13" Planers

[lwdaube]

I'm in the market for a 13" Planer. Would appreciate any feedback on the Ryobi model available from Home Depot and the New Hitachi Planer available from Lowes. Has anyone purchased one of these or seen them in action?

 

[Monty]

I'll throw a comment out there to get you started. To begin with, I've never used, or even looked closely at either of these planers. I have read a couple of comments about the Hitachi, though. IIRC, there is no way to attach it to a dust collector - this may be wrong; you'll have to check it out and verify this. If it's true, I would consider this a MAJOR problem. Planers throw out an incredible amount of wood chips. As far as I know, the Ryobi does have a DC attachment.

One thing to seriously consider: for just a little bit more than that Hitachi, you can have a planer that is in the top of the next tier in terms of function and quality: the Dewalt 735. It's "factory reconditioned", but it comes with a 1-year manufacturer warranty, and shipping is free!

 

[lwdaube]

I've looked at the Dewalt 735 and most of the end user reviews I have read seem to have problems with the knives loosing their edge quickly. Is this an on-going problem or has it been fixed?

 

[SteveColes]

Well, this from ine who has no knowledge of either planner. But I'll add my sense worth. I no longer trust ryobi at all.


I have the Dewalt and love it.

I just wish I had consulted with insom before I bought it. He always seems t o know where to get a good deal.:eusa_clap

 

[DaveO]

I don't have any experience with any of the 13" planners you mentioned. But I have the Delta TP400LS 12.5" and have been very happy with it. I think the problem with the blades on some of these lunch box planners is the disposable knife system. After running about 100 BF of red oak, mine started to not feed boards well and I had the pull them through. I was vey disappointed with the machine, until I spent 2-3 minutes flipping the knives. The disposable blades don't last very long, but are very easy and cheap to change out. I use mine for light duty work, so it probably wouldn't be good in a pro shop. But for my needs, I'm happy. What's a half inch more, anyway....maybe a guy thing????:lol: :lol:

Dave

 

[Monty]

I've looked at the Dewalt 735 and most of the end user reviews I have read seem to have problems with the knives loosing their edge quickly. Is this an on-going problem or has it been fixed?

I think the reviews you've been referring to are the ones on Amazon, right? I read those, too. Sometimes I don't know what those guys are smokin'! My planer (the 13" Delta 22-580) has disposable blades, too. They're supposed to wear out quickly, too. Know what? I'm still on my first set - haven't changed 'em yet! Of course, I certainly don't use it all that frequently, but still I've run plenty of rough hardwoods through there.

The only reason I got the Delta over the Dewalt is because (yep, you guessed it) the Delta was on SALE! :eusa_danc Lowe's was clearing them out for about $260, IIRC, and the Dewalt was still about $500. I think the Dewalt is better than mine, though, because it has three knives and a longer solid table. Either of these would be better than the smaller lunch box planers you mentioned, IMHO. I've heard that the 13" Rigid is also a fine machine.

Of course in reality, for infrequent use, probably just about any planer from a reputable company would suffice!

 

[lwdaube]

I'm interested to hear from Steve who has a Dewalt 735. How is the blade life and how does the dust collector system work, Also how is the sound level?

 

[sapwood]

lwdaube,

I chose the Delta 580 over the DeWalt for the same reason as insomniac--it was on sale. As an amateur who is mechanically inept, it's been a great planer for me--just "plug and play". I haven't had to flip knives yet, but recently I added the dust collection connector. Wow, it's amazingly effective.

Happy shopping!
Sapwood