I don't understand what that other reviewer experienced - in finishing mode this planer produces a great, smooth finish that needs only minor sanding.  It is a solid piece of machinery that does its job well.  Controls are reassuringly solid and clearly marked.  It is very quite for a planer (still use hearing protection of course).
My only quibble is minor: the manual.  When I first set it up, I found that much was left to the imagination in the manual.  Unpacking and setup instructions are out of order.  Also, some of the setup stuff is buried - they could use a "Setup checklist".
Much was vague and incomplete.  When they said "Remove the top covers" they didn't say how and it took several minutes of investigation to figure out that they snap off (I did say it was solidly built, didn't I?).  The pictures are too small and unclear in many cases to see exactly what they are talking about.  The instructions for the Full Range Depth Stop are pretty vague. And would it kill them, for example, to say in the instructions for levelling the infeed and outfeed table, that you need 2 10mm open ended wrenchs?  This is minor, because it only took me seconds to figure out the size, but this sort of omission is all through the manual.  Oh well, I guess setup is done once or at least the details remembered.
Finally, they could include a troubleshooting guide.  Start out with: if the planer motor is running but the feed mechanism does not accept boards, it is because the speed switch is not fully engaged.  In the manual they say to make sure it is fully engaged but they don't say how the machine behaves when you don't.
All in all, I love this tool.  A good manual would make it even better.
FOLLOW-UP REVIEW: I took away a star from my review, and in fact teetered on the edge of taking away another star.  Here's why: the knives seem prone to small chips AND Delta can't supply replacement knives in anything like reasonable time.  At least they are providing them at no charge BUT there is an estimated 45 day wait from the time they ordered them from me to when they will ship them.  That in my book is completely bogus.  If I was using this machine in production, my response to a 45 day wait for new knives would be to ask where I send the machine to get my money back.  Do they expect anyone who needs this machine to stay working to stock several spare knives?  As the Car Talk guys say: "BO-O-O-O-O-GUS!"
The good news is that both knives are double-edged so I was able to turn the chipped one around and keep going, also the knife changing procedure is fast and easy.
I don't understand what that other reviewer experienced - in finishing mode this planer produces a great, smooth finish that needs only minor sanding. It is a solid piece of machinery that does its job well. Controls are reassuringly solid and clearly marked. It is very quite for a planer (still use hearing protection of course). My only quibble is minor: the manual. When I first set it up, I found that much was left to the imagination in the manual. Unpacking and setup instructions are out of order. Also, some of the setup stuff is buried - they could use a "Setup checklist". Much was vague and incomplete. When they said "Remove the top covers" they didn't say how and it took several minutes of investigation to figure out that they snap off (I did say it was solidly built, didn't I? ). The pictures are too small and unclear in many cases to see exactly what they are talking about. The instructions for the Full Range Depth Stop are pretty vague. And would it kill them, for example, to say in the instructions for levelling the infeed and outfeed table, that you need 2 10mm open ended wrenchs? This is minor, because it only took me seconds to figure out the size, but this sort of omission is all through the manual. Oh well, I guess setup is done once or at least the details remembered. Finally, they could include a troubleshooting guide. Start out with: if the planer motor is running but the feed mechanism does not accept boards, it is because the speed switch is not fully engaged. In the manual they say to make sure it is fully engaged but they don't say how the machine behaves when you don't. All in all, I love this tool. A good manual would make it even better. FOLLOW-UP REVIEW: I took away a star from my review, and in fact teetered on the edge of taking away another star. Here's why: the knives seem prone to small chips AND Delta can't supply replacement knives in anything like reasonable time. At least they are providing them at no charge BUT there is an estimated 45 day wait from the time they ordered them from me to when they will ship them. That in my book is completely bogus. If I was using this machine in production, my response to a 45 day wait for new knives would be to ask where I send the machine to get my money back. Do they expect anyone who needs this machine to stay working to stock several spare knives? As the Car Talk guys say: "BO-O-O-O-O-GUS! "
The good news is that both knives are double-edged so I was able to turn the chipped one around and keep going, also the knife changing procedure is fast and easy.