Some of the categories that we set out to evaluate we decided not to include in the final ranking. Curious if you found any significance of machine weight? Below is a table showing how each of the 8 planers stacked up in the 4 categories that we counted in our final evaluation. All of the other planers tested worked well when attached to the shop dust collection with little variation in performance among the different models. Were those amps on the y-axis? 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. By habit, I just always buy the best one on the market of what Im shopping for. The TBB Crew selected the maple wood for the snipe test. This allowed us to visually time the 45 section as it passed by a reference point on the planer. More specifically, all of us with experience with the DEWALT (i have that model in my shop) know it simply wont run well on a 15 am circuit, it will trip that circuit. Theres a huge difference in pricing in this test from the low $300 range up over $600. Wear hearing protection. You can buy the X with it online,, just type in with stand in your Google search. Its extremely important that the in-feed and out-feed tables are level in order to have consistent and representative tests. Now I know better which tool to wish for! Therefore were not going to rank this category, simply share the data so you can see that blade changes are not overly complicated. I ask because it seems that your personal recommendations do not necessarily align with the score rankings. Well keep this in mind the next time we evaluate planers. Next blue chalk powder was rubbed onto the last 6 of the board in order to make the snipe condition stand out visually. I had to unclog the discharge chute and rotate the blades. We knew that the 18 Poplar at a maximum cut depth would tax the power of these planers. It is basically a huge router on its side and sounds like one.but louder. Mark That really wasnt the point of the article. This article and corresponding Youtube video is amazing stuff! Is it easy or difficult to change out the blades on any given machine? During this test, we set each planer to its maximum depth of cut (as recommended by the manufacturer) usually 3/32 inch. When the temperature is below 70 degrees and is getting colder the boards will not feede into the planner. Two Ridgids, the current model returned when the warrantee repair center couldnt understand that the cutterhead MUST be parallel. The specifics and the differences are show in the lists below. We had already adjusted each planers tables to be flat, and level to the planer bed, prior to the snipe test. Last place was the Triton that averaged just over 3 hundredths of an inch deviation. You seem to have some electrical engineering knowledge. You might check to see if thats correct as its likely true for the 735x as well. We did rank this category as its a great way to evaluate the power of the planers. It seems to me that maybe something was off with the measurement instrument. The Triton is $100 less expensive so that is appealing. It is like the feed rollers become to stiff. I cant figure out ho to tighten it up. 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. 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. Below is a list of the warranties applicable to the planers we 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. In addition, the earliest versions dust evacuation fan did not require any dust collector. . 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. 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. Hey Todd great review. I watched this video on YouTube. Question were all depth of cut settings for each machine the same for each specified material (was each machine doing an equivalent amount of work) . In particular, we adjusted the in-feed and out-feed tables to ensure each were level with the planer bed. 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. I am not sure if the mounting holes on the DW735 will align with the mounting brackets of the cart, but that problem can be easily overcomesimply mount the planer to a properly sized piece of 1/2 or 3/4 plywood. Clearly the heavier machines have heavier parts, likely has less vibration resulting in a better user experience. Excellent work. 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. Its everything after you get the tool home from looking at the specs, and then start to use it. We then compared how accurately each planer was able to do that and listed the average deviation from the 3/32. David W. The wood samples we used in this test were 14 Mahogany decking, 1 x 8 Poplar, 16 Oak and 16 Maple. Youll need to evaluate the details to determine whether it meets your needs. While very subjective, we ranked the planers based on the samples of Maple shown below. great work. The power draw at this time was 32AX115VX0.85PF=3128W or 4.2HP. Hi Todd, I am always pleased with your comparisons, does not matter I am using those tools or not. I dont believe Makita should be that far down the list from its performance though. Excellent job! David If my memory serves me correctly, we set each planer to its maximum recommended cutting depth. Many of the products that we review are provided to us for free by a manufacturer or retailer. These need high volume dust collection to keep up with the massive amount of chips. The nice thing here is the snipe should be predictable for each model and allow users to plan accordingly. So its possible some were cutting a deeper cut than others. Learn how your comment data is processed. Your chart was difficult to understand because it showed some of the tools going far beyond a 15 or 20 number on the y-axis. Hi Todd, In my initial comments about my DW735, I failed to mention that I purchased as a used unit. However, we did provide information from that category as we feel its valuable to some readers. 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). I have the Dewalt DW734 and Ive been pretty happy with it, except for one issue. 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. Hey Todd, is there anyone out there who has a good field set up for the 735X? 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. It is completely different from sanding out the surface left by a typical stationary planer. Thank you for the time and effort put into this comparison. 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 locking mechanism will not always hold, and frequently pops off while planing. I appreciate the article, but better fit and finish is choosing form over function. Hey Todd, What a valuable guide on thickness planer. With planers I always try to take small bites regardless of the wood species, and see how the planer reacts. My Hilti VC-150XE will have to do as the dust collection for now. The discharge chute was quite clogged when I first used it. Am I missing something? Thanks for helping a lot of people. Just has a better fit and finish. In addition, the 735 has three blades in the cutter head. The top three included the DEWALT 735X, Triton TPT125 and the Delta 22-590. In my experience with the 735, it generally works fine as the only tool on a 20A circuit, but it will occasionally trip the CB. We do not go back and add more tools. Thanks Todd then the Dewalt was taking a deeper cut but by amp trace probably could have been reduced to reduce degree of OL. I wanted to look up how circuit breakers trip- whether they only sense the real part, the full reactive current, etc. Below is a detailed discussion of our testing and evaluation. Im just a DIY guy and getting into a little woodworking for fun. 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. Another consideration when evaluating bench-top thickness planer performance is the surface finish. 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. 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. Hey Jim & Todd, Although I do not have the need to move my DW735x from one site to another, I have mounted it on a plywood rolling flip top cart which allows me to use either the planer or my Ridgid Oscillating Sander which are both housed in that same cart. By clicking on 'Accept' or continuing to use this website, you agree that cookies can be placed. Benchtop thickness planers are an essential piece of equipment for any woodshop. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. To do this, we adjusted each planers depth until it contacted the wood but had not reached the depth where the cutter blades hit the wood. While these are fairly heavy they are small enough to be pretty portable. Hey Todd, Between the Triton 125 and the Dewalt 734, what do you consider to be the better planer? . Anyway, hope this helps. The movement between the speaker and showing the actual testing made for an interesting video. Have you tried reaching out to customer service?