So, you have started to thoroughly throw yourself into your hobby. You have gotten yourself a decent line-up of equipment for your workshop, and have started churning out a few successful projects. You would consider yourself a bit more well-versed with the ins and outs of the woodwork now and are on the lookout for equipping yourself with a set of new tools.
Now that you are much more confident that you won’t lose a hand trying to level a piece of lumber, you have decided that you are ready to move on from your good old workhorse basics and bring in some new power tools to add to your ever-growing collection.
A manual hand planer is a good place to start looking. Although it is not far from what one would consider a basic at all, it still requires a bit more finesse to work flawlessly unlike its counterpart that is powered by electricity.
Nevertheless, the learning curve isn’t very steep at all, so you’ll be getting some precise hand planing done in no time.
The clear difference between a manual hand plane and a motorized hand plane is that the former is mostly powered using muscle force, pretty basic huh. It requires more effort on your part as compared to the latter where you simply put the lumbar through a feed and guide it until it comes out all flat and smooth.
Hand planers also come in a variety of sizes and each one can have it’s own uses. Yes, you can pick any size at random and use it for any task you can associate a planer with such as wood smoothing, and joint and decorative mould cutting, among others, but if you are all for efficiency, we suggest that you buy the right hand planer size for the job.
While larger motorized hand planers are amazingly time-efficient, they can sometimes be unsuitable for finer scale woodwork. Smaller manual hand planers might just do the trick in that case.
To better help you come up with a good decision, here is a comparison of the best hand planers the market has to offer.
Bosch PL2632K Planer
This powerful motorized hand planer is perfect for someone who is looking to do more detailed woodwork. It provides ease of use like any motorized power tool and the same time it does a finer scale planing like that of the usual bench top planers.
Features
- Has a 16,500 RPM speed and 6.5 Amp rating for smooth finish and fast stock removal in both soft and hard woods
- Has a carrying case for easy storage and portability
- Has an ambidextrous lock-off release button to alleviate accidental starts; the first of its kind found in a power tool
- Has a lock-on button for extended operation
- Has a spring-loaded stand that easily enters into the middle of the work piece, to elevate the planer and act as a resting spot, as well as to protect the blade
- Has an aluminum front and rear shoes that were precision-machined together for accuracy
- Has a two-blade system that can be concerted for use with large high-speed steel blades, providing you with versatility
Pros
- Incredibly simple to set-up and use
- Comes with a functional cloth dust collection bag
- Has a powerful motor but is silent enough not to bug your immediate neighbors
- Comes with a fence that attaches in two places and has a 3-degree fence for doors in addition to the 0-degree fence for everything else
Cons
- Must remove the brackets from the fence to remove everything from the case, meaning you need to take the time to reassemble the fiddly bracket and fence to use it
- No designated place in the case for the brackets
RYOBI 18-Volt ONE+ 3 1/4 IN. CORDLESS PLANER
Features
- Is cordless
- Is battery-powered
- Has a battery kit that sits snugly at the back
- Has an adjustable blade depth
Pros
- Batteries have a long lifespan, sparing you the need to constantly be charging or replacing them
Cons
- Blades cannot be sharpened, only replaced
- does not come with battery
Goplus Powerful Electric Wood Planer
This corded electric planer is easy to use and maintain; a great starting tool for someone new to motorized hand planers and wants to test the waters before truly committing without risking a hand in the process.
Features
- Has 1000W Power with a rated voltage of110V/ 60Hz
- Has a revolving speed at 13000-15000PRM
- Comes in a cool bright blue
- Has a cable length of 78.7 inches, or 2 meters
Pros
- Is efficient and easy to use as well as maintain
- Includes all the tools you need to be able to change the blades
- Great tool to start with for those who are leveling up to motorized hand planers.
Cons
- The adjustment knob can be quite tricky to use
Summary
Considering all these given information, it is always important to keep in mind that the best hand planer for someone else may not be the best one for you and vice versa. It depends on several factors that will be unique to you and your projects.
Some of the things you should consider asking yourself are; how does your workspace look like? Does it have an accessible outlet that will let you use a corded planer, like the Goplus, with ease? Or will a cordless and battery-operated planer like the Ryobi ONE+ work better for you?
Meanwhile, in terms of sheer efficiency and ease of use, the Bosch PL2632K Planer performs best out of the three. It serves its purpose regardless of what projects you are working on or how your workspace is configured. If you are looking for a great all-rounder that will be effortless to use, from the set-up to its maintenance, then look no further. This is the hand planer for you.
