Just want to add simple redirects for discontinued products

Version 2.1.0.2
Tried adding redirects via .htaccess but it always just adds this =route= to the end of the URL which is stopping it from actually redirecting (possibly caused by SEO friendly URLs?)

I just want a tool within the admin that allows me to redirect one URL to another URL - is this a thing? Can anyone help?

Redirect Manager can do this. You enter the "From" URL and "To" URL, along with the type of redirect (e.g. 301 is the most common) and it will then redirect that URL in your OpenCart store. You can redirect anything as long as it's processed by OpenCart, meaning it's a valid page or it shows the OpenCart "page not found" error page.

Feel free to take a look at the screenshots and demo site, and if you're interested let me know at www.getclearthinking.com/contact if you have any further questions.