I actually like my Trend T11 [he said, really quietly].
OK it's not an Elu 177 (the original of this group of products), and the speed control magnet did fall off the shaft fairly soon after I bought it (easily fixed). Also I measured the speed range recently: it's actually only about 7,500 to 19,500* RPM (Trend claim 8,000 to 20,000). Honestly that's fast enough for almost all 1/2" cutters and most 1/4" ones, too, so I don't really mind.
It's similar to the T10, the DeWalt 625E, and one obsolete CMT model - I think all probably came from the same factory. Spare parts are usually interchangeable. The big differences on the T11 are the wider opening in the base and access to the height adjuster through the base, both intended for in-table use. I find both features very useful. I can do above-table cutter changes, too, at a pinch.
Trend have recently discontinued the T11, replacing it in their range with the much more expensive T14 [edited: the T12 seems to be the replacement for the T10]. I note the T14 has a horribly non-standard power plug. Having had bad experiences with Festool's Plug-It monstrosity, that alone would put me off.
But, if you're looking for a T11 secondhand, as long as nobody has bent the router shaft or damaged the internal taper for the collet, almost all other issues are relatively easily repaired, and other spares are readily available. Bearings are standard sizes (you'd need a puller, and possibly access to a press, but you could manage without.
They are noisy (old-style, brushed motor) but they are also rugged. I even used mine as a planer for quite a while (Wealden do a 75mm tall 1/2" straight cutter), before I bought the proper thing.
Routers aren't complex machines, or shouldn't be - there's little in them to go wrong or wear, so secondhand can be a safer purchase choice than for certain other types of tool.
E.
*Uni-T laser tacho, that I recently bought but haven't yet checked against a known-RPM device. I've no reason to suspect it's 500 RPM off, but it might be, and I was using Tipp-ex on the dark collet to trigger it, when the manual says to use a stick-on reflective strip.
If the T11 specification is actually correct and the tacho is too, then it points to a speed controller issue, rather than anything motor or mechanics-related (so not a bearing failure), but to be honest unless the controller completely fails, it's really not a big issue. The speed change remains smooth throughout the range of adjustment, and I can dial-in a specific RPM without it wandering too much, and it works to maintain the set speed under load.
