I was really concerned about purchasing this jointer because of the high amount of negative reviews. However, with my limited space and budget, I didn't have much of a choice. I went ahead and bought it and I have been pleasantly surprised!The jointer set up in a manner of minutes. The fence is not the best thing that I have ever seen, but it only took me about three minutes to get it square. I only plan on jointing ninety degree edges, so the fence issues don't really bother me. I like the control knobs and switches. The product feels like higher quality that the $197 that I spent (sorry Amazon, not purchased here...). I am wondering if it's kind of luck-of-the-draw item...see what you are going to get when you open the box.I think that if you are looking for a small price and a space saver, you will be happy with this jointer!