Biscuit Joiner Recommendation

[cbiern]

The last thread I saw on this was 2 years old.
What are the current nominations for best biscuit joiner?
(Weekend Warrior devision)

[cabinetman]

I vote for the DeWalt because that's the one I've got. Heard the PC is pretty good. I like colors that are easier to see in the dark. Actually, when I bought mine, did some research and asked all my friends, checked forums for polls, looked closely at both warranties, sent out surveys, and ultimately it went on sale about $15 less than the PC. The savings pushed me over.



"I'M NEVER WRONG - BUT I'M NOT ALWAYS RIGHT"

[gmack5]

Something to think about!

If I'm not mistaken, DeWalt holds the basic patents on the Fence and therefor would be the most "Bang for the Buck" that's available.

[sweensdv]

I have the Porter Cable 557 and performance wise I can't say one single thing bad about it. However, if I was in the market today for a joiner and knowing what I know now, I doubt if I would spend that much money on one. Most any of the joiners out there in the $100 to $150 range, including recon 557 units, would serve me as well as a new $200 PC 557.

[Doug Jones]

The only one I can speak for, is the Dewalt as it is the one I have. Got it off ebay and hadn't had any problems.

[Holbren]

I bought the DeWalt during one of the HDT sales but haven't used it yet. The only thing I know of that the DeWalt can't do is face frame biscuits. The PC has a depth stop for FF biscuits and the DeWalt stops at size 0.

[WoodButcher26]

Love my PC, just put it down about 15 minutes ago.

The fence is what made me go for that one over the DeWalt. DW looks good, but the fence on the PC is incredible. Lots of adjustability, haven't found a job yet it couldn't handle.

If I had to do it again tomorrow, would pick the same one.

[bigsteel15]

Love my PC, just put it down about 15 minutes ago.

The fence is what made me go for that one over the DeWalt. DW looks good, but the fence on the PC is incredible. Lots of adjustability, haven't found a job yet it couldn't handle.

If I had to do it again tomorrow, would pick the same one.

Exactly my sentiments, especially about the fence.

[BigguyZ]

I bought a Makita at a pawn shop for around $110 or so. I can't compare, but lots of adjustability and very easy to use....

[ryan.s]

I got the PC 557 from amazon for a net price of around $130 when they had the rebates. I haven't used it yet but heard it's pretty good. If you wait long enough I'm sure there will be some deals on it.

[jAngiel]

I too have the pc 557 but the reason I got it was that I found it for < $120 after rebates. If I were looking now I would go for any name brand one that had a good sale. I would avoid the cheapo ones as they are reported to not be very accurate in slot sizes.

[drumpriest]

I have the PC, and I've used both. I REALLY like the PC fence better. The main reason is that the handle is fixed, on the dewalt the handle plunges with the cut, and I just don't like that.

Anyway, FF biscuits with the PC, but I found them to be pretty useless, others have varied opinions. The PC was my choice when I got a good deal. The dewalt is surely an able biscuit joiner though.

[Tequila]

I've got the PC 557. Never had a problem with it, love the fence, and would probably replace it with another 557 if it ever wears out.

[LarryG]

Another satisified P-C 557 owner here, although I've also read plenty of positive comments about the DeWalt.

If you buy from amazon.com, the 557's current price of $197 is within $2 of qualifying you for the $25-off-$199 deal. Also, it includes a bag of 1000 biscuits, which is a $20 value (at least: biscuits bought from HD/Lowe's will cost more). Since a plate joiner is useless without biscuits, this freebie needs to be factored in to make any price comparisons meaningful.

The DeWalt is $153; add $20 for the same bag of biscuits and the total is $173 (still $24 cheaper than the P-C, FWIW).

[Jeffrey Schronce]

I bought the PC 557 and Dewalt at the same time and ended up keeping the PC 557 as I felt it was superior in the fence department. Having said that, the extra range of the 557 is not utilized 99% of the time. I have used the FF style biscuits (requires blade change, blade included) and got great results on face frames.

When it comes to buying biscuits you simply can not beat the Amazon sale price on the 1000 pack. The nice thing about the pack (for me anyway) is that the quantities per size seem to correspond with my volume of use. Also, I am yet to run across a broken or damaged biscuit in the 1000 packs, which I can not say about the Bosch or PC plastic storage container packs.