Advice on JET 708457K JJ-6CSX, 6 in jointer

[mfk]

Seeking to buy my first jointer, I took a look at this one yesterday. The fellow told me he bought it unassembled from a garage sale, then after it was put together only used it a few times over the last year. It appeared in good shape, but the paint was slightly chipped on the edge of the fence and table. He had said there was a little rust which he had cleaned up with steel wool.
There were a few small pit holes, but didn't seem to affect the wood he ran through it, as far as I could tell.

He said he would take $300 for it. Is this a good deal for? Should I be concerned about the pitting? Or is this normal for a jointer with very little use?

Thanks,

MFK

[toolguy1000]

i wouldn't go near it. tools distributed by the walter meier group (jet, powermatic and wilton) are long on promise, short on delivery and, generally, a poor value. couple that with their well intentioned but generally incompetant technical support, and you could have a tool that might perform to minimal standards, but you are completely on your own should you encounter any problems.

at full retail, you could get a ridgid 6" jointer for $70 more and register it for free lifetime service. and in some parts of the country, the ridgid jointer is being clearanced for as little as $199. in wood magazines's test of 6" jointers in 03/09(?), the ridgid was rated a best value while the jet product was rated neither an editor's chioice nor a best buy. just my $.02.

[sweensdv]

$300 isn't a gloat worthy price but it's a fair price for that jointer. I like mine and for what I do it's plenty big enough. I wouldn't be too concerned about the paint chipping or the small pit holes if they did clean up nicely and really aren't too deep. FWIW, when I bought mine a few years back they sold for $450 new so I'd offer something less than his asking price and go from there.

[Hoover]

I own that jointer as well, paid $425 in '99. No reliability problems. As far as paint chips go, they don't bother me. If you have an item sitting out in your garage or shop, chips happen. Western Washington has high humidity so some rust can happen. How deep is the pitting? Offer him $250-275. Jet is built by Geetech, along with many other brands/

[SARGE..g-47]

It's a fair price as the current is almost $700. If you can get the Ridgid at $200 I would go there but.. if you can't this is a substanial jointer. I personally wouldn't pay $700 new but the $300 is certainly fair. It has the hand wheels which I love and is constructed very similar to the Sunhill 6" (both made by Geetech which makes the Industrial Sawstop) which I had before upgrading to an 8".

The paint chipping is irrelevant.. Get some white enamel paint and touch it to prevent rusting.. color match is also irrelevant as it doesn't affect function. As long as it's not excessive pitting also irrelevant. Even though almost new he simply didn't keep it waxed. Without wax you can drop a bead of sweat on cast iron and have rust spot 30 minutes latter. If you let the rust spot go you get a pit.

I personally think it's an OK deal and if I were looking for a 6" I would consider it... see if he would take $250.. if not offer $275 and then no I would give him the $300 but no higher. BTW.. as mentioned both Sunhill... Jet and a few others were made by Geetech which is in Taiwan and they make the Industrial Sawstop for SS..

Good luck...

[LCHIEN]

I think I would would agree with everything Sarge said.

having a solid jointer is a joy.

[Knottscott]

That Jet came from the same factory as the older GI, Grizzly G1182 series, former Bridgewood, Woodtek, and Sunhill jointers...all well proven winners, so there's nothing wrong with the design. It's just a different nameplate with a different motor and switches than the others. The Ridgid design is very similar.

With that said, the MSRP on Jet includes dealer markup and warranty. Since you don't benefit from that warranty or dealer support, there's no reason to a pay a premium for it....it's simply not a substantially nicer machine than those listed above that sold for $350-$400 new. I would offer a bit less if the tables and fence are flat, and the tables are co-planer.

[natausch]

Pitting is normal for a cast iron tool that sat too long without maintaince. Expect to replace the belt, blades and to spend time sanding and getting the tables coplanar.

You should still be able to get the Ridgid at $299, even without the 10% coupon it is a much better deal. Functionally they're very similar, odds are born in the same factory, but the difference is you get a warrenty with a new purchase, and with cast you always want to be the only person caring for it, because you probably are...

[mfk]

Thanks for all the insight. I'll watch the Ridgid sales or go for HF's ;-)

[LCHIEN]

Consider the resale value...

if you take care of it you can sell the Jet for about what you paid for it in a few years, but if you buy a new Ridgid for $300 then you will be lucky to get $200 for it.

[mfk]

Now I'm wondering if I should seriously consider the 6" HF jointer for under $200, as a first jointer. Considering how opinions swing both ways on this one, would this be a better bang-for-the-buck?

[gary]

No - I'd stay away from the HF and go with the Jet or Ridgid.

[sweensdv]

No - I'd stay away from the HF and go with the Jet or Ridgid.

+1, good sound advice there.

[pelligrini]

I agree with Gary, I wouldn't even consider the HF.

Their jointer isn't a good buy. The fence is like the old Rockwell types. That design isn't very stable. I have an older chineese Rockwell knockoff. It was probably made by the same company years ago. It is extremely similar to the HF model, just a little bit shorter. I got it for a song ($50), and it's small enough for my tiny shop. I still wouldn't consider going with a HF if mine broke.