First of all I'm a complete newbie so everything that follows is FWIW. (No wood was harmed in the making of this post but I won't be able to say the same after I get out to the shop later this morning.) I have the Jet 8" jointer/planer combo but it's not just the first time I bought one it's the first time I ever USED one so take everything I say with a very large dose of salt.
I decided to get this unit because I have a one-car garage shop so price and footprint were major considerations. It was either this or nothing. I don't do big things at all - no cabinets or tables or bookcases - so the short tables aren't a problem. I decided against the 10" model because a reviewer online pointed out that it has the same motor as the 8" model and jointing/planing that extra 2" might make a difference. I don't see myself needing 10 inches of capacity so the narrower model is just fine.
I have a few complaints but they might be related to my inexperience. The jointer table surface is not smooth. It's a series of tiny concentric curved grooves. I assume this is from the machining process but it makes moving the stock very difficult (for me) using only the pushpads that came with the machine. The more downward pressure I exert to get the pushpads to grab the stock the harder I'm pressing against the table surface. I'm stumped as to how I can use the hand-over-hand method on the outfeed side to maintain constant pressure yet still provide enough sideways force on the board, like you could with a pushstick on the end, to keep it moving. If anyone has any suggestions I'm all ears. Also, when you get it out of the box and take the protective paper off the tables, DON'T used Greased Lightning to clean them off (DAMHIKT). Turns out that reading the label on the bottle AFTER using the product isn't highly recommended.
The fence that originally came with the unit was both warped and cupped but the Jet customer service folks are wonderful and they replaced it immediately. Also be sure to ask them for the instructions on how to adjust the jointer outfeed table. It's one picture, simple and easy. Why it isn't in the owner's manual I don't know. It's a bit of a hassle switching the dust port back and forth between jointer mode and planer mode but you have to because of the safety switches. I'd guess it takes me maybe 5 minutes tops. Finally, I'm getting a lot of snipe when planing but I have a few ideas about how to reduce that. Again, all this may be my ineptitude.
There are a couple of good videos online about this model and Amazon has a bunch of reviews, good and bad.
I hope this helps, Lenny.