POWERTEC HSS Knives for Porter Cable 6" Jointer PC160JT

I have a new PC160JT machine, which I am happy with as far as the performance of the machine itself, but was disappointed the blades lose their edge very quickly. I started using Porter Cable replacements with the same poor results. I ordered these Powertech replacements hoping they would be better, but they are the same as the Porter Cable knives. They dull much quicker than good knives should, even with pine, and even nick a bit with harder woods. I wish there was a carbide edged version of this, or at least ones with harder steel. If anyone knows of such, please add this info to another review! PS-- they do cut great when they are first installed.

Easy to install and direct fit for my porter cable jointer (no surprise as that’s what they’re listed as). Installation was a cinch. Undo 4 bolts, swap out the knives and reinstall. The hardest part is getting the level of the blade correct. I did mess up and somehow put a chip in one of the blades. I believe the guard may have hit it but no visible damage to the guard was noted. Due to this I had to replace them after one use so can not comment on overall durability

These came super quick and were well packed. I put them in the night I got them. Jointer blades a re always a pain in the butt to install/fine tune. Once I was done with the adjusting, I ran some oak, pine, and cherry through. SWEET! clean shavings and super clean wood. No more ridges from my old nicked blades. Seems like high qualiity. Came wrapped in paper with an oil film on the steel. I took it off with brake cleaner (and cut myself in the process - VERY sharp!)

Well... They are sharp and they cut the wood. BUT, they apparently aren't balanced well from the factory. After going from the factory blades to these blades, my jointer is vibrating pretty badly. I'm sure that will be very detrimental to the life of the bearings and other mechanics of the jointer. Fortunately for me, this jointer is just a temporary machine. I plan to upgrade as soon as possible to one with a much longer bed/table.

They came well packaged and were quite sharp when arrived. I work with pallet wood so the jointer gets a heavy work out. I assumed that the nicks I got on original set were from metal in the wood. I now have a little metal detector to make sure I get all the nails and staples out. These blades nicked up and dulled quicker than the originals.If it wasnt for the price, I would steer others completely away from these.

The slotted holes on these blades are drilled very crudely. Looks like someone used a hand drill to slot them (mounting holes). The surface is flat and the blades are sharp, they will do the trick, but there is now play left to right. Use caution and make sure the blades are perfectly centered before starting the machine.

Hey these aren't easy to install because it a jointer and that's tough work but that is not the fault of the blades. The blades are perfect.

These seem to be great knives for my jointer. It was a big deal to get these knives set just right, or they would cause snipe or tapering, especially with the Porter Cable jointer where you can't adjust the outfeed table. The knives should be set at exactly the height of the outfeed table, or maybe just a few thousands higher than the outfeed table. Once you get that, they are a great replacement for the dull blades that were on there.Note: I have only ran some pine 2x4's through with these knives. I will post an update when I run some hardwoods through.