I have had my Dewalt 735 Planer since March 2005 averaging 300 board feet per year with a mix of roughly 70% Ash, 20% Black Walnut and 10% Pine, Basswood, Red Oak, Grey Elm, Maple. Last year I decided to flip it over, pull out the bearings, clean them (didn't need it) add a little grease and reassemble. That's 18 years, it stays outside in the garage under ambient conditions. Of all the tools I own the Dewalt 735 was by far the best purchase that I've never regretted. I have replaced many sanders, drill presses, and benchtop bandsaws because they were not built well and every one of them had an issue right out of the box (i.e., chuck could never center drill bits always had a wobble, sanders would die, bandsaw wouldn't function as a band saw, you had to trick it to make a cut and too often you'd end up modifying a design due to the limitations of the equipment). Just so everyone knows, Dewalts don't have a problem with snipe, keep your work piece flat against the floor and snipe doesn't occur, if you let your work piece drop with the end moving up into the blade then snipe is what happens. Figured this out long ago. There you have it. Guess time will tell if Harbor Freight can stack up over time. Sometimes you get what you pay for. Hercules doesn't mean much if you have to buy 2 or 3 over 18 years. Just my 2 cents, thanks for the Video.
people cant accept or understand that times are changing. I bet that Hercules planer lasts him 10-15 years. I was looking at the Hercules but went with the Oliver for the byrd cutter and the dro. I dont own any dewalt tools- I like women.
ALL ALL ALL lunchbox planers produce snipe to some degree. It is because of the way the feed rollers have to be oriented to fit the form factor. The Dewalt 735 is not a lunch box form factor and has wider separation between infeed and outfeed rollers and thus produces much less snipe. I get it, you are proud of your expensive Dewalt, and it is an excellent benchtop planer, but comparing it to any lunchbox style planer doesn't make sense. Just like you wouldn't compare a big Jet shop thickness planer to a Dewalt benchtop planer.
I own a DeWalt as well and have yet to figure out how to not get snipe, tired of adjusting the out/in feed tables every which way and maybe it is me but even after using a straight edge with feeler gauges cannot plane without snipe. Only one thing worked using a long flat board that goes through planer but doing so makes height gauge useless.
@@DiscountDivorcePhotographyThere are many brands of bench top thickness planers out there, and the two DeWalts are basically the gold standard. I'm sorry, but the times aren't changing that much.
I bought this planer the week it came out (I think in August). It was the first one the store had sold. I got it for $300 with a 25% off coupon. I am very satisfied except that the dust collector needs to be removed to store it. I have a small shop. The screws are tool-less but a little bit hard to get started. They are in a bit of a black hole. So I made some little extensions out of some aluminum tube to make the process easier. I have ran probably 500 board feet through it and it is doing well. I would have like to get a DeWalt but at this price I could not go wrong.
Two comments: With a number of lunchbox planers, the out-feed table will fold up with the dust shoot on if the cutter head is raised to full height. I suspect that would work with the Hercules (assuming you've not already wound the cord around the cord-wrap). Second, most lunchbox planers have two blades. This, and the DeWalt shown in the video, are one of the few that have three blades. This planer should leave a smoother finish than its 2-blade competitors. For this style of planer, HF appears to have checked most of the boxes.
I picked one of these Hercules Thickness Planers last weekend to replace my Bauer. I had a Friends and Family coupon that was 25% off, which brought the price down a hundred bucks. Deduct from that whatever I'll be able to get for the Bauer unit and I have the deal of the year.
Great review, thank you. I bought this planer 3 weeks ago and so far I love it. I've put a lot of boards through it - no snipe - I carefully leveled the infeed and outfeed. I used a 25% coupon and got it for $300. That's a sweet deal.
I'm not in the market for a lunchbox planer, as I have the DeWalt 735X, which I purchased a few years back when it was packaged with the stand. I looked at the DeWalt 734, but liked the feature on the 735. I've got nothing but good things to say about the DeWalt 735. And it's one of the many tools I would replace in a heartbeat if/when it ever dies. It's proven invaluable on a number of projects around the house. Good to see HF upping the game with their tool lines, as I'm also a frequent shopper there.
I enjoyed this ,glad to see your kid with you, but for your kids sake edit out the video of him picking his nose, I know from experience, but I'm happy that he's out with his dad .
I wish you had some wide oak to run through the planer. I frequently run 10-12” planks through my Makita and it does a great job. It would of been cool to see how strong the motor is under full load.
I'll probably pick this unit up in the future when I finally buy a planer. My expected use case is for cleaning up pallet wood for random projects. Currently, it is listed at 430 retail on HF, but with coupon it's 370.
I got it when it was listed at 430 back in October with a 20% coupon which came to 344 out the door. I will say it has been amazing at cleaning up pallet wood. Trying to process pallets by hand was soooo time consuming but two passes thru and it’s like brand new wood in seconds! Highly recommend.
I just bought the Dewalt 734 for $399.99 about two months ago. I would of tried this Hercules planer out. I have there miter saw and stand and love it. I believe they will do well with this planer.
You scored a massive discount I saw that deal awhile back at Lowe’s I didn’t pull the trigger now I am laid up till August spinal surgery due to infection
I would like to see how the planer does with a good bit of use, anyone you can loan it to so they can give it a work out? Shelix has a helical head, and also Lux has a spiral head. If I had a choice to pick one up right now, between the Dewalt and the Hercules, would really consider going with the Hercules, because of the local store.
I already talked to someone who had the Bauer but they were running doing flooring for a whole house and got the Herc and have half about half the house finished and loving it. That said we will check back when we get more board feet through it.
I just got the Hercules 10 in table saw, and I love it. This is probably going to be one of those save up for it deals that I would love to get sometime in the future.
You hit the nail on the head. Dewalt is a pain to get repairs to tools. Harbor freight has a no haggle return policy. They give you a brand new tool if your tool breaks
Yea, but anyone doing woodwork can probably fix the planer and parts are easy to find. Try finding parts to that Hercules planer. They don't exist. HF only sells three parts: Dust Chute, Folding Extension Plate Assembly, and V-Belt. That's it! Once warranty is over that is it. You will not be able to repair it. You will easily be able to find parts for the Dewalt years and years later.
I'm glad to see this planer. I have one that I bought over 30 years ago from I really don't remember but it has the China name still on it. It has been great for me for this many years but I am thinking that I need to modernize some things. So many of these units are made in the same factory. One day they come down white, the next day they come down blue, etc... I had a belt break on me many years ago and the local wood working store only had the white brand. The belt was about $18.95 for one. I called Grizzly and bought 3 from them and paid only about half of the price for 1. The belt had the same factory marks and numbers on it as the one I had and the same marks on it as the white brand.
I bought this planner a few weeks ago. Of the boards I planned on my sled, there was just a small bit of snip. Just a few passes with my sander and it was gone. Love this planner!
I haven't been seeing their no exceptions discounts in the last good while, they seem to be excluding all of their bigger brands all the way down to their central machinery brand being excluded. They have been getting tighter amd tighter with the discounts over the years
The DeWalt dust collection adapter removes without tools, press in a pin, rotate and it comes off. Still needs to be removed to fold up the rear table, but very easy to remove and install. I am eagerly awaiting the release of the Hercules portable metal cutting bandsaw. I have the Bauer version, but interested to find out if the Hercules will be a worthwhile upgrade.
That’s the 735 - the 734, which this is being compared to, uses 3 Phillips head screws. There are 2 plastic snaps, but they are useless in terms of holding the dust collection port in place.
Huge RPM difference between the Hercules and the DeWalt - 9,600 vs 20,000. I don't know if it will make a noticeable difference in use but higher RPMs usually results in a smoother finish.
Something about all smaller planers... To me, they just sound 'angry' to my ears LOL. I have the 13" DeWalt 4-post , for about 14 years now, and LOVE it but IF I had to replace it, I'd 💯% consider this unit. Thanks 🙏 for the ALWAYS honest review... Shine on!
I’ve mentioned this to you before but you should really check out the Cutech planer. It has a spiral head cutter and it’s only $470. I’ve had mine for over a year now and it has been a great planer.
Oh ok. Thanks for letting me know what the lawsuit was about. Since I’ve been so happy with the planer I’ve been thinking about getting the jointer. What are your thoughts? Should I wait?
I'd recommend trying some Vevor stuff before writing them off. I can't speak to their planer, but I've bought quite a few tools from them, and so far, I've really found a lot of value. Decent quality for very low price.
I've been waiting for this video since you teased this thing several weeks back. It's on my purchase list once it goes on sale for Inside Track members. Thanks and shine on!
That video made my day as I have 22 weeks left of recovery spinal surgery 3 surgeries so far wound vac on a large open wound . I’m watching all tool videos of course you rule and rock. I have tablet here at extended care in So Cal I ll be 70 in February and still buying tools I had to slow down because of current condition but you will here from me at live talk Sundays .Shine On Bullwinkle
Thnx for the vids!!! My wife and bank acct aren't too happy with you at the moment, after your review of the Hercules band saw stand, but they'll get over it! 🤣😂🤣 it works gr8 and was well worth the price! I see they are going up now, and quickly!!! Got mine for the same $100 you got yours for! I've also just subscribed to your channel! Cheers!!!
Id love to see Harbour Freight come up with a contractor table saw. Do a good better best option like with the miters. Give Rigid and Delta some competition in the midlevel saw range.
I work in a woodshop and I bought the Hercules tablesaw for my dad at home. It's badass! Not a sawstop but I'm not complaining. We've sawn whole 4x8 sheets on it
I just picked up a rigid 13 inch 3 blade from direct tools. It worked great i ran 400 board ft through, no snipe and great finish. It was $190 and the tables fold up with the dust collection still on.
I ended up buying one of these and not quite sure what to think, I adjusted the tables but it seems the tables are still sitting about 1/16th of an inch below the center table and theres no way to adjust the in-feed/out-feed tables to match the height. Also, I tried a few pieces of 1 x material and the first few cuts it fed right in and cut well but day two I tried a couple more shorter pieces and it didn't want to feed through, I had to basically push it 80% of the way then grab it on the out feed side to get the wood out. Going to go over it one more time from start to finish and hopefully it's just me, its heavy so I'd hate to take it back.
Tool bear, not sure if it's been mentioned but if you have some snipe, you want the infeed and outfeed tables to be angled very slightly down towards the planer. I believe you put a penny on the planer bed and run a straight edge across both tables and that should be level. Of course you'll have to do it on the left and right of each table.
I have an older Delta planer that has no dust collection. You want to talk about a mess! Boy howdy! So I've got to say the dust collection is a big, big deal. I'll certainly think about it if I ever need to replace mine. Thanks 👍 Jeff. 😊😊 I hope you aren't affected by the train derailment in the Yellowstone River.
This looka looks great for the price, but I doubt it will be replacing my DW735, but that planer is in a different league. It looks very similar to the 734
They could also drop it into the ITC membership sales which could knock some decent money off of it. However, there seems to be a lot of minor annoyances right out of the box (like adjusting the level of the supports to the base).
I can’t say that the initial leveling would be too much of an annoyance for me, or a lot of other people that would buy a lunchbox planer. While some power tools are dead-on out of the box, it’s a good practice to *always* check things for level, square, coplanar, sharp, etc. it’s just part of the “maiden voyage”.
@@htwarholic78 when did you get your’s? I have the 735x model which comes with the tables and they just attach with two spring loaded pins that the tables rotate on and a hook. I don’t see the usual height adjustment bolts under the tables.
I've been wondering about this, usually anything electrical from hobo freight is junk.. nice honest review, and the kid digging in his nose the entire time gave me a great laugh 😂😂😂😂
Personally, I'm a fan of Cutech planers. Got my last one for $320 on sale. For the price I got a 13", spiral head planer with a 3yr warranty. If you haven't checked them out, you really should. Worth every penny and more. They are built in Taiwan and honestly, many on the market are clones of one another so their operation is pretty similar across the board. It's the cutting head that makes the difference. I've bought 4 now, two for my own personal use and two for shops I was working at. All of them were different models and all still going strong, the oldest being 6yrs now with daily use. I won't deny the convenience of returns at HF locations BUT if a tool is built right, you shouldn't need to return it in the first place. Having to pay for a warranty beyond 90 days on any tool priced over $200 is crazy to me. Particularly when the pricing is not all that remarkable considering the competition that's already out there. When you consider my bargain model Cutech came in at $320 on sale or $399 regular price with a spiral head the HF version is outclassed, in my experience, the Dewalt also. IMHO, this Hercules is a tough one to recommend over others on the market. With it's skimpy base 90 day warranty, over inflated pricing and meh cutting head this should be a hard pass for people. All of those negatives just for the ease of returns didn't seem worth it to me. If one of mine died, the price is low enough to buy a new one, ship the other back for repairs and have two to keep or one to sell once it comes back from warranty repair. But that's just my opinion.
Cutech is in a nasty lawsuit with Wahuda. There is a very real chance that part and support might not be a thing in the near future. That’s the reason I don’t recomend either of those products on the channel. As to the Hercules, considering he has the same base of the wall no one‘s complained about that. It’s made in Taiwan as well and as we say on the channel never pay full price and Harbor Freight always wait for the coupon. Some people already gotten this for $300 with coupons sent to them.
@@denoftools Can you clarify what you mean by "nasty lawsuit?" From everything I have read both court documents and commentary, this is merely a contract dispute over branding not ownership of the physical company. Did you dig into it at all or did you assume it was far more serious due to there being a lawsuit? I read the initial 2020 filing and also found references to a settlement document between the company's filed to the court in February of this year however I have not been able to locate and read the text of the settlement document and am unwilling to pay $$ to do so. The fact that a settlement document exists implies that this is reaching, or has already reached, an end and the fact that the Cutech website is still up and they are still selling product I'm assuming this is all but resolved however I suppose they could be in violation of the settlement agreement they reached? Is this your concern? My understanding of the lawsuit is as follows: Cutech Tennessee switched manufactures from Shinmax to Wahuda and Shinmax asserts that it is the rightful owner of the Cutech brand name. The lawsuit is Shinmax vs Cutech TN/Wahuda not Cutech vs Wahuda. It in no way is claiming ownership of the company, its products, its manufacturing capabilities nor is it asking for the company to stop producing products. They have asked them to stop infringing on patents which it appears Wahuda has done by Making changes in newer models that no longer conflict with the patents Shinmax owns. I am not claiming to be 100% accurate Here since I haven't read through every document. The website currently states that it is a registered trademark of Shinmax So I'm assuming that they at least retained ownership of the website so they may be shipping their own products again instead of Wahuda's at this point. If only I could see that February settlement agreement but seeing that the store is still operational it appears to be business as usual. In the end, both manufacturers have the ability to repair any product sold by them. Also, considering the reputation and goodwill that's been built with their customers AND the fact that they were fighting over the brand, whomever wins this lawsuit would be fools to have spent that much money in court only to destroy their reputation customer service record afterwards. No matter which company wins this branding dispute they're going to do whatever they can to keep the customers they've earned. Meaning, I really don't see the risk but perhaps you know something that I don't? Out of genuine curiosity I would love to know. Thanks
@@genesishep i’m on the road right now, so can’t go into depth about it but I did speak directly with one of the owners so I do think I have a solid grasp on what is going on.
Would helpful to know which planer has the best longevity. I'm thinking Hercules tools are pretty good, and no more than I'd be using a planer, I think it would be my choice. De Walt makes good tools of course, but if you don't want to spend the extra money, I think the Hercules would be the better choice.
I just bought this a couple of hours ago, before this video dropped. I haven't taken it out of the box yet. Heck, I haven't taken it out of the trunk yet. Harbor Freight missed me, I guess if you don't go in for a few months they wonder what happened to you, so they sent me a 25% off no exclusions coupon. I had to go to 2 stores, the first one was sold out and I got the last one at the second store but it was mine for $299.99. I didn't get the extended warranty yet. I'm going to try it out, if I like it I'll go back and get it.
Tool Bear, you get a 'paws up' from me for just putting out a video, but this time you deserve two paws up because of that astute "I wonder if" comment regarding SHELIX planer head adaptability. Only an astute and careful Tool Bear thinks like THAT. I promise a "like" to the comment of the first grizzly with an answer to the question of SHELIX head adaptability. Shine on bears!
I'm going to have to look at this, I want to turn my old delta 12" planer into a jointer but I've been waiting to get a new planer before I start the conversion.
One thing not addressed in this review: The DeWalt planer shown in this review for comparison claims 20,000 RPM. According to the specifications page on the Harbor Freight website, their planer claims 9,700 RPM. It just seems like over double the RPM should make some not insignificant difference. Perhaps a smoother planed surface. Any thoughts?
Nothing beats my Dewalt 735 with the shelix. But then again I paid 800 for the planer and 500 for the shelix.... apples to oranges. But my deck looks AMAZING, the planks look brand new and took the high-bond primer and paint perfectly. Would have cost me 5500 to get new 2x6s and new understructure. The planer cut the costs by 70%.
You indicated with your laser level that the infeed table was lower than the bed. The four phillips head screws on the side of the tables are for that adjustment, not the leveling bolts under the table
When I was a kid, there were 3 schools of hockey equipment CCM, Bauer and my cheapo Zayre's Canadian Sherwood's. Do you know if Bauer is the same company that used to have hardware stores and sold hockey equipment? Man the was 50 years ago! 😲
This looks like a big step up from the Bauer. Worth the upgrade if it’s on sale 15-20% off. I’ll be watching for a sale since a planer is my next big shop upgrade.
Love your tool reviews and especially your honesty about them. I'm in the Bauer line of 20 v. Love it. DIYer. Is there any talk of a Bauer ratcket? I know Hercules has some. Thanks again
This looks nearly identical to the Makita NB2012, even the inability to fold up with the dust collection part attached. Though the part for the Makita is a goofy size and you gotta make or buy an adapter to hook it up to either a standard 2.5" shop vac or a 4" dust collection line. Main difference seems to be that it has the locking mechanism as well. Anyway, if the internals are as close to the Makita as it looks from the video, the Shellix head for the Makita probably fits.
Ive been looking for something to do during the winter when we're not plowing snow and like doing simple wood signs etc. and was looking at these but my kid works at Lowes so weighing my options. I did become a Harbor Freight "insider" and wondering if it might get me some money off.
If it’s anything like the Hercules screw gun or impact driver probably won’t last. My impact driver lasted two weeks the head broke off putting 4” GRKs in deck, drill motor smoked In just over a month. Hopefully planer is better built
a ground breaking planer for the price, the locking bar is a great help limiting snipe. heavy duty construction than most other planers in the price point. what would be the price with a memberhip for the holidays and top tier coupon. it makes you think the possiblities
Maybe on a 20% coupon. I'm ok with hand tools from harbor freight although I just got some clamps that were not good quality, but mostly I've heard there electric tools are junk. Also, only 90 days tells me they expect the planer to break after 90 days. However, I use to like Dewalt but their greed has me looking at other options like Grizzly and Oliver with the helical carbide cutter head. Would love to see a review of those two planers.
I've got a Grizzly and - I'm not that happy with it. The snipe is bad - not just a little but a solid 2"+ off each end. What did my grizzly replace? A DW734 that I'd dialed in so there was barely any snipe at all. I may end up selling the Grizzly and getting either another DeWalt or maybe the HF one.
I would like the height threads in inches, not metric. An example would be to change 1/16 inch would be one turn, not two millimeters. The scale on the. side just isn't the same. My planer is 30 years, would like a dust collection system. I try to use it out side, but no practical in winter or rain.
I hope the Shelix works- if so, I’m sold!!!! I have the Bauer planer right now… I’m not happy or unhappy with it, it is what I thought it would be, but this could be a game changer!
I don't doubt that this does the job, but for how long. I have shoved a ridiculous amount of hardwood through my DeWalt over the last seven years without issue.
Well, here’s a question for you. In comparison between the Hercules vs DeWalt: Hercules 9700 RPM DeWalt 20,000. I think the DeWalt 734 is 9,700 the DW 735 has the two speed adjustment. Someone correct me on this?
Jeff's right, catch that unlimited coupon and this might be sitting in my shop. Really would like to replace the OLD Craftsman. Don't know if I can find parts for it if I had too.
I just got one for $343.99 + tax. This is the first planer I have ever used. Having problems with the 1 turn to remove another 1/16 inch. I'm sure its just me, ill keep working with it.
The biggest difference between the Dewalt is the RPM. The Dewalt runs at 20,000 rpm vs 9700 for the Hercules. Seems like you would get a much finer cut at the higher rpm.
Better than 733 I would assume based on price. But light years behind the 735 especially with a shelix. The 735 was the Best purchases I ever made for my semi hobby shop except for my rockler router table which really upped the hobby game. Wish the Rockler had been my first purchase after the basics looking back.
Let's try a longer board so we can see the wood chips getting stuck in that 2in dust collector. Put a 12" x 5ft or longer and see how the chips clog up. Pay the extra money for the DeWalt and get a real good planer.
It's nice to see HF stepping up the quality but it's still too close to the price of the DeWalt. I'd still put my money on the DeWalt. In fact I have, except with the 735. Still good to see they're improving but when they're close to dollar for dollar the same price as a premium brand with a good quality reputation they're pushing the limits of price/value a bit too far.
i really want them to release a bauer cordless 23 gauge pin nailer and a 16 gauge finish nailer. if you have heard anything about these coming out I would love to know. i have been holding out and using my air nailers but im thinking of going another route if these are not going to happen any time soon.
There’s only three or four companies that manufacture all the namebrand thickness planer’s chances are this is the same one that makes Dewalt and Makita
