To answer your question about my dust collector, I have a 1.5 HP JDS DustForce single stage dust collector and it handles the planer very well. Most motors are designed for Service Factor 1 or 1.15 so this degree of overload could lead to overheat issues down the road. Todd Fratzel is the Editor of Tool Box Buzz and the President of Front Steps Media, LLC, a web based media company focused on the Home Improvement and Construction Industry.He is also the Principal Engineer for United Construction Corp., located in Newport, NH. The 735x has two different feed speeds. So, number one, research what you need for appropriate dust collection (a shop vac is almost certainly not adequate and wont be getting the fines), hire an electrician, and run the circuit you need for the dust collection. That means a dedicated cart for it, and that means giving up a signif bit of floorspace in a crowded shop, for a machine that gets very occasional use. VERY nicely done. We had already adjusted each planers tables to be flat, and level to the planer bed, prior to the snipe test. . Finishing with the best price is the Porter-Cable PC305PT at $320 and rounding up the most expensive is the Makita 2012NB at $650. Do you have any idea how the DeWalt could actually operate at that load without tripping a 20A 120V circuit? At least for me Im never in such a rush that an extra pass or two isnt a deal killer for me. You might check to see if thats correct as its likely true for the 735x as well. All of the other planers tested worked well when attached to the shop dust collection with little variation in performance among the different models. Now I know better which tool to wish for! It seems to me that maybe something was off with the measurement instrument. You seem to have some electrical engineering knowledge. Several 12-1/2 Deltas, easy portability. It is loud. Price is often a huge part of the equation when determining what tool is best for you. Curious if you found any significance of machine weight? We thought the lighter color and tight grain structure of maple might show the location and the depth of any snipes better than the other woods. The top three included the DEWALT 735X, Triton TPT125 and the Delta 22-590. We tested how much material would be lost to snipe. It is basically a huge router on its side and sounds like one.but louder. I watch your channel and read your articles religiously. Were those amps on the y-axis? Sean Have to look VERY closely at the RIDGID warranty website, different tools have different coverages. Im a newbie setting up my shop and Im trying to stretch my dollars. If so, are the newer ones only sold by certain retailers? Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Oh, and I dont usually use the fine setting on the Dewalt. Also running on speed 2 will need more power (Amps) so this also should be taken in to consideration. Am I missing something? Well let you make your own determination on which warranty appeals to you. 
If youre looking for a good performing affordable planer the Triton is certainly worth noting. Below is a table showing how each of the 8 planers stacked up in the 4 categories that we counted in our final evaluation. If you go that route, be aware that they run sales several times per year. I dont use it daily, but Im lucky if I change them once a year. Ive been going back and forth between the DW735X and the R4331 and knowing all Ridgid power tools have a lifetime warranty has been really appealing, especially when it covers batteries as well. Obviously, the planers with three blades would take more time than the machines with two blades. Plane a 2 board, cut off the snipe, cut into 4 pieces(3+/-) and using a scale/caliper, a 3/4 setting should yield 3 stacked, exactly! These cookies do not store any personal information. By habit, I just always buy the best one on the market of what Im shopping for. Just curious, since the Triton rated higher than the Dewalt 734, why do you consider the Dewalt a better planer? Best of all, you provided us with the results so that we can decide what priorities to assess our purchase with.
The most current offering NEEDS a dust collector?! Im a hobbyist and would not be using this thing every day (or even necessarily every month), but I do like to buy tools that last and have good tolerances. Are they not up to par with those tested or is there another reason? Just wondering if I would be paying a premium on the Dewalts because of who they are. What we do takes so much time as it is, no one pays us to do this, we do it with volunteers and samples.
The movement between the speaker and showing the actual testing made for an interesting video. Well keep this in mind the next time we evaluate planers. The Porter-Cable does not come with a shroud (a subscriber on our YouTube channel says one is available for the PC from Delta, Delta part number 50-359 , so maybe you can find one). More specifically, we wanted to know which planer pulled more power (maximum amp draw) and which one had the best feed performance relative to its no-load condition. Then consider you are protecting your health and home. Have you tried reaching out to customer service? It would seem that based on that chart the DeWalt 735X is in a league of its own in terms of current draw, and would be far more likely to overload a dust collector that turns on/off based on the tool that is plugged into it. The four setscrews were easy to reach and we found it easy to dial in the proper adjustments. And if so, do you know how to tighten it? As you can see above the DEWALT DW735X pulls some serious amps under load. With sharp knives the surface of a planed board is often smooth enough for paint or even clear finishes.
We reach out to as many manufacturers as we can when we do these evaluations. . Whats interesting about this data is how well the snipe length correlates to the distance of the rollers inside the planers from the cutting heads. All of the machines except the DEWALT DW735X needed minor adjustments to reach a level surface. Like any tool, consumables are another topic all onto themselves. Hi Todd, I was referring to your chart showing the ammeter readings: https://www.toolboxbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Planer-Amp-Readings.png. @me, I think that is sound advice. It is completely different from sanding out the surface left by a typical stationary planer. Some choose to participate, some do not. So anyone that is interested in this model should plan on lots of clean up after planing. In any event, it would seem that if one of these tools kept under 11A, it would work for a dust collect similar to mine, and if it did not then automatic dust collection could not work through a dust collectors plug, which is an important consideration for a tool that produces a lot of wood dust. Luke All of these planers definitely pull some amps at times and running them on the same circuit as a dust collector may be problematic regardless of which you choose. It is like the feed rollers become to stiff. This is likely attributed to the powerful motor and excellent blades. In particular, we adjusted the in-feed and out-feed tables to ensure each were level with the planer bed. Ultimately, warranties can be a tough issue, and how easily you can get warranty service is likely to be as important as how many years the coverage is. While the Delta 22-590 finished near the end in this evaluation, the team felt it was also a nice planer to consider. | Disclaimer & Privacy Policy Tool Box Buzz is a Trademark of Tool Box Buzz, LLC Visit Our Partner Sites. I appreciate you guys noting that weight issue. I cannot install a centralized dust collection system with my setup.
Hence, I had to clean it out. Joe We ran them on 20 amp circuits. Its intended for commercial concrete environments with very fine dust, so it should be good. That video claims in the manual that the gap you saw in the out feed table to the mid table is supposed to be that way. I have 20amp breakers in my shop and am wondering if that is enough juice to power either of those machines?
Again, thanks for a very good comparison of the different machines out there. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. I have owned portable planers over my 40 years in the trade.
Hey Todd, is there anyone out there who has a good field set up for the 735X? Theres a huge difference in pricing in this test from the low $300 range up over $600. I hope this might help. great work. Dewalt definitely has the thickness planner worth getting right now. Its too bad the Dewalt 735 requires so much juice. Portable thickness planers have to squeeze a lot of power into a small footprint that can be reasonably moved around a shop or to a job site. It has 12 wheels and can be easily set up and taken down by one person. Havent found anything in the manual or on the web. It appears that all these units are equipped with 15 Amp, 110/120V single phase motors and the graph clearly indicates that some of them are going into high over load, particularly the DW735 at continuous 213% for the time it was dealing with the poplar. While all the planers produced a smooth finish to the touch, there was quite a variation of smoothness resulting from the milling marks and scallops. Will you add Cutech/Wahuda to the comparison tests? In addition, the 735 has three blades in the cutter head. Jim Ive only seen guys store them in the trailer and carry them and set them on a work table at the job. We are woodworkers, not shop decorators! I still had my previous version which I have returned to. Any minute difference will be magnified. With the Dewalt, though, I am getting snipe-free surfaces that take a quick pass with a handplane (or card scraper or sandertake your pick).
Certainly could reduce that amp draw with a thinner cut, but in that test we were purposely putting all the planers on a high demand application by taking the thickest cut they recommend.
Our crew took each machine and armed with the instructions and the tools in our workshop changed out each blade on each machine. Hit the rollers with a heat gun for a few minutes and wax the planer bed. We invited them to participate and they opted out. Its likely the #12 wire we used for the current tranformer probe, that probably should have been a #10 wire. I was confused by that chart, too, and wondered whether the amps arent real amps. When was the last time you cleaned them? For our testing we chose the following planers (follow links for manufacturers page on each planer): For this head-to-head test we focused on planing several different wood species, the surface finish, the power, and pricing. The wood samples we used in this test were 14 Mahogany decking, 1 x 8 Poplar, 16 Oak and 16 Maple. If you cant afford it, compare it to the cost of wood for a project or the cost of the planer. Ive noticed that the left side is loose (compared to the right side) and seems to be the cause of the issue. Excellent job! Be aware that there is a difference between a vacuum with filtration to capture fines and one that moves enough air to collect them from the tool. Everywhere I look it shows the Ridgid R4331 as being a part of their lifetime warranty but your chart shows a 3-year limited warranty. Two things that Id most like to see added to any future comparisons (of planers or any other tools) would be 1) some kind of likely longevity analysis, perhaps based on differences like plastic versus metal gears and 2) the cost of replacement parts, especially those parts that are mostly likely to need to be replaced. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. It has a lot of information which can be used and helpful. Thanks Todd then the Dewalt was taking a deeper cut but by amp trace probably could have been reduced to reduce degree of OL. The Makita machine had, by far, the easiest adjustment method of all of the planers. But its important to note if youre going to buy the DEWALT DW735X you MUST have a dedicated 20A circuit as its not going to run well on a 15A circuit. Ridgid has a nice line of woodshop tools that go unnoticed often and it was nice to see them perform so well in this category. We knew that the 18 Poplar at a maximum cut depth would tax the power of these planers. Also, the more we do these the more some folks comment about how they would weigh different categories differently. It looks like they are offering a sale right now. Each piece of wood was started at the first roller of the planer and we left our hands off the sample until it stopped past the outfeed roller. I find them to be entertaining and informative. Having two speeds is a great feature and worth noting. The worst measured vertical deviation from flat at the edge of the outfeed table nearly 1/8 above the surface of the planer. The as-shipped accuracy of the tables varied between the different models.We adjusted the in-feed and out-feed tables separately and then checked for level across the entire machine.
I do have some JET tools in my woodshop and they are very nice. You get what you pay for . A P12(as I remember)Hitachi, the real deal! We then compared how accurately each planer was able to do that and listed the average deviation from the 3/32. Todd, I am OK with your releasing my email address to Jim if he would like to ask any questions. I reached out to their support and clarified the warranty terms. Good luck. BTW, I have decided not to get the DeWalt. Most of the planers utilize a bolt to adjust the table vertically with a captured nut to hold the adjustment bolt in place. Its everything about how well the components come together and the thoroughness of the attention the engineers and design team were to how the tool will be to use, take apart, snap together, the movement of levers, how much drift you get over time, etc. Hi Todd, In my initial comments about my DW735, I failed to mention that I purchased as a used unit. I just watched a YouTube video on the DeWalt 734 planer. I have the Dewalt DW734 and Ive been pretty happy with it, except for one issue. However, we did provide information from that category as we feel its valuable to some readers. I wanted to look up how circuit breakers trip- whether they only sense the real part, the full reactive current, etc. My suggestion is two-fold. We did rank this category as its a great way to evaluate the power of the planers. I am seeking a planer and since it will end up in an off-grid location powered by solar and generator for long jobs, the power requirements are important. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. As a result of the rotational blade movement, small bite size chunks are removed as each blade contacts the surface, resulting in very slight ridges that can be left on the surface of the planed board (often referred to as milling marks). Its everything after you get the tool home from looking at the specs, and then start to use it. Weight and size are always an important factor in small shops. This allowed us to visually time the 45 section as it passed by a reference point on the planer. The real question will be do you have a separate dedicated circuit, because if you run this on the same circuit as your dust collection Im certain that will be a problem. Could go either way I suppose. The new Festool Quadrive TPC 18/4 cordless drill i, Chilling with @ryobitoolsusa at the pool on vacati, Everyone playing nice today. It would have been great to see the amp rating of each device listed. The reality is a user might change blades once or twice a year (twice would be heavy use) so the difference from 11 to 25 doesnt seem enough to warrant why you might buy one over another model. Our goal is to provide readers with honest, objective information based on our own experiences. We never have and never will accept payment in exchange for a positive review. The Triton is $100 less expensive so that is appealing. We also evaluated the smoothness by simply feeling the surfaces. Curious if the JET bench top planer was considered for the test. It sounds like the 3-year limited is default but all you need to do to get the lifetime service agreement is to register the product on their website: https://www.ridgid.com/us/en/3-year-limited-warranty. But in this comparison, maybe I missed out something correct me then, you did not mention that DW735 has to speed gear and that is the reason for better finish of the surface. Warranties are really important to some users, and many of you have asked us to include them in our reviews. My neighbor has a roll around stand that works pretty well, still pretty heavy though, Jim, Dewalt makes a rolling stand for them. Just has a better fit and finish. Finishing in first place by a large margin was the DEWALT DW735X. High amp overload and heat are not good for electric motors. But is this process easier on some machines that others? So its possible some were cutting a deeper cut than others. Next blue chalk powder was rubbed onto the last 6 of the board in order to make the snipe condition stand out visually. I was just wondering what your thoughts are on the Jet 13 benchtop planer and how it would compare to Dewalts benchtop planer. The locking mechanism will not always hold, and frequently pops off while planing.
Some of the categories that we set out to evaluate we decided not to include in the final ranking. Many guys ask us about that, but were not a testing company, we dont have the tools, resources or time to do long term testing.
Thanks for your time. Benchtop thickness planers are an essential piece of equipment for any woodshop. I use this with my Dewalt 735 (to tie to the discussion here) and a 14 bandsaw. I havent ever tripped it on a dedicated 20 amp circuit. I appreciate the article, but better fit and finish is choosing form over function. Personal preference? It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Ed The test was performed on the higher speed. While were not ranking this category we do feel the data is interesting and informative. Should be of course mentioned as a advantage of this unit, but not for overall comparison purposes. Ihave a problem with my DeWalt 735. Even though I am lucky to have a 20A circuit, the dust collection would certainly be running on that circuit as well. In some cases, we also have advertising or affiliate relationships with manufacturers and retailers of products and services we review. Bringing stock to a consistent and specific thickness, Feed rate (feet per minute): 14(low) 26(high). Product reviews on this site contain our opinion of a product or service. My Hilt shows its a 9A vacuum rated at 20A with a tool, which gives 11A to a tool before exceeding the 20A capacity. If youre buying one to last many years then Id say yesjust a big difference in performance. With that out of the way, comes #2. I personally dont think speed 2 is an advantage, I think on speed 1 we would have seen even better results. @boschtoolsna bla, Brought out the big guy ( Dewalt 10) for rippin, We dont use a framing nailer often in commercia, I know battery powered nailers are all the rage bu, @keenutility Troy 6" Boot w. Carbon Fiber ToeThe, Two is better than one in this case . PowerTools AirTools HandTools Measuring&Layout CordlessTools Automotive Lawn&Garden, Home Latest Tool Reviews Head-To-Head Best Benchtop Thickness Planer Head-to-Head, March 17, 2019By Todd Fratzel on Head-To-Head, Thickness Planer. David W. Then mount the plywood to the carts brackets. One thing about this collector: The impeller is at the inlet, ahead of any cyclone, so make sure never to use it as a floor collector or in other situations where I might suck up chunks rather than dust. Do you happen to know if this is an updated version of the same model? can you comment on the softness of the Dewalt 735x blades, seems to have a problem holding an edge. Thanks for helping a lot of people. You need a bunch of passes compared to a stationary planer, but that is true for all of the lunch box planers. Thank you for the time and effort put into this comparison. @Larry B fit and finish is most certainly not choosing form over function. Something seems wrong with that chart because the load does not seem to align in anyway with the rating of the device and would cause it to trip any 20A circuit. The length of snipe on all the models we tested nearly mimic this distance. The DEWALT DW735X was by far the best finish of all the samples we planed. The TBB Crew selected the maple wood for the snipe test. In other words, motor loads can introduce currents out of phase with the voltage. Ive had great luck with them. Each wood sample for each machine was 45 in length. I dont believe Makita should be that far down the list from its performance though.
But every machine is capable of planing boards 12 to 13 inches wide and 6 inches tall. They really need to be cleaned off occasionally, I use mineral spirits. While these are fairly heavy they are small enough to be pretty portable. Luke, Im a hobbyist on the threshold of making it (furniture building) a job. We recorded the no-load feed rates for each planer. In fact, my tool actually plugs into my Hilti dust collector (which I purchased based on your recommendation) to auto start/stop the dust collection. Am I right that all of the testing that you presented used the faster feed rate so that you could compare apples to apples between the brands? Have you seen this? Im just a DIY guy and getting into a little woodworking for fun. While not big and powerful as full size shop thickness planers, benchtop thickness planers are still very capable of effectively planing a wide range of wood products. As you can see above, the DEWALT DW734 performed the best with an average deviation from 3/32 of just under 2 one-thousandths of an inch. Both the Triton and Ridgid had similar results. These need high volume dust collection to keep up with the massive amount of chips. I could not interpret the ammeter results because the y-axis numbers did not appear to be amps, as the numbers far exceeded the 15A rating of each tool. We also wanted to see how the different hardwoods would exercise the planer capacity. Best comparison Ive seen for these planers. We love not, Festool Planex was on site to knock out some punch, Working for a company that runs mostly@makitatools, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Youll need to evaluate the details to determine whether it meets your needs. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. This wasnt a surprise to us as several of us have used this planer for quite some time and its really the best benchtop thickness planer on the market without a doubt. Im not affiliated with them. This just gives a good relative comparison of how the motors performed under load. For each planer, we ran this test three times and used the average of these times for a comparison between the no-load and fully loaded feed rates of each machine. Below is a detailed discussion of our testing and evaluation. The discharge chute was quite clogged when I first used it.
Of the 8 planers Makita definitely has the best system for making those adjustments. I have spectacular results with the Dewalt 735. I am about to purchase the DEWALT DW735X, as you mentioned. there was some solid objectivity in evaluating the tool. What are you running for dust collection? You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. In my opinion you should test it on speed 1 which will be comparable with other brands. My Hilti VC-150XE will have to do as the dust collection for now. Thickness planers allow users to purchase a wider range of raw wood materials (often at cheaper prices) and mill the wood to the exact dimensions needed for a project. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. For this test, we set all of the planers to a uniform depth of 3/32. You have become my Consumer Report for woodworking tools. We will always strive for objectivity and transparency in our reviews. I ask because it seems that your personal recommendations do not necessarily align with the score rankings. My space is multi-functional and has to be setup each time to work. We didnt try to max out width, but I can tell you from my own experience with the 735x that it does very well even on wider boards. Coming in 2nd place was the Triton TPT125 followed by the Ridgid R4331 in third place.
The graphic above shows the no-load feed rate for each machine along with the feed rates of each machine for each sample of wood. Eric Theres just no way for us to realistically do that. Below is a list of the warranties applicable to the planers we tested. I want and can afford the DeWalt 635, but the weight issue for me is huge!!! It is very well thought out and informative and provides me a good basis to compare between planers. In my circumstance, where this is a hobby and Im not churning out large amounts of wood here, will the benefits of the 735 be as pronounced over the 734? For more information, check out our, https://www.ridgid.com/us/en/3-year-limited-warranty, https://www.toolboxbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Planer-Amp-Readings.png. Hey Todd, What a valuable guide on thickness planer. A lot of good information, succinctly presented. However, with all the planers having relatively the same amount of snipe were not ranking this category either but rather letting you see how they all compared.
Its just a better planer.worth the extra. Last place was the Triton that averaged just over 3 hundredths of an inch deviation. But even within this limitation there are some substantial differences in size and weight of the machines weve tested. Our team set up a FLUKE 3001 FC recording ammeter that measured values on a one second interval and sent the data via wireless link to our computer for later analysis. That would be an excellent test, especially since I think you were starting to see the effect of width with the poplar.
Keep up the great work.
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