I had a 6 inch joiner with a conventional cutter head for many years and then upgraqded it to a Byrd/Bird Shelix cutter head. I liked the Shelix cutter head better - it was easier to push the boards and it did better on *difficult* boards.
About 3 years ago I sold the 6 inch jointer and got a 12 inch Grizzly joiter with a spiral cutter head with carbide inserts. I am delighted with my new Grizzly jointer. Negatives: it is very heavy, because of the weight it was hard to move and set up, it takes up a fair amount of room and it was fairly expensive compared to a 6 inch jointer,
On the positve side, right out of the box it was set up perfectly, the cuts are good, the force needed to move boards thru the cutter head is modest, and it will handle wide boards which is why I got it,
It is a good price to value. I have never been sorry I got it,
If I had to compromise on width, I would get at least an 8 inch jointer,
