DW734 benchtop planer reviews

[Bill Wilson]

I'm seriously considering replacing my Delta 12-560 with a DW734 planer. I realize there may be better options out there (DW735 and the Makita, to mention a couple), but due to circumstances I won't bore you with, I'm only interested in the DW734 at this time.

I've been generally satisfied with my Delta for the 15 years or so I've owned it. I'm a casual hobbiest with limited shop space, so the benchtop planer serves me well. For those who have had the Dewalt for a period of time, I have a few questions;

What is your overall impression of the tool?

Has it held up well?

Are you satisfied with blade life?

At 80lbs, is it too heavy to really be considered "portable"?

What do you like most about it?

What do you like least about it?

Thanks.

[rschissler]

I've had mine for several years. I still like it and would buy it again if I didn't go to a large planer.

Mine has held up well, I've never had any issues with it.

Blade life? That's hard to say. Everybody says blade life sucks for this planer, but I don't know what to compare it to. Even when the blades get knicks in them, I'll still use them.

It's heavy, but I'm athletic, so I can manage. I keep it on a small dolly, and roll it to where I need it. So, I only have to lift it a few inches on or off the dolly. The handles on it are nice.

I like the portability of it and the fold up tables the best. The finish it leaves is very nice.

The deafening sound is the worst, so I wear earplugs. Snipe seems to be inevitable with it. I just make sure that I leave two extra inches of wood on each end, and cut it off after planning. The depth gauge isn't meant for precision plus it is too low to the ground to see well, so I have a cheap caliper set to the finished size I need, and just rely on that.

[Bill Holt]

Bill, this is not the answer you were looking for. I had the 734 for about four years. Blade life was ok; blade changing was a pain. During the third year, while planning some cedar, a "bushing" not bearing, broke. The repair was cheap but it took a day! A year later I had trouble raising and lowering the head; I fixed it, gave it to a friend, and bought the 735.

I've had it since the second year they came out. It has never been in for repairs even though it has had many times the use. Blade life is great (I get the better blades from Amazon) and blade changing is a breeze.

At 90+ pounds it is not easy for a 70 yr old, but the weight is an advantage IMHO and I do have it mounted. The price is now close to a $100 more than when I got mine, but I would do it again.

Generally speaking, I am not a big fan of DW tools, but I think they got it right with the 735. Good luck in your hunt for the correct tool for you.

[Bill Wilson]

Thanks Bill,

I'm looking for good as well as bad, so your review is welcome. Unfortunately, the 735 isn't an option, due to the rather unusual circumstances I'm working under. Since I've been relatively satisfied with my Delta, I'm still undecided as to whether or not to upgrade at all. If the 734 isn't a big step up or is fraught with problems, I will abandon the idea. It gets generally good reviews, but so did the DW618 routers a few years ago. I'd rather keep my Delta than replace it with something that I discover I don't like a year later.

[cvillewood]

Bill Wilson said:

---

1 - What is your overall impression of the tool?

2 - Has it held up well?

3 - Are you satisfied with blade life?

4 - At 80lbs, is it too heavy to really be considered "portable"?

5 - What do you like most about it?

6 - What do you like least about it?.

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1 - Great! I had one for about 8 years and it leaves a great finish with almost no snipe.

2 - given the use it got, quite well. I had to replace some parts since the locking mechanism started to slip after about 6 years.

3 - yes. I thought they were easy to install too.

4 - It's pretty bulky but manageable. I wouldn't want to be constantly carrying it up and down steps for instance.

5 - cut quality and lack of snipe

6 - noisy, capacity. I upgraded to a 15" 4-poster a few years ago.