I have one of these .. the spiral/helix head one ... for 2 years now ...
Here is a video on them
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ppb52hCgKU
I am very happy with the machine ... use it several times per week.
You have to take the cast iron fence off and fold back the jointer table to access the thichneser ... takes less than 1 minute ... some say its a pain but I tend to do all my jointing and then convert my machine to a thicknesser ... I would think that this swap over would take less time than rolling out separate machines
I have rotated the blades twice ... once a year ... I think you can resharpen them ... they are costly if you cant.... but I have another 2 years before the blades are rotated on all four sides.
My big tip is to get the Axminster height dial gauge ... they are fantastic ... can really rely of the accuracy and cut reliably to within 0.05mm.
The big note is that the motor is 1.5hp ... and it can really do a full 245mm board of walnut to 1mm .... but I prefer to do such wide boards at a lesser rate.
The Jet 310 is a better machine ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuTkYUCX3ao but I have never been let down by the Carbatec model.
You will need to get a dial indicator to confirm the setup ... BIG TIP dont mess around with the set-up unless you have a dial indicator.
I get absolutely no snipe on the jointer ... or lengths under 1.5m on the thickneser ... for long boards of 2.4M i do get some snipe but only because i dont have a long outfeed table.
The helix head is actually less s noisy than the dust collector .. do yourself a favour and get the helix head first off.
Make sure you get a good 4 wheel base ... all 4 wheels pivot type ... the machine is heavy.
Send me a PM if you would like to travel the Eltham to have a good look at the machine.
Regards
Rob