DeWalt DW734 vs Ridgid R4331 | Planer Comparison

DeWalt DW734 vs Ridgid R4331 which is the right portable planer to choose?

Brand wise there are a few offerings from both manufacturers from DeWalt the DW734, DW735 and DW735X. From Rigid there is the R4330 and R4331.

DeWalt DW734

The DW734 from DeWalt is powered by a 15 Amp motor giving a max speed of 20,000 RPM. At the cutting head that translates to 10,000 RPM maximum.

It has a variable cutting depth from between 0 and 1/8 of an inch and can accept boards of 12.5 inches wide and a maximum thickness of 6 inches.

DeWalt claim a 30% increase in the life of the cutter heads as they are reversible. The cutter head is a three knife design.

The infeed and outfeed tables at on an extra 33.5 inches of board support helping to reduce snipe on longer lumber lengths.

To further help reduce snipe and keep lateral movement to a minimum there is a four column carriage lock that can be manually adjusted to ensure a true and square feed.

You can see how the DW734 compares against the newer DW735 also from Dewalt here DW734 vs DW735.

Rigid R4331 Review

The R4331 planer from Rigid is also referred to as the Rigid 13 inch planer just to avoid any confusion you may have.

The R3441 is powered by a 15 Amp motor and has a maximum speed of 9,000 RPM.

Has uses a three blade cutter head that gives a maximum 96 cuts per inch giving 27,000 cuts per minute at a feed rate of 23.5 feet per minute. It has a maximum depth of cut of 1/8 of an inch.

The blades are also reversible so you can expect to prolong the cutting life of them once switched around. However, nothing beats a fresh blade.

The Rigid comes with an infeed and an outfeed table to help reduce snipe on your longer pieces.

It uses a chip impeller system to help remove waste material away from the cutting head which should result in a cleaner cut.

There are 8 depth stops and a top handle that can make an adjustment of 1/16 of an inch per full turn of the handle.

DeWalt DW734 vs Ridgid R4331 Planer

DeWalt DW734 vs Ridgid R4331 which is the right one to buy ?

When looking at DeWalt vs Ridgid planers they both are of a similar spec. Price wise the DeWalts range from 400 up to 600 dollars depending on where you purchase them from and the Rigid planers tend to hover around the $500 to $600 mark.

For us the winner is the DeWalt. With a slightly higher blade speed and the greater chance of getting it at a discount online it just about beats out the Rigid.