Delta Shopmaster Portable Planer TP300

Pros: Cheap, easy, "light", "quiet".
Cons: Small tables, snipe, blade life, 1speed, low CPI under load.

I was looking cheap, just to clean up some rough-hewn boards. The bottom-end Lowes had was the TP-305 (12.5" vs TP-300 12.0", otherwise EXACTLY the same) for $199, so I got that. Into and Basics First off, the TP-305 is single speed. Fine ...

Pros: Inexpensive, Portable, Leaves surface very smooth, Quiet (for a planer)
Cons: Snipes!

I purchased this planer because I do light woodworking and furniture making and I have a small shop and a smaller budget. Setup was easy, the planer comes out of box almost ready to go. The manual says the blades need to be cleaned with kerosene before ...

Pros: Good quality cuts, powerful, quiet
Cons: No dust collection adapter, single speed

I have been a woodworker since I was in grade school and during all this time I have used many, many types & brands of tools. This is the first surface planer I've personally owned, although I've used several over the years. I received mine as a ...

Pros: affordable, solid construction, easy knife maintenance
Cons: none at this price point

I bought the TP305, which is the newer 12-1/2" model, as have other reviewers. It's the same as the TP300 - only the newer model now available at Lowe's home centers. I don't have a lot of experience with other planers. I also own a very old Jet 15" ...

Pros: Inexpensive, easy to use, lightweight but plenty of power.
Cons: It's a sniper.

I purchased this planer about six months ago. I have used it on maple, oak,walnut, and pine. I like it because it is light and easy to store under my workbench.The planer snipes but most of the time I crosscut the sniped end off when crosscutting. At $200 dollars it's a decent tool.

Pros: very portable...but with some weight
Cons: no cons

Right out of the box this unit was very accurate, and ready to use. I did not have to do any ajustments. Just put the stand together. I don't use the stand I just keep it on a shelf until I need it. The depth guage is very accurate and trouble free. (It is loud when feeding a board). This machine has very little vibration, and eats anything size board I put thru it. Also produces a very smooth finish. I give this one a thumbs up!!

Pros: Very affordable and a strong motor
Cons: You need to have some mechanical skill to adjust the tables correctly.

I just got this machine two weeks ago and having a lot of fun with it.  I got the tables adjusted where I have no snipe that I can see.  The finish on the boards after planning are very smooth.  This is a very affordable machine for someone who dabbles into woodworking projects on the weekend.  If a person takes the time to adjust the machine to get rid of the snipe, you will have a machine that will let you go to the next level in projects on a low budget.