TOP 12 best electric and manual planes: review, pros and cons, price

Any home workshop should have 3 essential tools: a hammer, saw and a plane. A good master usually has several models, each for its own specific operation.Choosing a plane is difficult, but you shouldn’t buy the first one you come across. There are serious differences between different models.

What to look for when choosing a planer

In this review we are talking about electric planes and conventional planes, although the former are slowly replacing hand tools. Working with a hand plane requires experience and skill, and an understanding of how to work with different blade positions.

An electric planer is another matter. Most models from different manufacturing companies are designed almost identically, but each has its own characteristics and nuances.

The standard set of options that you need to pay attention to when choosing an electric planer looks like this:

1. Electric motor power is 800 W for standard models and 1200 W for professional level planes.
2. Width and depth of the cut layer. Most models have a standard width of 80 mm, but you can find up to 120 mm. The cutting depth of the cutter can be 4 mm. But in this case, the engine power must be more than 1500 W.
3. Rotation speed of the cutter and motor. The higher the tool speed, the higher the quality and speed of material removal. Optimal - 16 thousand rpm.
4. For light models it may be 12-14 thousand rpm, but not 18 thousand rpm. If the manufacturing company declared operating characteristics of 18 thousand rpm on a 1200 W planer, then the belt and brushes will burn out within a few weeks of operation.
5. Duration of operation under load. Optimally, it should be at least 20 minutes for medium planes, 15-20 minutes for light ones and up to 40 minutes for heavy ones. It is believed that at least 20% of this time the electric planer will work without load.
6. The resource is usually no less than the warranty period - 12 months. The real value is difficult to determine.
7. Device weight. This is at your own discretion, some people need a heavy tool, but most choose light planes for small amounts of work.
8. Possibility of connecting a hose from the dust collector of a vacuum cleaner.

Many manufacturing companies add a rotating support-ruler to the design, so that you can remove the edge from the board at an angle of 10-75O.

Review of the best planes

The advantage of a hand tool is its simple design. The best planes are those that you can customize with your own hands. Essentially, it is a wooden or metal body with a flat support base, two handles and a mount for a cutting blade.

A professional tool will definitely have a screw for precise adjustment of the inclination of the cutting edge, and in a specialized (additional) planer you can see additional grooves for a chisel, with which you can manually cut a longitudinal groove on the board.

The greater the weight of the plane, the more difficult it is for them to work, especially if you need to process more than one pair of boards. But the metal body provides high rigidity and stability of the geometry of the support sole. Therefore, for a home workshop, you can take a plane with a wooden body; in other cases, it is recommended to choose metal.

Sixth place – Zubr 18501-15

Designed in a “small-sized” format (length 150 mm), but all body parts are made of gray cast iron. Therefore, the plane turned out to be heavy, like for a “kid”. You can work with two hands, but most often they plan with one, dominant hand. It is used both as a universal tool for finishing boards and slats already planed on a machine, and for trimming workpieces.

Characteristics:

1. The size of the support sole is 145x40 mm.
2. The width of the cutting edge of the blade is 30 mm.
3. Weight – 500 g.

The plane uses a U8A carbon steel blade. The edge can be easily adjusted on a sharpener to suit any type of wood. But the tool is not suitable for planing knotty surfaces or heavy rocks - the base and weight are too small. Therefore, a plane is recommended only for straightening and trimming, for example. Can be stored in the country as a carpenter's utility tool for all occasions.

There are many complaints about the handles; the shape complies with the requirements of GOST 266625-97, but the quality of fastening to the body is poor. We have to redo the mounting of the handles.

Fifth place – model PINIE PremiuPlus 3-48

The tool from the Czech manufacturing company "PINIE" is made in the form factor of a classic plane with a fixing wooden wedge - a chipbreaker, a characteristic shape of the thrust (front) handle and a relatively short base.

There is no second handle, so you can guide the body only by leaning on the “back of the head” with your second hand. Therefore, the rear of the plane is made rounded. This means that a worker with any size of palms can plan. This is usually a problem for people with wide and massive hands.

At first glance, the plane does not look very convincing; in shape and design it is somewhat reminiscent of a school instrument.But the impression is deceptive, this is a full-fledged plane with which you can plan any tree.

Characteristics:

1. Weight 890-900 g.
2. The length of the supporting surface is 220 mm.
3. The cutting edge width is 48 mm, with a total transverse body size of 50 mm.

The only disadvantage we can note is the fixed angle of inclination of the knife - it is 45O. For roughing and rough planing, this is the optimal value, as it ensures cutting of the layer without jamming. But for fine planing, the projection of the knives needs to be reduced, and it is advisable to reduce the angle.

PremiuPlus 3-48 is inexpensive, the price ranges from 4,500 rubles. up to 5500 rub.

One of the positive aspects is the low weight of the plane. You can work with one hand, which greatly simplifies the planing process. Small parts and slats can be cleaned without a workbench, against a wall or vice.

Fourth place – Zubr (Model No. 3)

At first glance, there is nothing outstanding in this model. But the body is made of cast iron, the blade is made of high-quality forged carbon steel (HRC 63), and the plane itself is designed for long-term load under the conditions of the production cycle of a carpentry workshop.

The design turned out to be simple and reliable. The tool will withstand any load; you can plan any wood, with knots, defects, or remnants of fasteners.

The blade width is 43 mm, but if necessary, you can install a knife with a special configuration. Since all the parts of the plane are metal, the tool turned out to be quite heavy. Therefore, it is more suitable for carpentry finishing work.

The knife is fixed in the body with one screw, so you can always replace the blade with a new one, with a sharp cutting edge, and not waste time on re-sharpening.

The main knife in Zubr is of high quality, but due to the high hardness of the edge it is used primarily for semi-finish and fine hand planing, chamfering and grooving. Typically, a set of three to four blades is selected for a plane for different cutting depths and wood hardness.

Third place – NAREX 827

Czech brand tool. Simple structure, well thought out design. It differs from most Russian and Chinese models in the design of the case. It is composite, the main frame is made of aluminum alloy, the sole and boss for attaching the rear handle are made of gray cast iron. When planing wood, you don’t have to worry about chipping the leading edge, as often happens with models with an all-cast iron body.

The tool is quite large - length 250 mm, width 51 mm, weight 1.5 kg.

The manufacturing company paid special attention to the quality of the cutting edge. Planer blade made of tool steel (chrome-molybdenum). The quality and composition of the metal are chosen so well that even broken and worn blades are used. Homemade knives and cutters are made from the debris.

This model is considered universal, so it is bought as an arsenal of home tools for all occasions.

The only negative side that can be noted is the high cost of NAREX - 6000-6500 rubles.

Second place – KRAFTOOL A5 18527-35

Constructed in a lightweight aluminum-silicon alloy housing. The plane turned out to be stylish, with an expressive design in the style of the 40s of the last century.

Produced by a German manufacturer of hand tools. Therefore, the quality of the body, knife mounting and all minor parts is high.But on the market, in addition to the original models, there are both low-quality fakes and complete clones, usually made in China.

Characteristics:

1. The length and width of the support sole are 250 mm and 50 mm, respectively.
2. The cutting edge width is 50 mm, the knife is forged from carbon steel.
3. Body made of steel and gray cast iron.
4. Planer weight – up to 2.5 kg.

The plane is suitable for planing long lengths of wood, where it is not possible to use an electric planer.

The only drawbacks that can be noted are the tendency to corrosion of the blade and the mechanism for fixing the knife in the body. Therefore, you need to store the instrument in a dry place. The option of leaving it to spend the winter at the dacha may result in re-sharpening the knife. This will have to be done regularly, since the edge of a German plane wears out quickly.

Kraftul A5 is popular among roofers; a heavy and sharp knife makes it possible to quickly trim parts of rafters, crossbars, and sheathing slats without the use of power tools.

First place – STANLEY, Smooth Plane Bailey-3

Professional grade plane. The design is simplified, which is typical for any woodworking tool designed for high loads and constant use. It has good build quality. The handles are made of polypropylene plastic, but the size and grip are comfortable for medium-sized palms.

Advantages:

1. The body is cast from gray cast iron with additional calibrating grinding of the supporting base and sidewalls.
2. Weight – 1.62 kg, quite heavy.
3. Length - 270 mm, width of the supporting surface - 68 mm.
4. Equipped with a tilt adjustment system using a screw pair.

The cast iron base guarantees a consistently flat surface under any load and on any wood.You can plan the finishing surface and do rough roughing without any problems. In any case, the position of the blade will not change. Moreover, an experienced carpenter can easily adjust the overhang of the cutting edge. Cast iron is not afraid of either knots or old nails forgotten in boards.

The downside is increased sensitivity to shock. Dropping it on the floor is not recommended, especially on concrete; cast iron may simply burst. The plane is quite expensive, up to 12,000 rubles, but the quality of the tool is worth the money spent.

This is interesting for you! TOP 8 best electric planers: review, price, pros and cons. Rating of the best hammers 2023: overview, characteristics, advantages. Rating of the best axes: review, description, pros and cons, price. Review of the best sharpening machines: characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, price.

The best electric planers

When choosing an electric planer model, you need to pay attention to the following:

1. Build quality and adjustment accuracy.
2. Correspondence between the declared engine power and the speed and width of the cutter.
3. The quality of the belt, the presence of a device to compensate for the stretching of the material.
4. Maintainability of the electric planer.

The main thing is the engine, it must be powerful and high-speed. The best ones are original Japanese or South Korean engines, or if you're lucky, Bosch ones. Although they are more capricious in selecting and replacing brushes. Everything else can be adjusted by adjustment if necessary. Replacing the engine with a more powerful one will cost half the price of a new plane.

The second most important position is the quality of the belt and the presence of a soft starter. The strap must be new. The second one is included in the spare parts kit along with spare brushes.When choosing a model, many craftsmen are guided by the opportunity to buy original consumables (belt, brushes, cutter).

Soft start is an electronic board on the motor. Thanks to it, the motor spins up slowly, without jerking. Early models of electric planers did not have them; you can work without a board, but its presence significantly extends the life of the belt and motor.

Another useful addition is an engine speed stabilizer. It is needed primarily for carpentry work, when it is important to obtain a smooth wood surface. But in principle, you can work with a plane without it.

Sixth place – Elitech P82

The simplest option for an inexpensive electric planer. The instrument is produced in China, it is clear that this is not an independent development, but a replica of one of the popular Swedish models.

Characteristics of the electric planer:

1. The length of the supporting plane is 290 mm.
2. Planing width – 82 mm, total transverse dimension – 170 mm.
3. Weight – 2.9 kg.
4. Speed ​​– 16 thousand rpm.
5. Planing depth – up to 3 mm.

There is no automatic speed control or soft start system. The only automatic feature is a button to turn off the engine if the tool suddenly falls out of your hands. You can connect the vacuum cleaner pipe.

The manufacturing company does not even supply the plane with additional brushes and a drive belt. It is believed that there will be enough consumables to operate the plane for the entire warranty period.

Of the cheap Chinese models, this one shows the best reliability results. The price of an electric planer is 3.5 thousand rubles, but this is not a professional tool. If you use it to trim one or two boards a day with a planing depth of up to 2 mm, then it will last for a year or two.

Fifth place – model Stanley STPP7502

Replica of the original American electric plane from STANLEY. It is produced in China under license, but some components for the engine are supplied from the European Union. Fourth place for good build quality and low defect rate. Therefore, the manufacturing company provides a two-year warranty, instead of the traditional 12 months. At the same time, the price of the device does not fall below 6,100 rubles.

Stanley STPP7502 belongs to the class of the simplest low-power electric planers with a planing width of 82 mm.

Characteristics of the electric planer:

1. Electric motor power 750 W.
2. There is an adjustment for planing depth (accuracy 0.2 mm) and quarter removal.
3. The length of the sole is 290 mm, the depth of insertion for linear planing is 0-2 mm.
4. Speed ​​– 16500 rpm.
5. Weight 2.9 kg.

This model does not provide any automatic speed compensation systems or smooth engine start. In the spare parts package, only a ruler or parallel stop is attached to the plane to hold the tool when planing long workpieces.

There is a pipe for a bag to collect chips. Overall a good tool that can be used as an alternative to a hand plane for small carpentry jobs around the house. Most likely, its capabilities are not enough to plan all the lumber when building a house or assembling a roof frame.

Fourth place – Bosch GHO 12V-20 plane

One of the best models of electric planers, if assessed by the level of ergonomics and ease of use. The planer is a battery-powered device, so it can be used to repair country houses, vacation spots, and any wooden buildings. This is a typical electric planer for roofing work, laying cladding or lining.

The main advantage of the Bosch GHO 12V-20 is that the plane can operate for up to 40 minutes continuously, with minimal intervals for rest or battery replacement.

Characteristics:

1. The design uses a 12 V, 800 W brushless electric motor.
2. Speed ​​– 14500 rpm under load.
3. The cutting width is 56 mm, the planing depth in one pass is up to 2 mm.
4. Weight – 1.85 kg.

One of the shortcomings is the lack of replacement belts and batteries included in the kit. Although Bosch representatives state that any 12V Li-ion rechargeable batteries produced by the company for hand tools are suitable for this plane. In fact, the selection and installation of batteries often causes difficulties due to small (fractions of millimeters) discrepancies in size.

Another drawback is the high price, 20-22 thousand rubles. without charger and batteries. But, on the other hand, this option is suitable for those who already have a Bosch cordless tool and only need the electric planer itself.

Bosch's trade policy makes purchasing a planer economically unprofitable. You can buy the Chinese version, a cordless planer, 50% cheaper. Or the same Makita DKP180Z is cheaper, no worse in reliability, and only slightly less powerful.

But, on the other hand, the device is really good, in addition to the “eternal” valve electric motor, it has very reliable mechanics, high-quality blades and trouble-free electrical fittings.

Third place – Resanta Z-82/1100 75/5/4

The design of the electric planer was developed in Latvia and produced in China. Quite a powerful tool with high productivity in terms of wood cutting depth.The quality of the mechanics and engine of the plane can be judged by the fact that the warranty period from the manufacturer is 5 years.

Characteristics of Resant 3-82/1100:

1. Electric motor power – 1100 W at 16000 rpm.
2. Planing depth – up to 3 mm.
3. The width of the cutter blade is 82 mm.
4. Weight 3.4 kg.

Overall, a relatively light and powerful device, with reliable mechanics and precise sole geometry. In addition, Resant 3-82/1100 has a soft start system, which significantly reduces the shock load on the plane drive. In addition, the absence of a jerk when starting makes it possible to avoid “scorches” on the planed surface.

Resanta is valued among professional carpenters, parquet and cabinetmakers. The price for the model is 5,200 rubles, which is lower than for the same BOSCH cordless planer. At the same time, the motor power of 1100 W makes it possible to connect an electric planer using a conventional reel extension cord (50 m), so Resanta can be used even in hard-to-reach places.

Resanta can be used in the construction of a summer house or country house. Durable mechanics and a reliable engine will easily ensure the completion of the required amount of work. According to reviews, many owners of Latvian planes simply rented a small diesel electric generator for a couple of days and connected all the tools to it, from a plane to a miter saw or a hammer drill. In any case, this solution was cheaper than buying an expensive cordless electric planer.

Second place Metabo HO 26-82

Another electric planer, this time in the light weight category. The weight of the Metabo HO 26-82 electric planer is only 2.7 kg. Therefore, this model is classified as mobile.Metabo HO 26-82 is convenient to use if you need to eliminate small imperfections on already planed boards or quickly trim clapboard installed on the wall.

Characteristics:

1. Engine power 620 W.
2. Cutting depth up to 2.6 mm.
3. Sole length 295 mm.
4. The cutter speed is 17,000 rpm at idle, 11,200 rpm when planing wood to a full depth of 2.6 mm.
5. Blade width 82 mm.

This is a version of a finishing electric planer. It is used where the highest surface quality is required. The engine of the plane is high-speed, but with low torque. There is no speed correction system, but for such a model it is not needed, since processing to the full planing depth is rarely performed; the main mode is focused on sampling within 0.5-1.5 mm.

The main advantage of the model is the simple scheme for removing and installing the cutter. The electric planer comes with a key and an additional cutter. According to the developers, instead of significantly complicating the design or installing additional control systems, it is easier to replace the cutter with one that more closely matches the operating mode of the plane.

The disadvantage of Metabo HO 26-82 is the high noise level during operation of the planer. It is at least 86 dB(A) at maximum load. Therefore, when working with an electric planer, it is recommended to use protective headphones.

First place – Makita KP0810CK

This model is inferior to most competitors in terms of power and rotation speed of the tool. If we compare the plane by its main characteristics, the Makita KP0810CK looks average.

Main characteristics:

1. Power – 1050 W. In terms of this parameter, the Makita KP0810CK is approximately in the middle of the range. There are more powerful models, even up to 2.2 kW, and low-power 600 W models.But in this model the engine power can be considered optimal.
2. The maximum gripping depth of wood when planing is 4 mm. Moreover, this is a real value at which an electric plane is able to work for a long time, ensuring proper surface quality.
3. The width of the cutter blade is 82 mm.
4. Operating speed 12000 rpm. This is less than most professional tools, but even at these speeds the electric motor can easily cope with the maximum planing depth.
5. Weight 3.4 kg. This is the optimal weight for an electric planer.

The developers equipped the Makita KP0810CK with a soft start system and a cutter speed stabilizer.

That is, the tool looks average in the ranking on almost all important points. But the main feature of the model is the enormous survivability of the electric planer, like any other power tool of this brand. The developers did everything to ensure that the plane worked steadily and safely, even if it fell into the hands of a beginner.

Therefore, Makita is valued by professional carpenters and joiners.

It will be easier to choose the best manual or electric plane if you practice with any quality tool before purchasing the tool. Understand what its advantages are over inexpensive models, and what points you need to pay attention to first.

Tell us about your choice of plane - what features of the model did you pay attention to, and were your hopes for the tool justified?