using the PC 7518 in a router table. Height adjustments are simple, precise, and remain stable through extended routing. There was absolutely no drift in the height adjustment at all and the rails and stiles matched perfectly (no sanding required}. Raising the lift also made it easy to change router bits. I am glad I made the investment.

Exactly as described by Bench Dog in their promotional material, very accurate, easy to use, quick and easy to change bits above the table top, built to last for years of heavy use, and built in the USA.

I purchased this item because I was tired of leaning under my router table to make adjustments. After researching various equipment, I decided on the ProLift to compliment my existing Bench Dog Router table attachment to my table saw. It was a smart decision. The ProLift is an extremely heavy-duty, well built tool that fit perfectly into my Bench Dog router table. The machining and fit was superb. I don't have the recommended Porter Cable 7518 they want you to use with the ProLift so I was forced to purchase the adapter rings to hold my Bosch unit. The rings fit well and installation was easy. The adjustment for the rise and fall of the router motor eliminates the need for under table fiddling and is easy to do.The measurement dial which fits over the socket wrench which raises and lowers the router motor is clever, but not that snug, so I'm not sure how accurate this will be when making router height adjustments. Overall a great unit, worth the investment for the dedicated woodworker and should outlast it's owner!
Cons: Instruction manual is lacking

Don't know what took me so long to get one of these!? The quality, craftsmanship, and function are great. Set-up was simple and easy as described. All of Bench Dog products are top notch equipment for any small to medium shop.

This lift is well worth every penny. Judging by its heavy duty construction, it is built to last. The mechanism is smooth and accurate. I have only used it a few times, but I am very pleased with it.

I purchased the prolift and pro top as a combo. The pro top I reviewed separately, and rated it down because of the 3 hours it took to alter the casting to allow it to level to my saw top. I grabbed the lift out of the box and thought "oh boy, this will be a snap. Wrong! The pro lift did not fit into the pro top recess. It took a couple more hours of filing to finally get it to sit in the recess. The plate is little more than a flame cut piece of steel that was never finished or smoothed. I expect a bit more for my 300 bucks.

Buyers should also look into purchasing a cover plate for the hole where the router sits. Bench dog provides 3 sizes of rings but nothing to close the hole completely. Seems like an obvious thing when mounting on a table saw.

The final insult after everything was done was the spinner handle on the saw blade raising wheel hits the router. I will need to take off the spinner handle or remove the router and pro lift to use the saw. This is NOT my idea of good engeneering. I am out 600 hundred bucks for bench dog and another 300 bucks for a dedicated PC 7518 router for something that has turned into a nightmare.

Since only one PC router fits in the tool w/o the adapter for smaller diameter routers: it should be sold with the adapter and with an offer to discount for those who are willing to buy the very expersive (but quality) router that fits the tool. Also need to update the manual to reflect the changes in the adjusting knob. Otherwise a fine well built easy to install tool.

This is one of the best additions I've made to my shop in years. It is a high quality piece of equipment, very well manufactured and installs rather quickly. I now use my table mounted router 60% more often than before, only because of the ease in which bits can be inserted and height adjusted. Pricey but very very good.

One fine piece of high quality workman ship. I installed it with no problems and have had no problems using it. I reccomend!!!!!

hi, i am an amature woodworker at best but have enjoyed this hobby for a number of years. i recently purchased the bench dog router table to add to my rigid table saw and today i got the prolift delivered. i cannot believe how easy it was to install and even more how easy it makes changeing router bits and adjusting the depth of cuts. i was really struggling with adjustments and changeing bits but this prolift ends all of that frustration. i only got the lift today but believe me i can already tell you that to me it is worth every penny you pay for it. i hope this note helps, i cannot tell you how happy i am that i bought the bench dog prolift!

IF you want to skip ALL the frustrations of adjusting your plunge or fixed based router, this product is worth EVERY penny! It is well built, solid, easy to install,a well thought out lift. I am new to the routing world and the frustrations of adjusting my router up-side-down nearly convinced me that this type of hobby was not for me.

The instructions for installing the lift are easy to read and BENCH DOG is a extremely responsive company with friendly, knowlegable staff for support.

This product along with the table I bought from them are top in all catagories!

Sam

I ordered this on Wednesday, it arrived 10 days later in perfect condition. Great service from Amazon!!! Read the instructions and able to assemble and set up in a little over two hours. Instructions are very clear and exta parts are included, plus tools (4 hex wrenches). After set up and final adjustment, works like a charm. Teamed it up with a PC 7518 and cut oak, poplar, maple, and cherry like butter. I was fortunate enough to catch this on a weekend sale for $141.00 and free shipping. I would pay $319.00 and still feel it is a bargin. Being able to adjust to the 1000th of an inch, return to original settings, and changing bits above the table are well worth the money! I looked over Jessem and Router Razier. This is the "Hummer" of Router Lifts and should never wear out!!!

UPDATE 04/15/2006:
Several folks have emailed me about the price that I paid. I have monitered Amazon quite often since I bought mine and have never seen the special price listed again. It also appears Amazon is no longer carrying this item.
I would repeat myself that even at the regular price, this is one fine piece of equipment that allows you to fine tune the height of your bit and makes above the table bit changes a lot easier. I would buy this again!
You can still buy this item from Woodcraft Supply or from BenchDog.

I installed mine in the promax cast iron table with a Porter Cable 7518 router,with this combo you can't go wrong. first of all, the product description is incorrect about two things, one the top is steel on the newest model not cast iron (but who cares the plating and machineing are beautiful) and two it weighs 22lbs not 12lbs(34lbs with pc7518 installed). it's solid and smooth. We got a woodpecker PRL at work and there is no comparison, the benchdog is a much more heafty and solid a tool. It's just a beautiful piece, the pictures don't do it justice. The best part is that it uses a real acme lead screw for height adjustment with thick solid threads which will probably never wear out, some might argue that a finer 60deg screw is more accurate, just go take a look at what they use in a bridgport milling machine(and every other close tolerence machine tool for that matter). One big point is that the bench dog lift is maybe the only lift that can put the porter cable 7518 body through the hole in the plate so that the back of the collet is above the table(check out my pictures). The woodpecker PRL can't nor can the jessems, both require an offset wrench or you need to pull the lift from the table. If you look closely at the pictures of these other lifts you will notice that in the above the table bit changing shots they put in a pc690 router which looks similar but is much smaller than it's big brother the 7518 and if you down load the PDF manuals they pretty much tell you. Both the Jessem and woodpecker lifts are beautiful machines, I have used them both, but the prolift stands apart. The heft, accuracy, and superb quality of the bench dog prolift make it worth every penny (and the wait). also it is made in the USA, big points in my book.

After a great deal of research and review on all of the various router lift products on the market, I decided on the Bench Dog ProLift Max. By far I believe that this is the most solid built and most reliable model available. The quality and construction of this lift are excellent and its engineering and performance are certainly worth every penny. The nickel finish on the top plate and insert rings are a nice touch and provide a frictionless surface for your material. The setup and installation are very straight forward and effortless. I choose to install this product with Bench Dog's cast iron table top in a free standing cabinet of my own design with the Porter Cable 7518 router motor. This combination has provided me with one of the stoutest most heavy-duty router tables imaginable. The weight and heft of the cast iron top and the solid steel plate provide a routing surface free of chatter and vibration.

The lift mecahnism is very smooth and accurate and comes with a crank handle, 14mm socket and a calibrated ring that allows you to keep track of your up/down adjustments of the bit height to with extreme accuracy. It is so nice to be able to change the bit at the top of the table instead of having to remove the plate and motor assembly or doing it from underneath the table !!! Not to mention that the lift provides the maximum bit height to large profile router bits which standard plates can not accomodate. This is a very nice piece of equipment and I highly recomend it to any woodworker who demands the best from his/her tools !!!

I also looked at the Jessem Lifts and although they make very quality products, I feel that the Pro Lift's threaded steel rod will be much more reliable in the long run than the rubber belt on the Jessem lift. I think that the nickel plated steel is a much better and more durable surface than the plastic or aluminum plates found on other brands.

I actually made the decision to purchase this router insert for a logical reason. I wanted to use the Porter-Cable 7518 router (more about that in another review), and that router is a pain to work with in with a standard insert. The ProLift is designed to work with a 7518 right out of the box, and solves the big problem of using a 3-1/4 horsepower router in a table - secure and accurate settings.

The first thing you notice taking the ProLift out of the box is that is a solid 12 pound piece of cast iron, chrome steel and bronze. Actually setting the router up is quite simple, other than wrestling with all the weight. Three different bit inserts need to be leveled, and then all that remains is setting the ProLift into it's final resting place.

Turning on the router reveals that the ProLift is in complete control of the 7518's power. Vibration levels are minimal and height adjustment is almost fun. This is an ideal combination, even if it is an expensive one, resulting in a table that is capable of an extensive variety of tasks.

[Part IV of 'How to Build a Really Expensive Router Table']

I installed PL1002 in the Bench Dog Router Table and its so nice to have a set up that is as rock solid as you can get. Sure its a little expensive but you get what you pay for. If you want the best, get the PL1002 along with the Bench Dog Router Table, you can not go wrong.

The Bench Dog lift gives you what you pay for. This is a precision made/machined router lift. It is HEAVY, reducing vibration substantially. Fit and finish are impressive.

This is not an accessorie, It is a neccessity!!!

This router lift is a heavy duty, precision mechanism. It is possible to adjust your bit height to within .001". The 8 threads per inch adjusting screw means it it is much faster to raise the bit than the competition. The lift holds the router motor directly, so you can raise it high enough to change the bit from the top. I estimate that this lift cuts 2/3 from my set-up time.
Some nit-picking: An insert that fits Porter-Cable type guide bushings is extra cost.
I recommend that you get a remote on-off switch for safety's sake, since, like all table routers, the controls on the router are awkward to access.