Best Electric Hand Planers - Top Picks, Reviews & Complete Buying Guide

Electric Hand Planers: The Ultimate Buying Guide

As you have read many things related to electric hand planers, you might believe that there is nothing more to say about these electric tools.

But, you are wrong.

We are offering you a helpful buyer’s guide with some handy tips to help your make the right decision.

How can I determine which model is ideal for me?

On order to determine whether the tool is right for you or not, it is important to determine what kind of job you expect it to do.

If you are going to do some household DIY tasks, you will be satisfied with small and portable models.

If you are planning to work with stronger woods and more frequently, you will need to invest more money in a large and powerful planer, as well as the one which boasts better quality.

You are the only one who can determine whether a hand planer is the right tool for the job.

Why is user's patience significant?

As we speak about hand planers, we have to mention that getting a perfect woodpiece is not only based on the tool’s performances, but the user’s patience as well.

The only way to guarantee good results is by combining of a quality tool and a great and patient woodworker.

No matter if you spend a real fortune on the most powerful electric hand planer, you can still get uneven, rough results as the tool is not doing the work itself.

So, we have to conclude that success and failure starts with the person using the tool, and that the majority of electric hand planers are capable of handling most jobs if they are in hands of an experienced user.

What about speed and power? How to know how powerful my tool should be?

When the speed and power are in question, we do not need to say that hand planers with a higher cutting speed and more power reach smoother results.

This is very important for the tool wear and tear, being that if the tool does the job easily, it will last longer.

If it has difficulties with the wood, then it can cause overheating and damage of both tools and woodwork.

What you should know about the power and speed is that underpowered planers are designed and efficient only on softwoods and have troubles with hardwoods.

So as to know which one is better, you can take a look at the number of cuts per minute and if that number is high, the more powerful and efficient the tool will be.

Another important thing related to the power of this tool is whether you have a corded or a cordless one.

We know that experienced users want their planer to cut at the same rate the entire time they are using it.

So, they are not voting for cordless hand planers.

It is true that this would be a great plus for portability, but the tool’s battery tends to get slower.

We suggest you get a corded electric planer rather than a cordless one.

However, cordless hand planers have their advantages as it is easier to take them to the job, but the quality achieved is not the same.

Cordless tool is only a secondary consideration when it comes to the quality of planning. as you will have to change or charge the batteries in the  middle of the work.

If you follow our advice you will buy a corded model and you should look for the one which has the longest cord possible, as there are models with six feet long cords

Is comfort important an feature to consider?

Now that you know that user patience is the crucial factor which determines success, it is very significant that the tool is comfortable to him/her and does not cause too much fatigue on hands.

So, you should think about the weight and ergonomic design as very significant features.

For a stationary planer, this is of much less importance, but, when the hand planers are in question, user comfort is the key feature.

These tools should be portable and heavy electric hand planers induce fatigue and are not considered appropriate and satisfactory.

You do not want to be a less careful user, and that is followed by the fatigue.

Our top pick is the DeWalt DW680K rather than the Makita KP0800K just due to the 3.5-pound weight differential.

Another thing that can improve or reduce the comfort is the waste, as electric hand planers create a lot of it.

What you get from them are wood chips and dust which do not lead to safe and comfortable work.

What you should look for is a model that directs waste instead of letting it spray all over the place.

How about precision features?

Those who are experienced in planing wood know that precision is the crucial factor which can affect your final results.

So as to be able to reach ideal surface of your workpiece, you would want to control the tool as much as possible.

So as to get a flat, smooth surface, you will need a high-quality depth gauge.

This is designed, so that the user can work with steady and patient hands.

The less quality of gauges requires constant attention and less efficient work.

Precision is very important when you need to cut excellent chamfers and rabbets.

If you are planning to do both kinds of job, you should be looking at hand planers that are especially designed for both tasks are specialized.

The simple planing can be done with every model offered on our list.

What determines the durability of tools?

As with every tool, you do not want to get one that will stop working after a few usages.

When it comes to electric hand planers, they are constantly in contact with your working surface and this involves a lot of heat, and wear and tear.

All these cause the planer not to last too long and the better quality tools are usually more durable as well.

Our advice is to look for a model with cast metal plates which are better than a stamped metal ones when a heated, rough environment is in question.

How can I know if the tool is worth the money?

You could see that the WEN 6530 was our choice for best for the money and this was not determined according to the price only, as it is not the least expensive model.

We gave it this title because it delivers the best for-dollar performance.

It is ideal for those jobs where the tool matters less than the patience of the person using it, so you will get a satisfactory tool at not so high price.

You have to determine if the model suits your needs and your budget, thus know if it is worth the money you will pay for it.

Do not waste your money on a more powerful tool if you do not need it.

Conclusion

All in all, we can say that the DeWalt’s DE680K is the best electric hand planer which is more than three pounds lighter than the Makita KP0800K, and the weight is very important when you plan to use it frequently and for long hour of work.

We also liked the second model on our list and if it weighted a little less, it would definitely be our top pick.

The WEN 6530 is our choice as the best for the money choice, and it is ideal tool for household use.

You found out that the Porter Cable’s PC60THP is too aggressive and too big making the damage of your workpiece more likely to happen.

The last one was the Bosch’s PL1632RT, which is less precise and is not in line with the quality we expected from this manufacturer.

We know that it is difficult to determine the right tool for your needs, but as you have gone through the best of the models in the marketplace, we believe that you have at least an idea of what you should purchase.

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