Now that I have my new table saw...

[Dave Cav]

I had a slightly earlier version of that 8" Grizzly jointer (no mobile base) with the helical head, and I was very happy with it. I used it for several years without any problems, and the only reason I sold it was I got a pretty good deal on an Invicta 12" jointer. I then spent almost as much as the jointer cost for a Byrd head for it, which will be installed this summer. I also put helical heads in my two PM 8" jointers at school, and the 12" PM thickness planer. As far as I am concerned, straight knives in jointers and planers are as obsolete as steel blades in table saws or HSS router bits. (But steel knives in shaper heads are another story.)

[Adam Merritt]

There is some comparison of the standard Grizzly spiral cutterhead to the Shelix in terms of orientation of the inserts. Namely the Shelix is set so to make a shearing cut and the Grizzly hits the wood square-on. The verdict from the reviews I read all said that the Shelix might perform slightly better, but in the end the Grizzly does extremely well too. Oddly, what I found and bought was a spiral head from Grizzly which is not Shelix nor is it the standard Grizzly. It's similar to the Shelix in setup (with the shear angle insert orientation and convex insert face) but has one less row (4 rows vs. 5) of larger inserts with less space between them than the Shelix. And about a hundred bucks cheaper. (link to the one I bought)
I am extremely happy with it.

I stopped by the Grizzly showroom in MO on Friday and learned this exact thing. I had asked about the difference between the G0454Z and G1003X planers, and the number one thing the salesman pointed out was the different cutterhead. The 15mm cutters are set like a Shelix, whereas the 14mm are straight cut. I can't promise this holds to all models/heads, but, the 15mm heads that are darker (maybe black) are 15mm and have the shear angle, whereas the 14mm straight cut heads are silver. Now that I know to look closely, you can see the difference in even on the online pictures.

[Nick Stokes]

I consider myself an expert on spending other people's money. Looking for a jointer, IMO, you have only 2 real choices.

Option 1. - Used 6" jointer. These are almost as common as RAS on CL - Look to spend 2-300 for a used 6" jointer. They're almost all the same anyway. It's cheap, so don't worry about feeler gauges and dumb crap like that. Buy it, use it, re-sell it when you want bigger.

Option 2: New 8" helical. - If you're buying new, buy 8" (there is a reason 6" are so common on CL), and if you're buying new, buy Helical (there is a reason so many guys upgrade their heads... ).

Anything that isn't Option 1 or Option 2 is a waste of time and money IMO. Like I said, I'm an expert with your money.

[Bobby Newsom]

Thanks to everyone who responded. Learned some things in this thread that I wasn't aware of previously.

[Bob Grier]

I just have to throw this thought out. My basis for making this statement is that I currently have 8" parallel jointer with straight blades bought used of CL and I have 15" HH planer. I send boards through planer for final pass. I have learned that if a jointer blade gets a little out of alignment or a nick, or the grain gets torn, this is not important because once flat, I send through the planer and it leaves very nice finish surface.

If you are considering spending more money for a new 8" HH jointer, vs $600 to $800 for a used 8" parallel jointer with straight knives, just to cut down noise or to avoid setting the straight knives or for a smoother surface then consider this. Maybe you could step up to a 20" HH planer with the money you save going with used 8" jointer. A 20" HH planer would be really nice if you plan on doing glue ups.

I often use a sled to run boards wider than 8" through the planer to flatten one side. And, sometimes I also have to use the drum sander to surface glue ups if they are wider than 14.5" and won't fit the planer. A 20" HH planer would take care of all my glue ups but the 15" does not.

A 20" HH planer and 8" jointer with straight knives would be much nicer for me than 15" HH planer and 8" HH jointer. You might have to throw in a little more $ for the 20" planer option but it sounds like money might not be controlling constraint here.

[Joe Craven]

Another vote for the Grizzly G0490X. I deployed one of these a few weeks ago (replacing a 6" Jet that was perfectly fine for hobby use) and it's a world's worth of difference. I have a Steel City lunchbox planer that is a sibling of many other brand's models, and it has the helical head, too. I don't use any of my tools enough to worry about the time that it take to sharpen them, but I'm also with the OP on the point that I don't enjoy time in the shop on tasks like sharpening. I can sharpen with the best of them...just not my preferred task. As such I think helical is the only way to go...even for a hobbyist and especially nowadays since the price difference seems nominal.

FWIW, I think if I did more commissioned work or if I were a "professional", the choice would be even more clear.