I'm embarrassed to admit I fell for it. Anyone who advertises their product by first dissing other products on the market deserves to be ignored. His desciption of the difficulty of using some of the other jigs is completely exagerated and frankly, ridiculous (he claims to constantly cut himself when using them). The only benefit I can see to this jig is that it would more easily sharpen scewed blades (with limits). It cannot sharpen higher angle blades, high angle bevel up blades for example. Only comes with a flat roller, making cambering blades more difficult. Could not get it to easily work with my plow plane blades or my shoulder plane blades. It does OK holding chisels, but you are limited to a 25 degree grind and 30 degree micro-bevel, and quite honestly I prefer my veritas jig for chisels.
What do others think of it?
Katz-Moses Store
Router plane buying help - veritas or km tools
Always go Veritas or LN over a knockoff
More on reddit.commust have tools/parts for a newb on a 4,000 km ride to Turkey
The things you've suggested having a mechanic show you would be better learned on YouTube YouTube from manual. Changing a fuse is a simple as knowing where to look, pulling it out, putting a new one of the same rating in, and carrying on with your day. You're unlikely to need to change a chain or filters on a trip, make sure the ones on there has plenty of life left in it or get the bike serviced before you leave and it should be fine for the time you're away.
Personally I would add:
Front brake and clutch lever (both can be snapped by a simple drop and leave you stranded until you can get another one, but both are very cheap to buy and easy to change).
WD40 or equivalent product in the smallest size available.
Spare bulbs, again cheap and normally easy to change, but in an area you dont know and dont speak the language getting a replacement might be a lot more work than it needs to be.
Duct tape and electrical tape.
Some thin, strong wire. The type for holding things together, not electrical wire.
Basic 1st aid kit, not the type to deal with serious injuries unless you have space and know how to use it, just the sort that deals with cuts, scrapes, small burns and objects in eyes.
More on reddit.comRouter Planes - Is the KM-17 worth it ?
Videos
First - I love the JKM Youtube. I've gotten a lot out of it, especially when I was a beginner. That being said, I've bought from the Katz-Moses store and both times were a huge disappointment. First, I bought an apron that fell apart after three months in the shop. Because it was past the 90 day return policy, they wouldn't help me - not even a small discount offer on a new apron, let alone a replacement. More recently, I bought a few boxes of sanding pads, and the order was still in the processing status for a week. I emailed them asking "How long does it take to process a few boxes of sanding pads?" - the order was magically processed within an hour of sending the email, but I never got an email reply from their customer service.
At this point, I'll find my aprons elsewhere (any suggestions from other professionals?), but don't think I'll ever order from the JKM store. Anyone have other suggestions, or want to change my mind?