Which Planer DW733 or Ridgid 4331?

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I paid about $300 for my 735 from a craigs list seller.

[Kevin W Johnson]

I'm fairly certain my local HD has the 733/734 on clearance for $319. I'm not certain on the model number, but it is that style planer and not the 735.

[Danny Hamsley]

I had the DW733, and it was a great planer. It has two knives that you can re-sharpen. The DW734 has 3 knives that are disposable. That is about the only difference between them. $300 is too much for the used DW733. That is about what it cost new.

[Kevin W Johnson]

What makes the 734's knive disposable?

[Phil Thien]

What makes the 734's knive disposable?

The fact that they cannot be sharpened.

They cannot be sharpened because they are aligned (during installation in the cutterhead) with pins in the cutterhead itself (the knives have holes in them).

The pins register the cutting edges of the knines with one another, so they are all cutting to the exact same depth.

Without those pins (on a unit with blades that CAN be sharpened) one needs to use a jig to set the knives accurately.

So there is a tradeoff. Knives that can be sharpened take a little longer to set in the cutterhead, but save money in the long run because you can sharpen them instead of replacing them.

Disposable knives require no tedious alignment, but cost more in the long run because you only get two cutting edges per knife (they are reversible) and then they have to be discarded.

Some people have found that disposable knives can be minimally sharpened using jigs and sandpaper or whatever. You can't remove much steel, though, you can probably hone them, but not really grind-out knicks or dings.

[Ben Hatcher]

I have the 734 and love the fact that the blades self-align. Replacements are between $30 and $50, and as Phil stated, they're reversable, so it is really $15/$25 per change. Last time I checked, my local blade sharpening shop charged $0.50/in for sharpening, so 3-12" blades would be ~$18 so for me it seemed like a wash.

I paid ~$300 for it years ago, but as others have noted, I've seen them for under $350 refurbished. I doubt I'd pay more than $200-250 for a used unit, the higher price being for one with brand new blades.

[Scott Flamm]

HomeDepot and Lowes both sell the Dewalt DW734, so keep your eyes open for a sale. Both will pricematch and take an additional 10% off so you can get a pretty good deal if you pricematch at whichever store doesn't have it on sale. I did that and ended up getting one new for just over $300.

[Phil Thien]

I have the 734 and love the fact that the blades self-align. Replacements are between $30 and $50, and as Phil stated, they're reversable, so it is really $15/$25 per change. Last time I checked, my local blade sharpening shop charged $0.50/in for sharpening, so 3-12" blades would be ~$18 so for me it seemed like a wash.

I paid ~$300 for it years ago, but as others have noted, I've seen them for under $350 refurbished. I doubt I'd pay more than $200-250 for a used unit, the higher price being for one with brand new blades.

I agree. OEM knives can be had on Amazon and many Home Depot stores for about $55/set. Powertec knives (aftermarket, with good reviews) are $38 on Amazon (shipped). Once you start using price matching/coupons, there is no telling what price you could get.

I purchased my 734 this last summer. I'm very happy with it. I'm still on the first side of the original knives, they're still working great.

My research indicated that to prolong the life of the knives, one should remove knots (where possible) and take shallow cuts. I typically only remove 1/64" per pass. I buy a lot of rough lumber, approx. 8" to 10" wide. If I was planing something narrower I may take a deeper cut, but I kind of doubt it. I'm not in a race, after all.

I use my Dewalt DW734 with my "that is the easiest planer sled idea ever" to flatten wide boards. Basically a piece of plywood, with some tape and hot glue:

http://www.cgallery.com/jpthien/ps.htm

[Danny Hamsley]

After planing thousands of BF through it, I sold my DW733 for $165. It was still running great. I upgraded to a 15" planer with the spiral head with carbide inserts, but that little Dewalt was a real winner for me for many years.

[Ken Barton]

Thanks for all the great replies! I picked up the Ridgid 4331 tonight from Home Depot. It is on close out for $339, used a HF 20% coupon, so out the door with tax was $290. I did look at the DW734, but liked the cutter head lock on the Ridgid better, overall seemed as if the two are very comparable with lots of satisfied users. Would live to get the 735, but used planers in the Minnesota market seem to be over priced by and large. Now to get a spiral cutter head...

[Kevin W Johnson]

I checked today, and one of the local HD's has the DW734 on clearance for $319. Sadly, they won't honor HF coupons since there isn't one close enough.

[Ken Barton]

I asked if the DW734 was on clearance as well, they told me no. I went to 5 different HD's over the past week before I got one that would take the coupon. Even the HD that is 1/2 mile from HF wouldn't accept it, but the one 20 miles away would!

[Kevin W Johnson]

The other local HD is still at $339 for the DW734, the Ridgid isn't clearanced at either one. The closest HF is 75 miles....

There's no rhyme or reason on clearance at HD. The oscillating spindle sander was clearanced months ago at some stores in NY for $49.... many others still carry them. I did finally find one at Direct Tools for $126, new but factory blemish. I found a scratch on the top... not a big deal.

[Gerry Kaslowski]

Thanks for all the great replies! I picked up the Ridgid 4331 tonight from Home Depot. It is on close out for $339, used a HF 20% coupon, so out the door with tax was $290. I did look at the DW734, but liked the cutter head lock on the Ridgid better, overall seemed as if the two are very comparable with lots of satisfied users. Would live to get the 735, but used planers in the Minnesota market seem to be over priced by and large. Now to get a spiral cutter head...

I have no idea how HD closes out or displays their stock. 3 or 4 months ago I picked up a great deal on a VERY lightly used RIGID 4330. The guy still kept it in it's original box. While I was researching planers, I came across a lot of comments on how HD does not clear out older models. When they sell all the older stock, they bring out the new model. I'm in Southern California, and there are a LOT of HD stores. I read where people were enjoying their new RIGID 4331's. Even 3-4 months after reading these comments, virtually all the HD stores were still selling the older model. Even when I found my used 4330, the 4330 was still being sold as the current model at the regular price. I never saw it discounted.

[Ken Barton]

The interesting thing at HD is that both the 4330 and 4331 have the same SKU. So, as HD discontinues the 4330, any store that has a 4331 in stock will automatically sell it at the discontinued price since the sku is the same. I found the 4330 at several stores, had a harder time finding the 4331 but were ultimately successful! Of course, none of the HD's in my area are discounting the DW734 like some have gotten. Probably better for me that I didn't have that choice.