General International 80-075 6" Jointer Review by Elton Hammond P.Eng
I added this very impressive jointer to my small hobby shop in Dec. 2009. It has impressed me from the beginning with a quality look, feel and performance. Of all the new power tools I have purchased in the past, this one would easily tie with the Dewalt DW735 Planer for the very best quality of construction. It has been a real pleasure to use and has really made a difference in my woodworking project work quality. It is now hard to believe I ever worked without it!
What I Do Like: - Very smooth and Quiet. When this and the dust collector are both running, I only hear the dust collector. - Bed height crank handles are great. They work very well, look good, have a solid feel and are not hidden underneath like many jointers with their silly levers. - Very high quality and polished steel table top, no corrosion yet! - Cuts very smoothly and cleanly right out of the box. - Went together very easily in about 2 hours or less with no missing parts. - Clear assembly instructions. - Lots of power to get the job done. - Good dust/chip collection with a 4" dust port that connects easily to my 1 HP dust collector. - Sturdy Stand. I thought long and hard about their 2 enclosed cabinet models and when I came to realize they were only for looks and offered no extra features for a significantly higher price, I went with the open leg model. The main jointer body and motor is identical on all 3 of General International's 6" jointers. - Safety guard over the blades works well. - Included safety push handles work well and have a nicely included storage place. - Large safety paddle and switch are well positioned and easy to operate. - Priced for very good value in a hobby shop compared to others with either higher prices or much lower quality and features. - Long 55" bed is much longer than all of the competitors models that I looked closely at. - Fence is very solid and easy to adjust. - General's warranty department supplied a replacement fence very promptly to fix the slight warp in the original one.
What I Don't Like: - Loose fitting dust collection chute allows quite a bit of material to leak out instead of sliding down to meet the dust collector hose.
