How does one get a straight answer on which brand of woodworking equipment
is better than another? Is this the age old woodworking question? By
better I mean quality, reliability, functionality... Maybe there is no real
answer to this questions because it tool specific. One brand of router is
better than another but the same brands table saw is not as good. I've
found this question/answer to be person specific. A friend will buy Delta
but wouldn't touch Craftsman. My wife and I are looking for a jointer.
Our hunt has taken us all over town. Woodworking shops, Sears, Lowes... .
While in Home Depot looking for some track lights we ran into a friend who
works there. He talked to us for 10 minutes about how good Rigid is. On
the way out to the car my wife said one of her woodworking friends said
never/ever buy Rigid. Why? Can it really be that poorly made. The way I
see it is if it's that bad (name your manufacture) they would not be in
business. Which brings me back to my question. My wife and I figure the
best way to go about buying equipment is to listen to what others say, read
up on what the manufactures say and buy what we feel is best for us.

Rick and Debbee

BTW, we just started on filling our garage with woodworking equipment after
going to a friends house to use their stuff for the last 6 months. We
bought the Jet lathe we are building a router table. The Delta band saw,
and Craftsmen table saw are on extended loan from a friend who felt the need
to upgrade their equipment.