Biscuit jointers seperated at birth??

[d-i-Why?!]

for a cheap biscuit jointer and came across these which look identical apart from colour (and price!). Has anyone any experience of these or cheap biscuit jointers in general?

[John Rumm]

I bought the Ferm one that screwfix did a while ago. Bit of a mixed bag really. The first one I had to send back since its fence was not correctly parallel. The replacement is better but still requires some care when setting to make sure it stays straight. Other than that it works ok. I would buy a better one if doing so again.

The ones you linked to have a different fence design that may be better from a squareness point of view, although I don't know if that design allows you to swing it out of the way so you can biscuit on flat surfaces rather than just edges.

Have a look at the "What should I look for" section here:

[Weatherlawyer]

factory or at least in the same part of town. The Chinese pay something like =A35 a month for semiskilled labour and work the men and women, 12 and more hours a day for it.

The Chinese gangsters get to keep the government and pay out an host of bribes and stuff we'd consider scandalous. (Or would have if Tory B Liar had not let us all down.)

The actual parts cost very little as there is practically no health regimen in China. And that goes double for the factory overheads.

So get the cheapest and be prepared to have to buy another.

[John Rumm]

or not... There are a good range of quality branded examples as well as the Chinese tat.

Or get a decent one that will last, and do a better job into the bargain.