How serious is the work you have planned for it and how frequent?
The reason I ask is I bought a planer and jointer so I could "up my woodworking game", but really I don't do that much that requires them. I've got a 1940s Delta 4" planer, and an older (blue) Ryobi lunchbox planer that got good reviews when I looked it up (it was used). I'm happy to have them, it is simply a case of they don't get used a lot as the majority of my projects are plywood based.
The Delta jointer is a nice little machine, but being small (4") it is limited. Many will recommend at least 6", but it has been fine for me as I'm not making large pieces. It also has a long table so it is better than many of the bench top 6" planers for long skinny pieces. I paid less than $100 for it, so finding an out of the way spot for it to live was more of an issue than the price.
The Ryobi I got for $80, and it works fine. It doesn't do anything fancy, but does a nice job. At $80 I don't have to use it much to make it worthwhile, and it is easy to keep out of the way.
I also have an older planer I got for free before getting the Ryobi. Probably 1960s vintage Belsaw. The same planer was supplied to Sears or Montgomery Ward, so it is considered decent, but is not one that people really desire. I got it for free but it has turned out to be one of those projects where you kind of which you had turned it down.
It is a beast, 240v, 3 or 5hp motor, all metal, weighs a ton (ok, probably more like 300lbs). It is a project, too good to trash without feeling guilty, but more work than I really want to put into it. Even if I get it up and running it is more machine than I need.
I love old machines, but this is a case where buying a Dewalt 735, or maybe even one of the cheaper options like Bauer would have been much better for me. Mostly it is the size and weight of the old machine which is both over kill for my needs as well as not having more capacity than most of the current lunch box planers.
The Ryobi found its way to me about a year later when a friend was moving out of state and off loading any large tools that could easily be replaced or upgraded at the new home. I wish I had started with the Ryobi.
Anyway if you've made it through all that, if you have been happy more or less with the Craftsman then I don't think you could go wrong with the Dewalt. The 735 is very popular. It seems like "better" is only required by people who are pretty serious about their woodworking or do larger work.
If the only issue with the Craftsman is it is getting worn out, then there are a lot of decent planers for about half the price of Dewalt. I never would have looked twice at a Ryobi planer, but I knew the guy I bought it from works to a higher standard than I do and he was happy with it. When I did a search I also found a lot of positive comments about it on woodworking sites. Hard to go wrong with an $80 planer.
I saw your post about the Delta planer, which is why I bring up the Belsaw. If a planer isn't something you will use a lot, then buying a project may be frustrating, particularly when there are good open the box and go to work options.
