I looked for a planer for a looong time. Mainly because I was looking for used. But if someone is selling one it goes fast. I ended up stacking some discounts and got the porter cable one from Lowes for 350$
Depending on what you're doing a lunchbox planer isn't really a precision tool. There's always going to be sanding afterwards. The problem is snipe. I don't know much about the craftex one but you can kind of get an idea just by looking at the design of the tool and compare it to others to get an idea what you're dealing with. For example my Porter Cable is an almost carbon copy of the old Delta planer. The blades are interchangeable too. Now the new Craftsman one that Lowes is selling bares a striking resemblance to the PC and the Delta before it.
Anyway if thats your budget. You can't go wrong with the Dewalt 735, its popular for a reason. When I was shopping, for price to value I zeroed in on the Dewalt 734.
The funny thing is, even down to the Mastercraft one from crappy tire, they all accomplish the same thing. It comes down to 3 things. Snipe, replacement blades and dust collection.
If you're a hobbyist, go cheaper. If you're planing hundreds of board feet per week, go for the DW 735.
TL;Dr I recommend the DW734 for a good price to value .
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