Originally Posted by
Travis Conner
It looks like the powermatic has a handle to adjust the fence. The jet you kind of have to eyeball the fence adjustment to keep it aligned.
Historically, they are the same company with PM sometimes being a little beefier on some tools and having more premium features. But someone mentions something important earlier in the thread...your intended use has got to factor into the decision so you can balance cost vs heft/features. I do like heavier, more powerful machines, largely because the mass often reduces vibration to a minimum or none and more power reduces any performance variation that stems from cutting load. Both of those things can contribute to quality in the cut. But again, "you" have to figure out where that balance point is for you. Don't rule out considering Grizzly if you're buying new, either. The range of shapers they offer is pretty broad and you'll note a lot of "similarity" to the units you've been looking at.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...