This has been discussed here. I think i have read through most all of it, along with anything i could find anywhere else on the interweb.
The topic jointer planer combo.
Hammer A3-31 or MiniMax FJ30. Silent power cutter head or Tersa?
My questions or inquiries go like this. I like most am inclined to think the build quality of the MiniMax machine is mildly superior.
On the other hand i did play with a Hammer A3 yesterday with the spiral cutter head and was very very impressed. That head is like a Ferrari! I ran some birdseye and mahogany through it and was like wow! Any irregularities i took care of with a quick pass of 220.
So the Tersa pro is ease of swapping blades. Spiral pro is finish quality for the most part. I have read and did see with my own two eyes on the wood i passed over the silent cutter head the very minor scalloping. Again 220 took care of it 1-2-3. I work in just about all hard figured wood. Think teak, birdseye, babinga so forth and so on. I almost never use anything soft or not figured. The silent cutter head left no tear out. My old Yates straight knife machine and Dewalt lunch box planer make a mess of the same material leaving major tear out!
I have read some stuff about people having problems with the tables on the Hammer machine not being flat. I found one complaint about the same on the MiniMax. So the question is to those who have now had the machines a while. Much of the info to be found is from years ago now. I wonder to these people how do you like your Hammer machine after having it a while. Have you had problems with the tables. Have you had problems with scalloping on the silent cutter head. If you have had problems how has dealing with Felder/Hammer been?
I generally like the MiniMax machine more but it cost $1100 more and that is without a spiral cutter head. If i upgrade that myself the machine is $2400 more. In the end if the machine is superior to the Hammer i am not worried about the $2500 as i plan to have the machine for many moons.
One thing other than fit and finish that i like about the MiniMax machine is the S/1 230 4.8 horse motor vrs the Hammers S/6 230 4.0 horse motor. As i understand it the Hammer motor only uses 40% of its horsepower while the minimax uses all 4.8. On the other hand the Felder or Hammer silent cutter head requires much less power to turn it than the Tersa or the comparable Byrd head.
Also has anyone experienced and problems with the MiniMax machine i should be aware of. I have read their customer service can be a nightmare. That is pretty scary as we all know sometimes machines show up and have problems right off the pallet. If you end up with a company that is not proactive and assuming all responsibility it can really stink!
Thank you all in advance for any insight you can offer. This is a big purchase for me.
i am also interested or really looking at buying the Felder RL 125 over the Onieda V3000. I recently read bad stuff about the filters clogging on the Felder machine. Anyone have any thoughts on that for me!