Lamello Cobra Biscuit Joiner - Have you used one?

[The.Handyman]

Hello FOG friends. I am new here but have been on other tool sites for quite a while. I have just purchased a CT Mini and used ETS 150/3 from Ebay.

I am now in the market for a biscuit joiner, the Domino is currently out of my budget.

I am debating between a Porter-Cable 557 or a Lamello Cobra. I have a local seller with a nearly new Lamello Cobra in the original box. I cannot find any information on this tool in my Google searches. Does anyone have any experience with it? Would this smaller Lamello model be better than the 557?

Thank you for your insight guys!

Travis

 

[semenza]

Hi,

  Welcome to the forum!  [smile]

    I found this ....

"I have a Lamello Cobra, which was pretty much their "Entry Level" model. Underpowered with direct-drive, but still vastly superior to the Freud it replaced. I won't be selling it off anytime soon since it's primary use around here has long been mortising cabinet doors and face frames for the Lamello Duplex hinge; the one job my Domino can't do. Not yet, anyway. A few years back I even removed the two rubber non-slip pads from their holes and made a pair of press-fit centering pins, not unlike what the Domino has now, except thinner, and they don't retract. With the pins in place, I just space them between door and frame, and plunge for matching mortises.

Gary Nichols"

And there is a little bit in this articlehttps://books.google.com/books?id=K_iJmn3SHLwC&pg=PA53&lpg=PA53&dq=Lamello+cobra&source=bl&ots=UEh-H2UyVz&sig=a05rGWvlAdIkHCMzsI78lyi7wKY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiQw-zF-_3OAhVHSyYKHf5aDTQQ6AEIVTAJ#v=onepage&q=Lamello%20cobra&f=false

    Personally I'd go with the PC557 over the Cobra. The Cobra appears to be a bit of an oddball.  Not sure though. I had a 557 and liked it quite bit.

Seth

 

[Cheese]

  [welcome] to the FOG!!

I had and used a PC 557 for about 6-7 years, it always worked fine and I thought they did a real nice job on the moveable fence, the only annoying thing with it was the sound. It always sounded like it was on its last legs. It was kind of a metal on metal screech, hard to describe, almost like gears meshing without any lubrication, it was just really annoying to listen to. It had that sound the first day I used it and 7 years later it still sounded the very same. Must have just been part of the animal. I sold the 557 the same day that I purchased my DF 500.  [cool]

 

[The.Handyman]

Thank you for help guys! And thank you for warm welcome to the formula.

After much research I think I have decided to go the route of the DowelMax or the JessEm dowel jig.