Help me to decide - Dewalt DW735 or Delta 22-580 planer

[Dave Falkenstein]

I know this has been discussed before, but... I am upgrading my "portable" planer to either a Dewalt DW735 or a Delta 22-580. Portability is not an issue - it will be mounted on a mobile stand. Wood Magazine ranked these planers almost equal recently. The most recent thread I found at SMC talking about the two planers was about 7 months ago.

Is there anything significantly different to give one an advantage over the other? Price is not terribly important, since the difference is only $69, including required accessories and favoring the Delta.

Does three knives vs two make a big difference?

Most owners of either machine seem to like theirs. Maybe I cannot go wrong on this decision? Thanks.

[Mike Heaney]

Dave,

I'm interested how this one pans out for you. When I went through the price comparison, I got a lot more than $69 difference- by the time you add the feed tables to the Dewalt it seems to be closer to a $700 machine (versus the Delta for around $400). Are you thinking of a refurbished Dewalt- which seem to be available for around $350- $360? This would get you into a comparable price point with the Delta once you add the feed tables. If you go for non refurbished and also add the Dewalt mobile base then you are basically on a par with some of the floor standing models (around $800). Obviously, you could go with a much cheaper stand and base (and you will need it for either machine on your list). I am interested to hear if you have looked at any of the floor models instead?
I have the Wood article in front of me, and note that the Ridgid- with stand, spare blades and appropriate size feed tables for less than $400 scored very highly too. I know it comes from an orange store- is that what has put you off?
Best of luck with your decision- my side be side comparison of the Delta and the Dewalt left me thinking that quality of cut was similar, but that the Dewalt looked much cooler!!!! But I do wonder if a floor model might be a better long term investment

regards

Mike

[glenn bradley]

I'll comment from my limited but specific experience. . . My buddies DW733 has one speed and two knives; does a nice job. I opted for the DW734; one speed, three knives; does a noticably better job. DW735 was $150 more but had two speeds. Wanted it but couldn't pony up the dough.

So there's my take on the the knife count but, feed rate and head speed come into play. Be sure to compare that.

P.s. Lowes blew out some DW735 ext. tables for $20 'cause they didn't know what they were even though a 735 was sitting in the tool area(?). These things happen.

[john whittaker]

Dave...FWIW about a year ago I was choosing between the same two you are and ended up buying the Delta.... Mainly because I got a much better price at the time. I am very satisfied with the performance.

A couple of things I noticed when comparing the two back then...

• The DeWalt was louder.
• The DeWalt's 3 knives had a reputation of wearing out faster than the 2 Delta knives. This was not something I experienced but it was a hot topic at the time in the reviews. Not sure if either applies anymore.

I think you would be happy with either unit.

[Dave Sweeney]

I've had a DW735 for a little over a year and a half now and couldn't be happier. Seeing as this it is the only planer I've ever owned, I can't really compare it to anything else. I will say though that the two speeds are definitely a major plus as are the 3 knives IMO. A little on the noisy side but hearing protection should be worn when using a planer anyways.

[Gary Keedwell]

Hi Dave....I wonder if De walts dust blower is as good as I have heard. Supposed to direct chip flow real good.

Gary K.

[Ernie Hobbs]

I have the 22-580 and am happy with the performance. I don't have any complaints and given the choice again, I'd buy it. Regarding price, I'm not sure what you're seeing there but, you can find them in the $250 range if you look around. I've seen new ones as low as $199 but that was a while ago. I think I paid around $225 a couple of years ago. I think the Dewalt is much higher- I remember them being in the $400 range when I was looking. I bought mine from Woodworkers Supply and had it shipped to me.

[John Kain]

I have the 734.

I got it only 2 months ago. I've used it on 2 projects and couldn't be more pleased. So far I haven't needed the 2 speeds that the 735 model is equipped with. My ROS is more than enough to handle any rough sides. However, I must say, I have planed up to 12" and really hadn't a need to go crazy sanding after. It does a fine job of really creating a nice surface.

I thought about the 735 and I'm glad I didn't make the plunge. I believe I got the planer for $299 at a Christmas sale. Can't beat that. Or can you?

[John Kain]

Hi Dave....I wonder if De walts dust blower is as good as I have heard. Supposed to direct chip flow real good.

Gary K.

I hook a shop vac up to mine and get very minimal loose chips/dust. Works fantastic for me.

[Dave Falkenstein]

Dave,

...I got a lot more than $69 difference- by the time you add the feed tables to the Dewalt ...Mike

Mike - Prices are the best I can find today. The Dewalt at Tools Plus is $479 plus $43 for extension tables and $6 shipping, total $528. The Delta is $428 plus $25 for the dust hood and $6 shipping, total $459. I bought from Tools Plus in the past with excellent results. Looking deeper, some places show the Delta at $399 but shipping is typically $30, so the bottom line is about the same. Amazon has the Delta with a dust hood for $455 and free shipping (if they can actually ship it!!!). Rockler has the Delta locally at $400 plus tax plus the dust hood, so that bottom line is about the same. The maximum difference I found is $73, so my original difference was off by only $4. I realize I might find one or the other on sale at some point in time, but not now. Both machines are new, not refurbished.

[John Kain]

Mike - Prices are the best I can find today. The Dewalt at Tools Plus is $479 plus $43 for extension tables and $6 shipping, total $528. The Delta is $428 plus $25 for the dust hood and $6 shipping, total $459. I bought from Tools Plus in the past with excellent results. Looking deeper, some places show the Delta at $399 but shipping is typically $30, so the bottom line is about the same. Amazon has the Delta with a dust hood for $455 and free shipping (if they can actually ship it!!!). The maximum difference I found is $73, so my original difference was off by only $4. I realize I might find one or the other on sale at some point in time, but not now. Both machines are new, not refurbished.

Dave,

You can do better if you are willing to wait for the right deal. Amazingly, I think if you check out planers on Amazon every day, they seem to offer an amazing price every month or two. If you can wait until a Father's day sale or Christmas, that's when you'll find the best deals.

[Scott Vigder]

I've ownd my 735 for nearly two years now. One good indicator of a tool is how it's price changes over time. The price for this tool has remained constant since its introduction. This tells me it is a popular tool, and that DeWalt does not have to resort to price gimmicks to sell large quantities.

It works extremely well. The chip ejection system is outstanding. Yes it is loud, but you have to wear ear protection with any planer, especially lunchbox types.

All dials and guages are large and easy to read/operate. Maintanence is also a breeze, with a single T-handle allen wrench (provided) that opens everything up.

When I bought this at Hartville Tool, I got it and a free mobile table with a $60 off manufacturer's coupon, so I paid $439 for tool and table. I did pony up for the extension tables, but waited until Hartville had their 20% off sale to get them.

I'm not a huge DeWalt fan, but this is one well-designed, well constructed machine.

[Lars A Stole]

I used the 580 for about 2 years and the DW735 I've had for about 18 months. I liked the Delta, but I ultimately sold it because I kept goingthrough motor brushes (on my third set when I sold it) and, most importantly for me, dust collection was never very good. The Dewalt has fantastic dust collection. Nothing else like it. I hook it up to a dust collector and only ever see a few small chips. Since I run this indoors, that by itself sold me.

On the downside, the time between installing a new set of blades and noticing the first annoying planing line on your boards is much smaller on the dewalt than the delta. On the delta, I could plane dozens of boardsand the blades would still act like brand new leaving a flawless surface. On the dewalt, after about five boards the lines start appearing. I've given up replacing the blades frequently and instead just sand at 150 grit to remove these very minor surface lines.

Last issue, I had roller problems with my dewalt (as described elsewhere). the local service rep had everything replaced and serviced under warranty and I haven't had a problem since. This defect may already be fixed in the new versions of teh DW735.

Hope this helps.

[Jesse Thornton]

Hi Dave,
I can't compare because I have never used the Delta, but I have owned and used the DW735 for a couple of years now. It is indeed one of the loudest portable planers you can buy, but that makes little difference to me as I would use hearing protection anyway - a planer a few decibels quieter would still damage my ears over time if I didn't.
The knives that came with it did dull ridiculously fast, and I'm dead certain it wasn't due to misuse. In fact, immediately after flipping them over to a fresh edge (they're double sided) I watched the cuts get progressively worse and little ridges appear as I planed through less than 100bf of nice clear, clean maple. The upside is that after letting DeWalt know (through their website), they sent me a new set of blades right away, free of charge. I just got them, so I have yet to see if they perform any better. I will be pretty dismayed if they don't.
But besides the blade issue, I've been happy with it. The rollers sometimes need a bit more help pulling the wood through than I'd like, but the motor has never bogged down, the chip ejection is fantastic, the controls are very smooth, the blade changes are easy, and the customer service has been good.
I built a mobile stand with infeed/outfeed tables, it works well, so I didn't need to buy the add ons.
Good luck with your purchase.

[Rob Diz]

Not to go to the other side of the fence, but I have the Delta and have been very pleased with it. I have probably run 400 bf of cherry through it, and it still delivers an excellent finish, even on the "dimension" setting. Until my big BS arrives, I have also used this planer to reduce my 5/4 stock to the required dimensions, often removing a lot of lumber. This is still one of the most satisfying tools to operate. In fact, I had mine out last night and was thinking how much I liked the tool.

I'm a hobby guy, not a production facility, but I like to get quality tools when I can justify it and afford them. I just could not rationalize spending the extra money for the DW, notwithstanding the great reviews.

If you want great reviews for a tool that could get heavy use, check out the Makita. Folks that have that planer simply love it. But for me, the extra cost didn't deliver anything.

And besides, most of my shop is grey - that yellow thing would have looked out of place