Replies

1. 
   GEide | Mar 04, 2008 10:50pm | #1

   Hi Joe,

   Sorry for the delay in responding to you. 20-25 inches is a pretty big. Rollie Johnson recently reviewed benchtop planers but those were around 12-14 inches:  http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/ToolGuide/ToolGuidePDF.aspx?id=29822

    

   Johnson named the DeWalt best overall in the tests:

   http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/ToolGuide/ToolGuideProduct.aspx?id=5712

   The Ryobi was named best value: http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/ToolGuide/ToolGuideProduct.aspx?id=29974

    

   I’ll put your question in our tool guru John White’s folder. If he has any input, he’ll chime in.

    

   Thanks,

   Gina

   FineWoodworking.com

2. 
   JohnWW | Mar 05, 2008 12:29am | #2

   I've been thinking about answering this one but there is no good simple or even complicated answer to the question, so I let it pass. But now, being that Gina has punted it to me, I'll give it a shot.

   As a general observation, once you get up to this size planer you are into industrial quality machinery and are far less likely to run into low quality goods no matter where the machinery is made.

   If you have the money, and like the detailing and layout of European made machinery, you probably can't go wrong with buying ####machine made in Western Europe. The machinery made in the former Soviet block countries is typically cruder and rougher finished but properly machined where it counts, significantly cheaper, massively heavy, and typically have ugly paint jobs.

   In Asia, the Taiwanese were building very well made machinery, but most of that work has now gone to China, but if you can find a Taiwanese made planer you will probably be very pleased with the fit and finish.

   Chinese machines can be as good as the best but the culture there is to take short cuts if the machine's importer doesn't maintain very vigilant quality controls. The big importers, who have been doing this for years in Asia, seem to stay on top of their manufacturers, but be careful of smaller importers who may not actually have anyone on the floor in China.

   I would also suggest that you consider buying a used American made machine, they were in many ways the best ever made anywhere in the world, and, if well maintained, they are as good today as when they were built 50 or 75 years ago, and the price will probably be very reasonable.

   Hope this helps, John White