If you’re doing smaller projects in the cutting board to coffee table sized arena, you can stick with the 2-1/2 HP routers In particular we’ve had solid luck with the Bosch 1617-EVS (fixed base) and it’s probably the industry leader in the 2 HP category. For larger projects you’ll need a larger router, but not for the reason you’re likely thinking. Larger 3+ HP routers are designed for longer duty cycles and have fans that move significantly more air through the motor, so longer run times do not build up the same amount of heat. Heat is what will kill the smaller router motors faster than anything. Yes, you can also swing larger bits with a larger router which means you’ll spend less time overall planing down your projects, but longevity is really the biggest reason to jump into the larger routers. The Milwaukee 5625-20 is our go-to for the 3HP range, as it has one of the nicer depth adjustments on the market for that size router. Bora, Triton, DeWalt, Makita, and JessEm also make fantastic router motors in the same HP range.