The brushless motor is encased in a durable aluminum body with the typical DeWALT high-impact ABS plastic housing enclosing the electronics. The on/off switch – covered by a dust proof seal – and the variable speed dial are on the top housing. The speed dial is easy to rotate with your thumb yet recessed sufficiently that you won’t inadvertently reposition the dial. As you’ll find on many compact routers, two grooved channels run the length of the body, and a guide pin on the inside of the fixed aligns itself in the channel.

The fixed base is made of high-strength aluminum alloy and has a rubber overlay that makes it easy to grip, which I found comfortable to hold when doing a lot of routing. However, the router has a diameter of slightly over 3-3/16″ so those with small hands might find it less comfortable. The locking lever flips open easily yet stays firmly in place when closed. The 4″ x 4-7/8″ clear polycarbonate shoe has one edge rounded and the other straight, which is very useful when using a straight edge to rout grooves and dadoes. Its large footprint provides a lot of stability in use.

A black quick release depth adjustment ring rotates over the motor body. You use this, in conjunction with the yellow micro adjustment scale, to make both micro- and macro-adjustments. You can make very precise depth adjustments of 1/64″ (.015″). Simply ‘zero’ the router bit, and then turn the black depth adjustment ring to raise or lower the bit. The markings on the micro adjustment scale are fairly easy to read, if a tad on the small size. Still, adjusting the bit is very quick. One full turn of the adjustment ring raises or lowers the bit 1/2″, and there is almost 2″ of travel.

The spindle lock button is at the bottom of the motor body. To install or remove router bits I find it’s quicker to remove the fixed base from the motor.

On the bottom of the motor housing at either side of the spindle are twin LED lights. They do a surprisingly good job of illuminating the work area. I find it especially useful when doing any precision work – routing inlays, dovetail keys or small mortises.

The split router collet is 7/8″ long, providing a lot of contact surface on the router bit and should contribute to less bit vibration.

The brushless motor generates between 16,000 and 25,500 RPM, which is sufficient for the kind of light- to medium-duty work that you would use this router for. The router incorporates electronic speed control that maintains constant speed under load. Soft start is a feature I appreciate – it eliminates the jarring jolt at start-up. And an electronic brake is an important safety feature as it slows down bit rotation quickly as soon as you switch the router off.

I installed a 5Ah battery on the router and estimate that I got about 70 minutes of run-time using it for a variety of daily tasks such as cutting grooves and dadoes and profiling edges.

The DeWALT DCW600B is a great compromise between a lightweight cordless trim router and a mid-sized corded router. It’s solidly built, has a quick and easy-to-use bit height adjustment feature, a quick acting electric brake, and a comfortable grip. This is a router you won’t regret adding to your power tool arsenal.