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Well, you ruled out noise which, to me, is one of the more important reasons to have one. Here's what I would think through: it does reduce tear out significantly...actually eliminates it on all but the widest grain. It does nothing for snipe (IME), so you'd have to value those based on your experience. It also practically eliminates blade/knife changes. I've had mine for about 15 years, and I've rotated the cutters once. I probably plane as much wood as any other hobbyist. I understand the 735 has self indexing knives so setting them may not be the pain I suffered on my Delta 15"....but they still cost money so you will save some on that. But it still comes down to your personal choice and I'm not sure anyone can help with that other than offer our collective experiences.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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It gets a big "thumbs up" from me. The instructions are great and there are several videos that are very helpful. As for snipe, I lift the board very slightly just before it exits the planer.
"I tried being reasonable..........I didn't like it." Clint Eastwood
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Location: S. E. Alabama, formally from Wisconsin.
What I like is that the grain direction does not seem to matter, when running through the planer. I often run it through a second time without making any changes, to remove snipe. Also if you start it at an angle, that seems to help. Like Fred said, I also have ran the planer a long (years, and hundreds of board feet) time before I finally changed the inserts.
Oz
S.E. Alabama, formerly from Wisconsin.
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I love mine. It makes figure easier to deal with, but also reduces noise - a lot. I'm in a townhouse row so keeping the neighbors happy is very important.
Computer geek and amateur woodworker.
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The current noise isn't an issue for me now. I'm on five acres, the shop has spray foam, and I have headphones. It would have been helpful at my old place where I had the woodshop in the basement.
Changing the blades itself on the 735 is fast and easy, but it adds expense and they don't stay sharp forever. It won't cover the cost of the upgrade, but it will soften the blow a bit. I've probably replaced about five sets in 12 years.
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I do feel I need to watch my depth of cut. Seems to strain more than with blades.
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I'm thinking about doing the same thing. I would assume this would void the warranty? Anybody know for sure?
