JSW,

I already have the Westfalia MD150, or at least a version which I got cheap from an Aldi type store. 2 inch wide belt. Very useful. And still works well after 10 years regular use! I couldn't pin down your other suggestions, but "Ferm" is a brand which was sold through the now defunct "Max Bahr". Based on my experience with their biscuit joiner, I would never buy anything with this mark. I think that it is also true in the USA that the machines sold in the big box stores are intentionally made crappy. I don't get it. Do the big retailers want to frustrate you and force you to hire contractors? It's sort of like restaurants. In Europe, at least, the closer you are to a major train hub, the worse the food is. I want to ask sometimes, "would it have cost you any more money to serve me a pizza which didn't taste like poop?" I just don't get it...