Jet power tools ?

[sawduster]

Would love to hear some opinions from you experts out there about the quality/value of Jet power tools ....table saws, planers, band saws, joiners etc
Presently the only way to feed my addiction is through research and lots of drooling. Jet doesn't seem to be bottom-of-the-barrel as I once thought, but I am just curious as to the general worth of their equipment and the quality of their customer service. When comparing and researching, are they worth considering ?
Considering that I am a wood-guy-wannabe and would never come close to testing the limits of most tools, the larger issue would be doing something wrong and screwing the tool up

Thanx for any and all input

[NCPete]

I love my JET contractor's saw, but as I see it, there is no particular reason to have any brand loyalty for woodworking machinery. probably take all my fingers and some of my toes to count the machinery brands in my (SMALL) shop.

[DaveO]

I think that Jet makes some fine machinery. I would consider them to be in the upper middle range of quality. Not Powermatic, but not Shopfox either.
MTCW,
Dave

[JackLeg]

So Dave, (Bro, I'm interested in this also) how would YOU rate the brands from top to bottom?

[RayH]

Robert,

Only Jet tool I have is an benchtop spindle sander

Out-of-the box it works great. Table/spindle square, fit and finish at least as good as the Delta and Craftsman stuff I have -- paint job maybe even a bit better. Nice and quiet.

I would recommend it to anyone looking for a comparable product.

RayH

[gator]

Originally Posted by JackLeg

So Dave, (Bro, I'm interested in this also) how would YOU rate the brands from top to bottom?

I'm not DaveO but what does that matter? I don't think that you can rank power tools by brand. Each brand has its strengths and also has its lemons, even Harbor Freight. In general though, Jet does carry a good reputation.

When I am looking for a specific tool I look at all brands and make the comparison on that tool only. I have Powermatic, DeWalt, Grizzly, Delta, Sears, Hitachi, Makita, Ridgid, Northern Tool, Harbor Freight, Freud all mixed together.

George

[DaveO]

Originally Posted by JackLeg

So Dave, (Bro, I'm interested in this also) how would YOU rate the brands from top to bottom?

That's an interesting question. Most manufactures make several levels of machinery so it would be difficult to rank them by brand. Plus I think that there are a lot of manufactures that are at the same rank. And there are some gems and duds in the best and worst manufactures offerings.

Central Machinery - lowest but with some good offerings
Griz, Shopfox, Woodtek, Ridgid - good middle range with some really high quality offerings
Jet, Delta, Rikon, Steel City - upper middle, but with some duds and low end offerings
Powermatic, General - higher end, but also with some middle end offerings
Felder, MiniMax, Laguna and a bunch more European manufactures that I can't spell - highest end...I guess (I'll never be able to afford them to find out)

Dave

[JackLeg]

Good point, George. I was just interested to see if there is a consensus on brands. Only piece I have is a Powermatic tablesaw, and it serves my needs well. All my other "junk" is a real mix of "gems!"

[Bas]

I love my JET ProShop table saw. It has plenty of power for what I do, and the price I got it was an absolute steal. I have very little brand loyalty - Grizzly jointer & band saw, Craftsman drill press, JET table saw, Ridgid planer etc. They're all pretty comparable in terms of quality, finish, manuals etc. Customer service from Grizzly, JET and Ridgid has been outstanding.

I think Dave's assessment is right on. I've looked at some equipment at the various WW stores. You can tell the quality difference with a Sawstop or Powermatic, but after that, the field is pretty crowded. Some people insist on their shop being all PM gold, or Delta grey, or Ridgid orange. That's not a bad way to decide what to buy

Keep in mind that these companies don't really manufacture their own tools. It's not as if the same factory & crew make both the table saw and jointer. The only commonality is often the paint and logo. Of course, each brand does target a certain audience, and attempts to find the right quality/ price point. For the kind of work you have in mind, I think JET, Delta, Ridgid and Grizzly are all good brands to consider.

So, which tool is first on the list?

[JimmyC]

I've always considered Jet to be in the same class as Delta ( I have both),

Once WMH tools bought them, things changed for the better. Now the biggest difference between Jet and Delta is customer service. And Jets is much better.

MY .02 worth,

Jimmy

[JackLeg]

My old company (Pentair) used to own Delta-PC before selling them to B&D. Yep, IMHO, the customer service did go down. I used to know a guy I could call and he'd make things happen. He didn't survive the cut as well as many others.

[Douglas Robinson]

Rob:

I own a Jet drill press, OSS, Mini-Lathe, and used to own their hybrid Table saw. I enjoy their products and have had no problems to speak of. I also own some Delta, some Dewalt, some Powermatic, some Festool, and Penn State. I research heavily before buying. I agree with DaveO's general rankings as a base guideline. I would love to own the new Jet Joiner/ planer combo machine. Hope this helps.

Doug

P.S. PM if you want to come by for the clamps some time. We are going to the hockey game later today, but this afternoon or tomorrow should work.

[MikeL]

I had my first experience with Jet customer service this week and it was A+. I ordered some parts for a sander and they were very professional. The order was placed quickly and painlessly.

[LeftyTom]

Robert, in '07 I was shopping for a saw to replace my benchtop Craftsman. I read many reviews/comparisons of 10" saws, and the Delta, Jet, and Grizzly were my top contenders (Powermatic was more saw than I needed, cost more, etc). I wen with the Jet 10" Workshop saw, as I found it at a sale price $430, which was below what I expected to pay. I got it home, put together by myself (have a buddy on-hand, if possible). It was a breeze to set up, and has been more than I hoped for in a saw.

But, I am not brand-loyal. I have Dewalt, Milwaukee, Ryobi, Makita, and no-names tools which serve me well.

[Bryan S]

I only have one power tool from Jet the 6 inch jointer but so far I have been pleased with it. I would have had their cabinet saw when Tom Hintz was selling one but I didn't have 220 . I believe jtodd71 got it.