Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought a Makita 2012 a few weeks ago and immediately ran a couple of thousand feet of Western Red Cedar through it. I know, that's not exactly a tough test, but it performed flawlessly, quietly (would you believe that it is quieter than a Skilsaw? it is) and smoothly. Literally right out of the box: there was no set up time, there was no snipe, there was no chatter, there was no slipping, there was no clogging. Just really smooth boards, planed exactly the way I wanted them, quickly and easily. There are several other reviews (posted at Amazon) that address the 2012's long term performance and ease of use and I found them very helpful and I've found nothing to indicate these reviews are not 100% accurate. Before buying this machine, I read many reviews on Amazon, especially the 1, 2 or 3 star (out of 5) reviews, for various planers. Reviews simply indicate patterns. (For example, read the reviews of the DeWalt planer, and you'll discover that the blades don't last very long, even according to the users that love the machine.) Less than optimal reviews (1 and 2 stars) indicate the problems with the products and these reviews are what convinced me to buy the Makita. In the case of the Makita 2012, the consistent "problems" written about involve lots of concern over the dust boot, a few concerns about feed roller slippage and a few concerns about shipping damage. I'll address each below. Please note that I'm taking the time to write this because I think that the Makita 2012 is a great tool which may be getting short shrift from reviewers concerned about all the wrong things. First, the dust boot. Full disclosure: I purchased the dust boot but it did not arrive yet so I can't comment on its performance. I can however address another issue raised by some of the other reviews: the outlet on the dust boot is the wrong size for a shop vac. This is ridiculous. Run one board 6" wide by 12' long though the planer a couple of times and you'll create enough shavings to clog up an industrial sized shop vac; you'll be lucky if you don't damage shop vac or the planer by jamming them up with shavings. The reason the boot is not sized for a shop vac hose is because it's designed to be used with a dust collector. Shop vacs have their place on the jobsite, but controlling the shavings from a planer is a mis-use of the tool. I would downgrade the rating on any planer that had a boot outlet sized for a shop vac. (I will attempt to update this review and address issues raised regarding the 90 degree bend on the boot once I've connected it to my DUST COLLECTOR and run some boards through.) Second: feed roller slippage. As with any tool, the Makita 2012 will require periodic maintenance. This should include cleaning pitch and/or sap and general dirt/grime off the feed tables and rollers. As other reviews indicate, cleaning the tables and/or rollers works in most of the slippage cases. To my way of thinking, it is disengenuos to downrate a tool because the user did not treat it right. Third: shipping damage. This is the one that really gets my blood pumping. Downrate a tool because the shipper dropped it and the handle is broken? This is not a problem with the tool! The Makita 2012 is a heavy tool (40-odd pounds which is actually fairly light for a 12" planer) and it was delivered to me via truck. Normal protocol when receiving anything from a third-party shipper is to check for damage before accepting the delivery, including opening all boxes to inspect the contents. If the product is damaged, don't accept it, refuse it. This is so that the manufacturer can provide you with an undamaged tool at the expense of the party who damaged it, whether it was shipper, wholesaler, distributor or retailer. Bottom line is don't give a tool 1 star because you don't have the correct complimentary tools or because your delivery acumen and your maintenance procedures each earn half a star. I gave this tool 5 stars because it earned 5 stars. Now I have to earn 5 stars by taking care of it.