Which Dewalt planer is the best - dw735x vs dw735 vs dw734

If you’re looking to get a Dewalt planer, but you don’t know which one to choose, then read on carefully so you can learn the differences and similarities between the two main types produced by the Dewalt Tools company.

When it comes to portable or benchtop thickness planers, Dewalt produces some of the best ones. Their planers are well-built, sturdy, reliable and perform excellently on the job, allowing you to produce top-quality finishes on any rough lumber.

In this post, we’ve covered the 2 main Dewalt planers currently available, which are the Dewalt DW735 and the Dewalt DW734.

Do a little more search and you’ll likely find a DW735X.

What you should know though is that the Dewalt DW735 and the Dewalt DW735X are basically the same thickness planer.

The only difference between the DW735X and the DW735 is that the DW735X comes with infield and outfeed tables for supporting the work piece, and an extra set of planer knives for the cutterhead shown below.

dw735x planer attachments

While the DW735 is just the planer machine without the infeed and outfeed tables and the extra cutterhead knives.

If you plan on using it in your workshop and you plan on building a dedicated workbench for material support, then the DW735 is ideal for you.

But if you plan on using it on the jobsite without a special workbench to support the lumber as you plane it, then it’s better you go for the DW735X Dewalt planer that comes with infeed and outfeed tables which support your board and prevents snipe.

So, basically, if you have a means of supporting the lumber you plan to mill with the planer, then definitely go for the DW735.

If you don’t have a means of supporting the lumber as you feed it in and out of the planer, especially on jobsite and outdoor settings where you may not having a special workbench for material support, then you should go for the DW735X.

The extra set of planer blades that comes with the DW735X are also extra helpful as you can quickly swap out the old blades when they get dull and replace them with the new ones.

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DW735 vs DW734 Dewalt Planer

dewalt dw734 and dw735

First, I’m going to talk about the features of each planer and then I’m going to highlight the differences so you can get a full knowledge of what you’re getting when you choose anyone of them.

First, let’s see what’s in the DW735.

Dewalt DW735 2-Speed Thickness Planer

dw735x dewalt planer

Our opinion is that the Dewalt DW735 is the best benchtop thickness planer among the two, and anybody who’ve used or seen the two will probably come to the same conclusion.

First, it’s got a higher width capacity of 13 inches, which means you get to plane wider boards with it.

For power, it comes equipped with a 15 AMP motor producing 20,000 revolutions per minute of speed and spinning the cutterhead at a speed of 10,000 RPM to cut through whatever type of lumber you feed through it.

If you need a portable thickness planer, trust me, this is as good as it gets.

The depth capacity is 6 inches and it has a maximum depth of cuts of 1/8 inches in one pass. When you get the DW735X, you get infeed and outfeed tables and an extra set of planer knives to go along with it.

Remember you have to buy the DW735X to get the infeed and outfeed tables and extra set of knives. If you get the DW735, you get the planer without infeed and outfeed tables and no extra set of knives, unless you buy them separately.

Talking about the cutterhead, it’s a three knife cutterhead, and it produces really smooth finishes on the wood you plane with it, that it’ll require little sanding after you’re done planing it.

One of the most important feature of the DW735 planer is the 2-speed gearbox it features. With it, you can adjust the cutterhead speed from 96 CPI (cuts per inch) to 179 CPI.

The slower speed is for when you’re removing a lot of material at once, while the faster speed is for finishing the surface of the board you’re planing.

With a dust assisted dust ejection and dust port, you can easily handle and contain all the dust produced while working with it.

Dewalt DW734 Single Speed Thickness Planer

dw734 dewalt planer

The Dewalt DW734 is still one of the best portable thickness planers you get today. Use it to dimension your boards and you’ll get an amazing finish on each one every time.

It has a slightly lower width capacity of 12-1/2 inches compared to the 13 inches of the DW735. In terms of power, it’s also comes with a 15 AMP motor producing 20,000 RPM and spinning the cutterhead at a speed of 10,000 RPM.

The cutterhead is a three-knife cutterhead and produces 96 CPI on the wood.

The knives that come with it are reversible knives, which means you can reverse the edges to get a new sharp edge once the edge you were using gets dull.

Dust collection is easy with the DW734, as it comes equipped with dust hood which you can easily attach to a shop vac for effective dust collection.

You can make depth adjustments easily and accurately with a depth adjustment knob and easy to read thickness scales.

A four column carriage lock keeps the cutterhead in place when planing with it and prevent any movement that may cause snipe.

Overall, the DW734 is very effective when it comes to planing lumber and I’m sure you’ll get amazing results with it every time.

What’s The Difference?

The major difference between the two Dewalt planers is that the DW735 has a 2 speed gearbox while the DW734 has a single speed gearbox.

With the DW735, you can plane at 96 CPI and 179 CPI and you’ll ultimately get a finer finish with it using the 179 CPI speed setting.

With the DW734, you can only plane at a single speed of 96 CPI. The finish at this speed is still still very smooth but not equal to the one you’ll get with the second speed of the DW735. However, it gets the job done and I’m sure any woodworker can do well with it.

The second difference between the 2 planers is the width capacity. The DW735 offers a wider width capacity of 13 inches while the DW734 offers a slightly lower width capacity of 12-1/2 inches.

Another difference between them is that the DW735 has a fan assisted dust ejection system to pump or eject the sawdust out of the machine as you plane boards with it. The DW734 does not have that feature.

A fourth difference between them is that the DW734 comes with infeed and outfeed tables. You don’t have to buy additional infeed and outfeed tables for it. The DW735 however doesn’t come with infeed and outfeed tables.

You have to buy them separately or you can get the DW735X which comes with it and an extra set of planer knifes for the cutterhead.

Which Dewalt Planer Is Best For You?

We believe it’s a matter of personal preference here. Yes, the DW735 has more features, and can handle slightly wider boards, but the two Dewalt planers are capable of performing the same function.

Although we favor the DW735 or the DW735X, we believe you can still get the same job done with the DW734.

In terms of cost, the DW735X will end up taking more chunk out of your wallet, but at the end of the day, you get what you pay for.

If you want something a bit more budget friendly, definitely go for the DW734 which is slightly less expensive.

Conclusion

Overall, both the DW735 and the DW734 portable Dewalt planers are really good quality planers made by the same tool manufacturer.

Both works excellently for carrying out woodworking projects in the workshop and on the jobsite. At the end of the day, it’s a matter of personal preferences. You just have to check the features of the two and choose the one you prefer.

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