Grizzly 490X 8" Jointer or Laguna 12" J/P Combo

[James Kennedy2]

Thanks in advance for any replies.

I've been on the waiting list since April for a new Grizzly 490X Jointer and it looks like it will ship any day now. While I've waited I've kept a close eye on Craigslist hoping a solid 8" or larger used jointer would pop up. Since I live in rural Montana it's few a far between on scoring a nice tool deal that isn't 250 miles (or much further) away.

A barely used 12" laguna platinum jointer/planer combo machine popped up this weekend only 20 miles away and it's only $1200. If/when the Grizzly ever ships I'll be on the hook for $1450. Either option I'd have spiral/helical heads on the jointer. I've got space and already have a Dewalt DW735 that's always done everything I've needed so the combination isn't as enticing to me as the 12" jointing capacity. I'd be inclined to almost never use the planing option on the machine unless it really outperformed my current dewalt. I had never really considered needing/wanting a 12" jointer because I just barely felt like I needed an 8" unit over the 6" unit but like they say... bigger is always better.

I'm a net-zero/high-end general contractor that occasionally does some one-off custom woodworking for work but not in a production setting by any means so it'd be a sometimes work but mostly hobby machine for me.

Does anyone have some experience with the Laguna combo machines? I mostly have only seen posts regarding the past poor customer service from Laguna but it'd be great to hear from someone that actually uses one of these machines. Any thoughts on whether or not it'd be a better/equal deal to the Grizzly if I was really just using it's jointing capacity?

Thanks again.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi James, I have no experience with Grizzly or Laguna jointers or J/P's.

I've used Felder, Minimax and own a Hammer J/P.

The larger jointer can't be over-appreciated, and the stationary planer will outperform your Dewalt in speed, capacity, and lower noise.

A good J/P is a joy to own for a space challenged shop..........Regards, Rod

[Greg Parrish]

Get the combo for the 12” jointer. If you have room keep your DW735 and you can use it so you don’t have to open the J/P for quick cuts but you’ll have the heavier planer of the J/P when more power is needed.

[Jim Becker]

I'm not familiar with either machine, but I'm a BIG fan of J/P combos and have been using an SCM/Minimax for many years now.

[glenn bradley]

Jointer/planer combination machines seem to come in two flavors, good and bad. The good ones are a joy where the bad ones may have one or more of the following traits; a fence that is awkward to remove during changeover, tables that will not return to an aligned position after changeover, slow or awkward table adjustment, and other things mentioned in various posts on various J/P machines. I agree that a wide jointer would be a joy to have. I would research the Laguna carefully. If you don’t find a lot of noise about support issues or machine issues I would tend to lean in that direction despite being an extremely happy G0490X owner for many years.

[David Kumm]

The beauty of it being close is you can take a straight edge and dial and check out the tables. If flat and co planar, open and close the tables a few times and check that the settings remain consistent. The ability to verify the tables is huge. Dave

[Neil Gaskin]

I regret buying only an 8" jointer. I'm passively looking to buy a 16"+ if the right deal comes along. I'd go as big as you can.

As for the planer, I had to drag out our 13" dewalt this weekend to run some material that may have had hidden metal etc that I didn't want to run through my stationary planer. I forgot how loud and annoying that thing was. Even with ear protection on it's just too damn loud.


My vote would be for the 12" J/P but I have no experience with a combo machine so my opinion is solely based on size.

[Andrew More]

Been very happy with my Grizzly G0490X, it's a very good machine.

[Greg Parrish]

I went from a 6” Powermatic jointer and 13” Dewalt dw735, both with shelix heads, to a Hammer A3-31 12” jointer/planer combo with silent head and the only regret I have is that I didn’t get the A3-41 16” version. :)

i sometimes wish id kept the Dewalt too for small pieces and other occasional uses but I really don’t miss it or it’s noise.

[Mike Cutler]

Jointers and planers???As big as will fit in your shop and you can afford.
Bigger is always better with these two machines.

[Mike Kees]

I have never seen a Laguna jointer /planer. With that said I agree with David that you have an oppurtunity to check this machine out versus getting what comes with the Grizzly. 20 mile drive or continue to wait. Larger capacity and a better planer function. I would go check it out for sure,probably with cash in my pocket. A combo does have the added attraction of taking up less space.

[James Kennedy2]

Thanks for all the feedback. Turns out it was sold the moment it hit craigslist so I’ll just keep on waiting to see if grizzly ever ships the 490x.

[Andrew More]

Thanks for all the feedback. Turns out it was sold the moment it hit craigslist so I’ll just keep on waiting to see if grizzly ever ships the 490x.

FWIW, there was a delay on mine as well. I think maybe a month or so, but it did ship.

[James Kennedy2]

Good news! My jointer finally shipped yesterday. Looking forward to getting it set up. Thanks again for all the replies.