I am a issue 10 subscriber to Fine Woodworking and have recently completed my set with the first 9 issues. I've seen the good, the bad and the fugly when it comes to Fine Woodworking. The early issues were classics. In fact it was the only game in town. American Woodworker came on the scene and to a certain extent emulated Fine Woodworking. Both magazines changed over the years adding color and at times pandering to the lowest common denominator in *some* of their articles. In my humble opinion Fine Woodworking hit a low spot around 6 to 8 months back but has rebounded remarkably in the last few issues. American Woodworker on the other hand won't be getting my resubscription money but you weren't asking about American Woodworker.

As for Popular Woodworking they have gotten a hell of a lot better in the last year or so. I usually pick it up at the newsstand when something interests me and that could mean one article so suffice it to say, I usually buy every issue.

A magazine to consider over both of the above though is Woodwork. It has consistently stayed excellent from the day I first discovered it.