Customer Reviews

Lamello 101250 C2 Classic 6.4 Amp Plate Joiner

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am fairly picky and actually had both the Lamello and the Dewalt side by side to see if the latter was worth the extra. The DeWalt's fence is quicker to adjust, and is probably fine for many applications, but there was some noticeable play, and the Lamello had absolutely none. Also, the Dewalt fence is not quite as versatile, but requires less set-up. What convinced me to mail the DeWalt back and not the Lamello is that when cutting, the Lamello never skidded even when messing around with just one hand.. The Dewalt did skid some unless I paid attention to what I was doing. Also, the Lamello has a clutch, and cuts very smoothly, quietly, and is made with a significantly more metal than DeWalt. It is easy to see why it costs more. While I am sure people can do a fine job with even the least expensive model out there, the Lamello gives you quite a bit more for the extra money.

I recently purchased the C2 to replace craftsman plate joiner I have been using for for some time. The craftsman did a reasonable job cutting slots for face frames and glue-ups. My two major complaints with it were:
1)I always had trouble keeping it from "walking" when putting a slot into the center of a large flat surface.
2)It seemed so clunky and for lack of a better term: "lacked elegence" (meaning it didn't seem manufactured to fit the contours of a human hand)

The C2 answers both of these complaints very well. Its action is so smooth, it makes slot cutting almost effortless. Their are two very grippy rubber "feet" that restrict the joiner's tendancy to walk when cutting slots into the center of a horizontal surface. (Alot like the little rubber nubs on the dewalt)

The C2 has plenty of power to easily work with maple, oak, birch, or any other hardwood you put in front of it. It also fits so well in my hand, I can generally operate it one-handed.

Upon unpacking it, I immediately checked the accuracy of the positive stops on its swivel fence, and was happy to find they were dead on.

After ordering the C2, I realized that purchasing a swiss made tool could result in service/parts availability issues. Upon reading the included documentation, I was happy to discover that Lamello has a US service provider in Kingston, Mass. (Kingston just happens to border on the town I live in, which left me feeling much better about the C2's longevity).

I have been using the C2 for about 2 months (500 slots or so), and I have only one complaint. Rather than arriving with a form fitting case, the C2 arrived in a generic plastic tool box you could purcahse at a home center for $5 (of course a little transparent lamello sticker had been placed on the lid). This makes transporting the joiner more of a chore than it should be. I cut some foam inserts for the box to keep the tool from getting bashed during transport, but it would be so much easier to just to put the tool back into an appropriately molded case.

The C2 is the best plate joiner I have used, and was worth the premium price. I would actually rate 4.5 stars (as the cheapo case shouldn't merit a full point deduction).

This is a great tool. It is very well made. The plunge-action is very smooth and preceise. The fense operates easily and the posistive stops is very accurate. It is quiet and the chip blow-out works well, goes out the righthand side of the tool. It is of course possible to attach it to your dust-extraction (might need some extras). I has 2 rubber pads on the front to prevent it from skiding, and it works fine, no skiding.
A high quality tool !!

If you use biscuit joinery a lot, it is worth it to have a better tool. Lamello simply makes a more solid, powerful and clean tool than the competition. It costs more to not get the mass production vendors, but it is a better tool. Like a Fein shop vacuum, the quality is just worth it here versus PC or DeWalt. When I used the DeWalt, it threw sawdust all over me. Wierd engineering that.

I was going to buy a Porter Cable 557 until talked to friends that have one and used one my self.I measured the slot with a dial caliper and it is dead on. The jointer does not move when cutting a slot. The pads work great. I have had problems with the slots all being the same in elevation with my old Porter Cable jointer and this is real easy to keep all the same. Another feature I like on the jointer is the start switch can be locked in to keep the jointer running until you get done with all of the slots on the edge and then turn the jointer off. I also like the position detent on the fence for the different angle settings. Another nice feature is the ease of the fence removal and instalation.This is really worth twice as much as the Porter Cable 557.

As a woodworker and cabinet builder, I am constantly relying on a buscuit joiner in my work. The Lamello C2 Classic is the epitome of simplicity. Solidly built, it does not flex, giving me accurate placement of the buscuit slot. The blade design and nonslip pads make the process effortless. The case is lackluster... like an empty tackle box. The top tray was cracked, but who cares? A machine of this caliber deserves a fitted case, like Festool. Like I said, Big Bucks, but worth it!!

I found the Lamello plate jointer to be quite a bit like the Freud that it replaced. Don't care for the way the fence mounts, a little cheap I think. Freud was the same. And the adjusting scale was cheesy like the Freud. Can't put in carrying case unless you take the fence off. all small things, but I thought Lamello was the Cadallac of plate jointers, not much more than a
Volkswagon to me. Cuts well, guess thats what I paid the high dollars for. Maybe should have just revamped the Freud and sharpened the cutters.