You might not believe this, but a surface planer is one of the most important tools in your shop. It allows you to take rough cut wood, which is usually very cheap, and turn it into a piece of beautiful wood. Not to mention the ability to have any thickness that you want.

If you have to buy new, Ryobi ( $199 ) will be the cheapest. I sell tools, and for the money Ryobi is hard to beat. Just to clarify: Ryobi is not the best power tool, it's just the best value for the money. When it comes to NON power tools by Ryobi though, I'd be careful. Their drill bits are cheap but not worth the money. Their door hinge and door set jigs are disappointing. But for what I paid for the bandsaw, drill press, and belt sander, ( less than $100 each ) it is pretty hard to beat.

I'm not suggesting you get a Ryobi planer if you can afford something more, or can find a good one second hand. (I have a Rigid.) If I ever had to rebuild my workshop from scratch, a surface planer would be one of the first things I'd buy.