"Michael Daly" wrote in message

I hadn't looked at the prices and didn't realize the difference would be
so great.
If it was a few hundred, I'd buy local and avoid the hassle, transport
etc. But
at twice...

And what happens if you do need service or parts? Getting them up from the
US is certainly going to be more time consuming and costly that getting them
from a local supplier.

I've talked to General reps a woodworking shows up here in Canada and to a
person, they all are prepared to put time and effort into satisfying a
customer's needs.