Best Electric Hand Planers | 2022 Awesome Buyer’s Guide
What is the best electric hand planer? Since the tool is portable, consider its weight so that you could work with it most comfortably. Handheld wood planers can be cordless or corded. Powered by a battery, cordless devices can be used in areas without access to a power source. In these models, the runtime and charging time are the most important factors. That said, they are heavier than their corded analogs due to the battery weight. Corded portable wood planers are more powerful and reliable but have the downside of restricted mobility. Depending on the type of material you need to cut through, you should opt for models with carbide blades (for hardwood) or high-speed steel blades (for softwood). We believe that Makita Planer, 3-1/4 In, 7.5 A fits these criteria best.
Why have we chosen it? Made in Japan, this high-quality tool boasts the speed of 16,000 RPM. With the weight of a little more than 7 pounds, it has excellent maneuverability. A comfortable handle with a rubberized grip makes the unit even more convenient. This model comes with double-edge carbide blades, which will allow you to cut through the hardest wood. The powerful 7.5 AMP motor will help you complete the time-consuming tasks much faster.
Portable planers are a tough subject. And, it’s not because they’re a complex concept – far from it. It’s the fact that there’s really nothing to say about these that wasn’t said fifty years ago, and before that, nothing that wasn’t said millennia before that. Planers have been around for a very long time – at least 4,000 BCE by our discoveries, and probably a hell of a lot longer than that truth be told.
You may be wondering, why am I talking about them, then? If there’s little new to say, if it’s hard to really expound the topic, why bother? Well, the long and short of it is, they’re an important tool – there’s a reason they entered use in the bronze age, and remain to this day, with little change aside from the technological augmentation of the post-war progress curve.
We’re going to talk about three such products of modern technology applying likely the last major changes that will ever be made to this age-old tool, and a modern rendition of the classic and basic tool as well, just for comparison.
Before we do that, though, let’s explore the history and the nature of these tools, and point out the importance of choosing a good tool, rather than cutting corners for the sake of saving a buck. If you’ve read some of my other pieces on planers (yes, there are actually several others, and at least one more forthcoming), then some of this will be old news. It will also be somewhat routine knowledge to experienced craftsmen, but this is important for truly appreciating planers as a whole.
You need to appreciate the nature of these tools when shopping for a modern version of them, lest you make poor choices.
TOP Electric Hand Planers
1. Makita Planer, 3-1/4 In | Best Electric Hand Planer
I’ve talked about this planer before, so it’s really hard to say much more about it than I already have, not because it’s not a fantastic tool – it absolutely is – but because I pretty much summed it up in entirety already. However, since many people may not have seen my other reviews on planers when finding this one (perfectly reasonable), I suppose this bears repeating.
I’ve made no attempts to hide my love for Makita tools in the past. A lot of people have sadly not heard of them because you really only find them in high-end environments due to their price. They’re not cheap – they’re one of the priciest brands out there actually. The thing is, they’re worth the price of admission though.
This power planer is a prime example of why you buy a higher-end brand, and save money in the long run, as we’ll be looking at a budget model next (which has its place … I suppose), and the difference really is night and day.
The trick is, you really only want something this costly if you do use it frequently, and you may not, if you’re anything like me. That’s what’s stopped me from having one.
Features
- Power: 7.5 A 110v corded electric.
- Braking: Trigger release. Stops on a dime.
- Type: Thickness/Layering planer.
- Adjustable: Yes.
- Weight: 10.75lbs.
- Noise: Moderate to low.
Performance
I have used an older version of this model before, briefly, and let me tell you, it does handle like butter. If you’ve spent much time using a traditional hand planer, which isn’t hard work but “tedious”, this is a serious transition and the speed and smoothness of it will really shock you.
Pros and Cons
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Conclusion
If you need a pro-quality planer, you’ve found it. That’s about all I have to say really.
Makita: Check the current price
2. Wen 6530 | Best Price Electric Planer
I’ve also talked about this one, twice before in fact. And at this juncture, I’m going to be completely honest. I don’t care for this one, for a host of reasons. It has its place I suppose, being somewhat alright for people who only occasionally need a planer, and just don’t want to pay triple digits for something they use so infrequently.
But WEN isn’t a hugely reputable company compared to Makita, Bosch or even Worx, and you have to watch it as a result. I can see this having a place as a backup planer in the unlikely event your Bosch or Makita planer breaks or needs servicing, but you have project deadlines to meet. I can see it being fine for the occasional use in a workshop where planers aren’t frequently used, and I could see it as a first tool for someone just getting into a hobby where you need these sorts of tools.
However, for heavy use in a serious hobbyist’s workshop, or in a professional workshop? Just, no … you want something higher end. This is every bit a budget planer.
Features
- Power: 6 A 110v corded electric.
- Braking: Trigger release. Stops okay.
- Type: Thickness/Layering planer.
- Adjustable: Yes.
- Weight: ~7lbs
- Noise: Moderate to low. Motor makes a disconcerting noise.
Performance
This thing does the job alright, it’s everything else about it that bothers me. It feels cheap and fragile and “squishy”. The plastic feels subpar and corner-cutting, and the motor makes this awful hum that usually indicates imbalance or the imminent death knell of an electric motor, which just worries me the entire time it runs.
Pros and Cons
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Conclusion
For a first time user, as a backup, or for just occasional use it’s fine, but you can do better.
3. Bosch 12V Max Planer | Best Cordless Planer
Bosch isn’t a brand I’ve talked about much thus far in my tool reviews. This may lead you to expect me to not like Bosh, to have problems with their quality. However, while they’re not Makita or Black & Decker, that doesn’t mean Bosch tools are bad by any means.
This is really only one ladder rung below Makita in quality, for the most part. There are a few design choices I would’ve done differently, but they’re nitpicks, and not reflective of the quality of this planer in any real or significant way.
Bosch tools are of excellent build quality, and this planer is no exception to that fact, not even remotely. If you like Makita’s tools, but not their price, you can shave a decent little bit off with Bosch without forsaking much of the quality, for the most part. Their shelf life is a little less than Makita, they’re a bit noisier, and on a superficial level, they don’t look as slick, but if these are non-issues for you, don’t discount Bosch without trying one of their tools first.
Features
- Power: 12v Battery.
- Braking: Trigger release. Stops decently.
- Type: Thickness/Layering planer.
- Adjustable: Yes.
- Weight: ~7lbs
- Noise: Fairly quiet.
Performance
Like Makita, I’ve used an older take on this once, briefly, and it felt like butter. It’s not quite as smooth or slick as Makita, but the difference really isn’t that significant either. It’s a good compromise, and unlike the WEN, one I am comfortable recommending to even higher-end, experienced users, so there it is.
Pros and Cons
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Conclusion
If you like Makita but not its price, give this a go.
Bosch: Check the current price
4. GreatNeck C4 Bench-Jack Cutter | Best Cheap Electric Planer
This is not a power tool. On the contrary, this is a traditional planer of the sort that has been manufactured since, at the least, the 18th century. This technology hasn’t changed much in that time, and before that (when better metals, nicely-threaded screws and so on were developed), this is the planet concept that persisted for millennia.
Until very recently, this is all I really used, because as I said, I appreciated the sort of Zen sensibility of doing this slowly and by hand, and really, once you get some muscle memory for the shallow, gentle strokes, this is an easy tool to use.
It’s not even that hard of work, once you learn to work smart and not hard in general. However, it takes time, and it will take a toll on your joints and muscles over enough time, which is why I’ve begun to take the power planers much more seriously in recent times. Still, I’ve built tables and cabinets and arcade machines using one of these puppies, so if you have patience, you can get anything done with this ancient but powerful tool.
Features
- Power: You are the power.
- Braking: Let go of it.
- Type: Thickness/Layering planer.
- Adjustable: Yes.
- Weight: N/A – negligible.
- Noise: It doesn’t make much of a noise, there’s no motor.
Performance
Let’s make one thing very clear – this is a tool that will take time to achieve larger-scope projects with. A power planer is crazy fast, where this is just patience and dedication. But, it’s an affordable solution, and while not much cheaper than the WEN power planer, there’s nothing on this that can really break.
Pros and Cons
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Conclusion
I think every woodworker should spend time using one of these, if for no other reason than to appreciate a good power planer down the line.
GreatNeck: Check the current price
What Planers Are
Planers, at least the original and current most basic model, are a simple tool with one of two simple goals. Either they remove layers of wood, or they cut joints into wood, depending on which version. To further complicate this, jointing can mean a couple things. It can mean establishing a flat standard for a piece of wood, which helps a thickness planer in working straight, but also can mean cutting furrows for joining pieces of wood together. Planers, depending on the blade, can do either.
At its heart, a planer has a blade at an angle, and there are two hand grips for solid, directed motion. Power planers have reciprocating motion or directed vibration to aid in this, and remove the sawing motion.
These are used to cut joints, flat standards, adjust the thickness of pieces of wood, and to design solidly flat surfaces (with the aid of additional sanding).
A little History
Planers, like I’ve said a few times, are an ancient tool, truly. We have records and evidence of the basic implementation of this tool dating back as far as 4,000 BCE. They most likely existed long before then, likely shortly after we first figured out how to smelt and forge metal on a fundamental level. They answered a problem – the imprecise and sometimes dangerous act of chiseling wood with a hammer. When the chisel blade was surrounded by wood or metal framing, it became possible to use it without the hammer in more precise and calculated strokes in many cases. In others, even when a mallet or hammer was involved, it was easier to achieve the shallower results intended.
This didn’t change much, aside from better materials and overall craftsmanship, until we invented electric motors. This resulted in electric hand planers and stationary industrial ones, and that’s about the last significant innovation likely to happen to these for another six millennia or so.
Choosing Best Hand Planers: Importance Of Good Brands
There’s a sometimes accurate, sometimes erroneous sentiment that when you pay more for a high-end brand of something, you’re paying almost entirely for a label. That can be true with clothes, with food, with some other goods. When it comes to tools, though, you really do get what you pay for.
You can cut corners and buy a cheaper hand planer, but the result will be your spending more money in the long run when the thing either doesn’t work to your desired level of efficacy and precision. It’ll also probably break if subjected to industrial levels of ongoing usage.
If you purchase a higher-end brand, you’re getting several benefits. First, of course, is the build quality and precision. More effort, time and high-end resources are put into a costlier brand, resulting in a better-working machine which provides a better overall experience. This also makes it a much more durable and long-lasting device if you intend for it to be put through consistent, heavy, long use.
On top of this, these higher-end brands are much more confident in their own quality, which means they work with retailers, online or offline, to provide solid warranties. Don’t underestimate the importance of a good warranty, because there will come a time when you need to fall back on it, because even the best made things can break by accident sometimes.
So, you can shave a few bucks off and cut corners, and kind of pray that things line up for you, or you can bite the proverbial bullet and just pay an upfront cost you know you won’t be having to increase as parts consistently break and things persistently fail. The choice is yours, but the wise choice should be pretty obvious.
Where I usually have volumes of experience with tools I discuss, some mild stubbornness on my part has led to me not having used power planers that much. I actually liked the Zen and patience of using a traditional hand tool on my projects, I felt it made me appreciate the work I did more, and if I may be Buddhist for a moment, it also kind of felt like I was imprinting a bit of my soul on it as a result.
Well, I’m not getting any younger, and that’s taking a toll on my joints now. So, I’m starting to cultivate an appreciation for these power tools.
Best Electric Hand Planers in the UK | Comparison Table
Electric Hand Planer, JELLAS Planer with 82mm Width and 3mm Depth, Kickstand,16500rpm 240V, Dust Outlet...
- [Auto Kickstand] The Auto Kickstand can protect the bottom of the machine. It will be automatically stowed when working to avoid damage to the wood. It will pop up when not working to avoid direct contact between the bottom plate and the wooden surface or the ground, effectively protecting the bottom plate.
- 【Double Life】 The quality belt features strong wear resistance during operation, carbon brush have the finest quality that assures the machine running at the best condition. Purchasing the planer, we also provide a bonus gift with one rubber belt and a pair of carbon brushes to double the operational life of wood planer.
- 【Pure Copper Motor】 The JELLAS planer is an ideal tool for the treatment of stubborn doors and for all other work with wood. It contain with a pure copper motor delivers over 30,000 cuts per minute to your workpiece, slicing away any irregularities until the surface of your boards are aligned and smooth.
- 【Depth up to 3mm】 The cutting width of JELLAS planers is 82mm and a maximum cutting depth is 3mm. A knob on top of the planer has 31 positive stops to adjust the depth up to 3mm by moving the front plate of the planer up and down in relation to the blades; Auxiliary push handle is separated from the depth adjustment handle to avoid unevenness of the board surface due to accidental sliding of adjustment handle.
- 【Double Dust Outlet】 The JELLAS planers is also equipped with the dust adapter combined with the reversible dust chute to help users manage loose shavings, just need to Press and Push the yellow sawdust bin to change the direction of the outlet, and the dust chute also suitable for connection of both vacuum cleaner and dust bag. It bring a great convenience for work to keep your work space clean and sawdust free.
JELLAS Planer, 16,500RPM Electric Planer,Electric Hand Planer with 82mm Width and 3mm Depth, Kickstand, 2 Rubber...
- √▲【Powerful Operating System】 Gift for man, JELLAS power hand planer for woodworking equipped with a 850W pure copper motor, providing up to 33000 cuts per minute with 2 HSS reversible blades, cutting width can up to 82mm; Lightweight design weighs in at a mere 2.3kg reduces fatigue at work
- √▲【Reversible Dust Chute】 Pressing and Pushing the yellow sawdust bin to change the direction of the outlet, also suitable for connection of both vacuum cleaner and dust bag, great convenience for work without getting sawdust on your body
- √▲【3mm Cutting Depth and Auxiliary Push Handle】 A knob on top of the planer has 31 positive stops to adjust the depth up to 3mm by moving the front plate of the planer up and down in relation to the blades; Auxiliary push handle is separated from the depth adjustment handle to avoid unevenness of the board surface due to accidental sliding of adjustment handle
- √▲【All-Mirror-grade aluminum bottom & Three V-grooves】The All-Mirror-grade aluminum flat bottom plate brings high flatness and high precision; 3 Chamfer grooves allows you to create angled chamfer along the edges of your wood-working projects in different size
- √▲【Great Performance】 The belt features strong wear resistance during operation; The copper motor and carbon brush have the finest quality that assures the machine running at the best condition; A bonus gift of one rubber belt and a pair of carbon brushes double the operational life of wood planer
Planer, Electric Hand Planer, 85MM 900W 14500Rpm, with 3MM Adjustable Cut Depth, Dual Exhaust Ports and Switch,...
- ▲ACCURACY - Calibrated depth adjustment from 1/8" to 1/96" increments is electric planer. With cutter depth adjustment button, depth can be adjusted according to the demand.
- ▲DURABILITY - Finely processed aluminum bottom plate, so that the wood you planed is flat and smooth.and rust ensure parallelism of cut.And rubber drive belt provides increased belt durability.
- ▲POWERFUL - 900W motor and blade drum with two double-sided blades rotate at 14500 RPM to ensure a clean and smooth cut.Lightweight weighs minimizes user fatique.
- ▲VERSATILITY - The dual exhaust ports and switch, you can choose the left/right hand to operate the electric planer,and the planer has 3 chamfering grooves allow for options for edge chamfering.
- ▲WARM TIPS- We stand behind our products! All items sold by TACKLIFE come with a TWO-YEARS FREE replacement warranty.
Planer,16500RRM 710W Electric Hand Planer with 2MM Adjustable Cut Depth,Power Planer of Dual Exhaust...
- ▲【Powerful System】- This Electric Planer Equiped with 6 Amp motor and blade drum with two double-sided blades rotate at 16500 RPM to ensure a clean and smooth cut,cutting width can up to 82mm.
- ▲【High Accuracy】- The Precision machined aluminum base achieves high accuracy of planing. Ratcheting depth knob allows fool-proof setting of depth increments from 0 inch to 5/16 inch (2 mm).
- ▲【Durability & Protection】- The aluminum front and rear shoes will not deform and rust ensure parallelism of cut. And rubber drive belt provides increased belt durability.
- ▲【Multi-Function】- The dual exhaust ports and switch, you can choose the left/right hand to operate the planer, and which side to blow chips out of depending on which side you stand on the unit when working.
- ▲【Warm Tips】- The blade is reversible, and you can use it double side, the replacement is easy to find on the amazon, the specifications: 3-1/4"×1/5"(82×5.5 (mm) ).
650W Power Tools Electric Wood Planer Power Plane Hand Tool with Planing Width Planers, 82MM 650W 18000Rpm, with...
- Powerful professional hand planer – ideal for fixing doors, fitting wood and correcting splinters, chips and misshapen edges
- Impressive 33,000 cuts per minute speed, 82mm cutting width with maximum 3mm planning depth, 18,000 drum speed
- Features adjustable base plate, guide fence, left/ right dust extraction and depth adjustment dial
- Equipped with extra auxiliary handle, ergonomic soft grip handle and lock off switch
- Comes with 2 X replacement blades (1 set)
Bosch PHO 1500 Planer
- Woodrazor blade system for easy and quick blade changing and high surface quality
- Combined guide and planning depth adjustment knob provides secure guidance
- Single-sided chip ejection system with access for dust bag or vacuum cleaner
- Quick and efficient removal of material on door frames and wooden beams
- Automatically extending parking rest - prevents damage to the workpiece or planer blade when putting the planer down
ToolTronix 650W Electric Wood Planer Sander 82mm with Side-Fence Dust-Bag Blade
- The ToolTronix Planer will assist you with all of your woodworking and carpentry tasks.
- 18000 rpm no load speed - Up to 2mm adjustable planing depth, and 82mm planing width
- 1 chamfer grooves for cutting bevels and chamfers - TCT planer blade, dust bag, side fence, wrench
- Dust extraction facility and Left / right chip ejection to keep your workspace clean
- More details in the description below ....
What’s a Hand Planer? This is a tool that everyone has seen in many a workshop, maybe even seen in use, but a lot of people probably wouldn’t know exactly what these are. That’s okay, it’s a wood crafting tool that’s somewhat specialized. A hand planer is a device with two grips and an angled blade that traces along the surface of a piece of wood.
This is a very ancient tool, one used since the bronze age, though obviously it’s become more sophisticated and better-built over time. It’s used mainly to even out the surfaces of pieces of wood, to carve delicate arches or concave traces into it, to round square shapes and eliminate splintering or rough grain.
This is how smooth countertops and table tops were created by hand back in the day, and how any smooth wooden surface that hasn’t been machined is created, generally. Hand planets, modernly, are used for more precise, short-burst work on wood projects, as power planers are much more common for larger tasks. However, if you do a lot of elaborate wood craft projects, you will almost certainly encounter a point where you need the precision and controlled burst that can be provided by a hand planer.
This is a safe piece of equipment generally speaking, and one that’s had millennia of refinement put into it, offering a lot of choice for quality models.