My old lunch box planer (Total Shop) suffered a fatal injury and died, so am looking to buy something new. The Total Shop is a basic machine, but has lasted more than twenty years!!! Reading about the current choices is a bit scary. Every model I read about seems to have major flaws. I know that some of the negative reports are likely due to abuse, but there are enough common threads to cause worry. Stripped gears and quickly worn out blades in the DeWalt 735, stripped threads in the aluminum head of the Ryobi and stripped gears in the Ridgid. If anyone can help me separate the good from the bad and ugly, it would be great. Any and all feedback will be appreciated.