Dewalt DW734 vs DW735 vs DW735X Planer Reviews

Confused by the choice between the DeWalt DW734 vs DW735 vs DW735X thickness planers? Which one is right for you?

No doubt about it benchtop planers have bridged the gap between handheld and cabinet style thickness planer. They offer a near perfect finish for short to medium sized boards with the added convenience of portability.

Dewalt are a tried and trusted brand in the pro power tools arena. They have three different thickness planers available in it's DW73X series.  

further, they vary slightly terms of size, cutting ability and features. Lets take a look at each one individually before comparing. 

DeWalt DW734 vs DW735 vs DW735X

DeWalt DW734 Review

The DeWalt DW734 thickness planer is the older brother of the DW735. It is powered by a 120 Volt 15 Amp motor. The motor has a max speed of 20,000 rpm(10,000 at the cutting head).

It can accept boards of up to 12.5 inches in width and 6 inches in depth. The cutting depth is variable from 0 to 1/8 of an inch and can do 96 cuts per inch.

Like all DeWalt planers it features a three knife cutter head. The knifes are reversible and DeWalt claims that they deliver a 30 percent knife life. 

The DeWalt DW734 also comes with an infeed and outfeed table. The two combined add an extra 33.5 inches in length to further support the board on the way in and out and drastically reduce the chance of sniping of the boards described below in the DeWalt735x review.

Additionally, It also has a manually operated 4 column carriage lock that helps keep unwanted movement of boards during cutting, which will also help to reduce snipe.   

The DW743 weighs in at 80 pounds so it does have a bit of weight in it to get it firmly rooted on your benchtop or table. 

Specifications

• 15 Amp single speed motor that spins up to 20000 rpm
• Max input width 12.5 inches 
• Max depth of cut 1/8 inch
• Cutter head is 3 knife design and is reversible
• Extra long infeed and outfeed tables
• 3 year warranty

DeWalt DW735 Review

Now that we have seen the DeWalt DW734 review it's time to discuss the newer and slightly larger DW735.

The DeWalt DW735 has the same power as the DW734 above. It can accept slightly wider boards at 13 inches and has the same cutting depth of 1/8 inch per pass. 

However, if has a 2 speed gear box that allows the user to vary the cuts per inch depending on the hardness of the material. The speed can be set to either 96 or 179 cuts per inch.

Whereas the DW734 only has an attachable dust hood to help with dust collection the DW735 has a "Fan-Assisted Chip Ejection System". Basically it blows the chips away from the cutting head and into a shroud the targets the wood chips onto the floor beside the planer. A shop vacuum can also be attached to the shroud.

As opposed to the manual carriage lock on DW734 the DW735 has a auto lock feature so you may be able to plane a little bit quicker without the manual intervention.

Furthermore, the DW735 also weighs in at a rather beefy 92 pounds which is twelve pounds over the smaller DeWalt.

Specifications

• 15 Amp motor that spins up to 20000 rpm
• Two speed gear box
• Fan assisted vacuum ejects chips out of the machine 
• Max input width 13 inches 
• Max depth of cut 1/8 inch
• Cutter head is 3 knife design and can be reversed
• 3 year warranty

DeWalt DW735x Review

The DW735x has the exact same specifications and performance as seen in the DeWalt DW735 review above.

The 'x' in the DeWalt DW735x stands for extras. The extras that are included are an additional set of blades and an infeed and outfeed table.

The infeed and outfeed tables help to greatly reduce the chance of "snipe" when you are using longer boards(this rarely applies to shorter length boards that flex less along their length).

Snipe is when you get a deeper cut on either the leading or trailing end of the board as it is past through the thickness planer. The main cause is a height mismatch on either end between the board and the in/out feed rollers or the cutting head. 

Also, using infeed/outfeed tables that are supplied from the manufacturer should help to reduce the chances of snipe. Otherwise you will need to ensure that you have setup how the boards will be fed in to the planer and how they will exit. 

Specifications

• The exact same spec's as the DW735 above
• Extra set of blades 
• Infeed & outfeed tables

DeWalt DW734 and DW735 Comparison

The decision for most people will probably come down to cost at the end of the day. The DW735 is almost 50% more expensive than the DW734 if bought with the extra tables and blades. 

Performance wise the DW735 is capable of cutting 13 inch wide boards versus the DW734's 12.5. It also has a two speed gearbox meaning you can vary the cuts per inch to suit the type of material you are working with.

The DW735 also has an auto carriage lock versus the manual on the DW734.

At 12 pounds in the difference the DW735 is pretty heavy. If you are concerned about just how easy it will be to transport then the DW734 might be a better bet.

For the pro or regular user the DW735 or DW735x wins. If you are an occasional user or are on a strict budget then the DW743 is still a fine thickness planer and it has the tables included in the price.

<<< View the DeWalt DW734 on Amazon >>> 

<<< View the DeWalt DW735 on Amazon >>> 

<<< View the DeWalt DW735x on Amazon >>> 

DeWalt DW735 and DW735x 

Well the decision between the DW735 vs DW735x all boils down to whether you need the infeed and outfeed tables. If you are only planning on putting short pieces through the planer then the extra tables may not be worth the added expense.

However, if you are using longer board sections the only way to help prevent snipe is to purchase the additional tables, or be very careful about how you setup your input and output of the pieces.