Grizzly - G0490X 3HP 8 in jointer w/ mobile base (Rating: 4)

My new machine arrived nicely packaged. No complaints about missing parts or damage. Was actually not too heavy to move into the basement with the help of two friends. Assembly took a little while - the harder part being aligning and tightening the belt. In fact, I think my belt is still too loose, as at start-up and shut-down the machine makes a bit more noise than I've read others with the same machine were able to achieve.

Fit and finish on the machine is adequate- on the parts that matter the surfaces are level and came factory set just perfectly. The other surfaces however are a bit rough. I had to take a bit of sandpaper to the bed edges as they were rough enough to cut skin.

The surface left by the cutter head thus far (on quarter sawn white oak) is comparable to that of my hand planes. I'm pretty happy with the upgrade on the cutter head - especially since blade changes are going to be much easier than on my old straight-knife machine.

My only issues thus far with the machine is that the on/off button is mounted to a post which is bolted onto the indeed bed. This post is a bit flexy, and I wouldn't be surprised if it breaks in the near future. One other issue (and perhaps I just need to fiddle with it a bit) is that the blade guard does not want to return to the closed position by itself after it is opened. Also, the cord that comes with the machine is way too short. It would be nice if they supped a cord of suitable length for most shops.

Overall I'm pretty happy with my purchase. The beds are flat, the fence is straight (unlike my old 6" Jet), and the finish is superb. I'm giving the machine 4 stars out of 5.

I have no photo of my machine (look online - mine looks just like the rest), and Lumberjocks requires a photo to post a review - thus my ugly mug-shot. Enjoy!