Old Jet Planer, vs Newer ones?

[Allan Speers]

I'm looking around for a used 15" planer.

Two options are Jets. One is the fairly recent (white paint) JWP 15W. The other is the older (blue-green paint) JWP-15HO.

I assume that the newer one probably has a few little feature improvements, but I've also read that the older offshore machines were made in Taiwan, not China, and are usually better built.

Does anyone know how these two machines compare to each other?

[Matt Day]

I have a 15HO (blue), but I can't find anything on a Google image search on the W.
If it is a new style, from a functional perspective the main upgrade would be cast iron infeed/outfeed tables. Everything else is essentially the same, except possibly an enclosed base.

I don't use infeed/outfeed tables but might if the were cast, but they do greatly increase the footprint of the machine.

[scott spencer]

Not sure when manufacture of Jet tools went to China (it probably varies by model), but many in the late 90's and early 2000's were still in Taiwan. Later Taiwanese cast tools were generally considered to be more refined than earlier Taiwanese tools... checking the year of manufacture can't hurt.

[Allan Speers]

I have a 15HO (blue), but I can't find anything on a Google image search on the W.
If it is a new style, from a functional perspective the main upgrade would be cast iron infeed/outfeed tables. Everything else is essentially the same, except possibly an enclosed base.

I don't use infeed/outfeed tables but might if the were cast, but they do greatly increase the footprint of the machine.


Matt, how do you like that machine?

[Matt Day]

It does its job well. No snipe and I dialed out roller marks to all but the extreme lightest cuts. Much more powerful than a lunchbox and can hog through material if needed.