It sounds like you need to get/make some push blocks for your saw so that your hands don't get anywhere near the blade. Watch out for kickback too. Dado blades can kickback too and throw pieces of timber at you at 100mph, usually straight back from the blade (although not always :shock: as I found out a couple of years ago). Some finger boards help a lot to prevent kickback and keep the work against the fence. If you use a router mounted in a router table, you need similar safety devices too. My Grandfather managed to remove a knuckle from his thumb with a spindle moulder (not too far removed from a router) and he had heaps of woodworking experience, so router can "bite" just as hard as a table saw.
I't's a bit hard to recommend a particular router without knowing what you are going to use it for. Are you making boxes with box joints or rebates? Are you going to make yourself a new kitchen with raised panel doors? If you have limited use for a router, you might be better off getting some jigs etc to make your life easier with your table saw. There are some threads here on Beemaster related to some really good table saw box joint jigs that would be invaluable for making supers. There are also some good Youtube videos that would be worth a look.
I have a Makita 3612 1/2" router and it's about 3HP. It works great mounted upside-down in a router table and it can be hand held without too much trouble, but it does weigh 6kg and wants to do the twist when you hit the switch. I have had it for around 15 years and really abused it at times. If I ever manage to break it, I'll be looking for another one the same or at least another Makita. The Makita 3612 is discontinued now, but they make a couple of replacement models that should be just as good (RP1800 and RP2301FC) that should be just as good if you want a plunge router. Depending on what you are doing, a good powerful 1/2" router will run rings around a smaller 1/4" one - you can use bigger more rigid cutters and take deeper/wider cuts in one pass. Variable speed would be an advantage too if you want to use some of those wide joint making bits that need to run slower. Mine just has one speed, but I have a motor speed controller that I can use to slow it down. I also have a small variable speed Ozito 1/4" router that is really handy for some jobs as it's easy to hold and get into tight places that the big one can't get too, but I wouldn't use it to cut wide slots in hard timber (or soft timber for that matter). I burned out the motor in my last small Ozito router trying to push it too hard because I was too lazy to set up the big one. The Ozito router is a cheapie and it works really well for light jobs, but I think it would be too slow and underpowered to use it to make many bee boxes.
Hopefully, that helps a bit.
Simon