Keep the DW733 or DW735

[charlie booker]

During my tool travels, I have picked up two Dewalt planers, a DW733 and DW735. I've tried out the both of them and each have their pros and cons. Both have seen maybe 24 hours of use and then were placed in storage. The DW733 comes with the sturdy front/back outfeed tables and dust collector.

I've gotten no snipe on popular and maple on either of them. The DW735 requires fewer adjustments. Both still remain noisy lunchboxes.

Okay, guys. Which one should I keep? At this point, it's kinda six of one or the other. I'll sell the one I don't keep.

[David Christopher]

Charlie, I have the 735 and like it but I think you need to run a few boards through both machines and see which one you like best

[Mike Henderson]

Definitely the 735.

Mike

[Dan Friedrichs]

I'd keep the 735, but it would be worth a lot more on the used market, so if YOU find the 733 and 735 functionally similar for what you do, sell the 735 and make more money :)

[Dave Sweeney]

I can't see any reason why the 733 would come out on top of this poll.

[scott spencer]

The 735 has the triple blades vs 2 on the 733, plus it has the built in chip ejector....nice if you need it. The 735 tends to command a lot of praise in the mags and from owners....

[David Keller NC]

Realize that used power woodworking machinery is difficult to sell these days. You can still sell it, but you'll probably have to take a lot less for it than you would have a year ago.

So from that perspective, I'd keep the one that has the most value in it, because you're only going to recover a small percentage of that value from either planer. The 735 is the nicer tool, with 2 speeds and 3 blades, and there are so many out there that getting parts for them 20 years from now may be easier than the 733.

[Gary Herrmann]

735. I really liked the way my performed.

[Darius Ferlas]

Both still remain noisy lunchboxes.
Since you mention noise, I'd sell both and get a Steel City 40200H (http://www.steelcitytoolworks.com/products_tools.cfm?section=2&category=9&tool=40200H). I heard it in action. Much quieter than any lunch box planer I heard and the quality of cut is superb.

[Robert Payne]

I'm going to cast a vote for the venerable 733 for a few reasons. It runs and runs and parts are readily available for it. (I had to replace a broken spoket in my 10 year old 733 this past fall for the lofty sum of $3.18 plus tax after I accidently ran a tapered piece of stock that jammed the compression rollers). Second, it has thicker and cheaper OEM blades that can be resharpened at least 4 times. Snipe is almost non existent and it runs and runs and runs.... If you don't weant to keep it, send it to me!

[Ed Sallee]

I have a 733...have had for about 10 years.... it has not done me wrong in any way. I built a planer stand with collapsable infeed/outfeed tables, wheels and the whole 9 yards.... I believe my planer may be on it's last leg, as it doesn't sound the same - maybe I just need to replace the brushes or something..... but....

....if you decide to sell the 733 you have a potential customer down here in Georgia.... I have been reluctant to buy a different planer as a replacement, because I really like the custom stand that I built for the 733......

[Cody Colston]

I just replaced my 733 with a Griz 15" but I thought seriously of going to the 735.

The 733 is 2-blade, single speed. The 735 is 3-blade, 2-speed with a built-in chip ejector. For thicknessing stock and then putting a near finish-ready surface on it, the 735 is hands down the winner.

Plus, like David alluded, you will be lucky to get half of new price for a used planer. That means you will lose more money by selling the 735 than you will by selling the 733.

If you have the shop space you might consider keeping both and using the 733 for the initial planing to remove any grit that you fail to brush off the stock. The 735 could be used to finish plane the stock.

[Jeff Willard]

I sold a 733 to make room for a 735. The Shelix head and carbide straight knives are also available for the 735, but AFAIK, not the 733.

[Bill White]

Love my 733, and the fact that I can sharpen the blades.
Bill

[Danny Burns]

If you work in a lot of tough grained woods, then the 733 has the ability to put a small micro back bevel on the blades that will help to reduce tear-out.

The back bevel only needs to be just slightly larger than the thickness of the chips, and a few degrees.

If you are not working in tough grained woods, then the 735 will give you more value in the long run.

[Michael Trivette]

id just keep them both.

I have a DW735 and a cheap delta lunchbox.

I use the DW for nice wood and the delta for reclaimed wood or even knottie 2x4's

kinda like haveing a scrub plane and a smoother

[Brad Townsend]

Like Jeff said, if you ever decide you want the ultimate in lunchbox planers, you can put a Byrd Shelix cutterhead in a 735. I don't think they make them for a 733. It's an expensive option and not one I would recommend if you didn't already have the 735 (you could buy a heavy iron, induction motor 15" for the same money), but I have one with a Byrd and it is simply awesome.

[Eddie Darby]

Like Jeff said, if you ever decide you want the ultimate in lunchbox planers, you can put a Byrd Shelix cutterhead in a 735. I don't think they make them for a 733. It's an expensive option and not one I would recommend if you didn't already have the 735 (you could buy a heavy iron, induction motor 15" for the same money), but I have one with a Byrd and it is simply awesome.

If you want the helix head then ....

Sell both and buy the Steel City 13" planer, and you will have a helix head, and sharp HSS cutters, all for around $600.
HSS will be sharper than Carbide cutters, and a lot cheaper.

http://www.steelcitytoolworks.com/products_tools.cfm?section=2&category=9&tool=40200H

This way you will avoid the hassle of trying to fit an add-on aftermarket head.

[Brad Townsend]

HSS will be sharper than Carbide cutters, and a lot cheaper.

True, but is the advantage of that sharper edge important in ordinary use? The carbide is capable of a beautiful finish with no tearout on figured woods with an edge that will last much longer than HSS. I'm guessing that Steel City's main reason for going with HSS instead of carbide was not to achieve a marginally sharper edge, but to reach a lower price point, and this is a good approach for those who don't want to spend the big bucks for carbide.

Installing the aftermarket head would be considered a hassle by some and takes about an hour.

[Eddie Darby]

True, but is the advantage of that sharper edge important in ordinary use? The carbide is capable of a beautiful finish with no tearout on figured woods with an edge that will last much longer than HSS. I'm guessing that Steel City's main reason for going with HSS instead of carbide was not to achieve a marginally sharper edge, but to reach a lower price point, and this is a good approach for those who don't want to spend the big bucks for carbide.

Installing the aftermarket head would be considered a hassle by some and takes about an hour.

The quality of the finish that your planer gives is dependent upon the sharpness of your knives. Ordinary use, depends on what is ordinary, but HSS will give a better finish than carbide.

Installing an aftermarket head that costs as much or more than the Steel City planer total is a nice way to spend some quality time scratching your head. :D

[Brad Townsend]

The quality of the finish that your planer gives is dependent upon the sharpness of your knives. Ordinary use, depends on what is ordinary, but HSS will give a better finish than carbide.

Installing an aftermarket head that costs as much or more than the Steel City planer total is a nice way to spend some quality time scratching your head. :D
My aftermarket head was just over $300 at discount. I believe it is normally around $400. Not as much as a Steel City planer, but expensive?.... Heck yes, but that hour or so of quality time installing it means a lot less fiddling down the road. To each his own, but from a maintenance standpoint, carbide is the clear winner for me and worth the added cost.

As to the quality of the finish, I don't have a wide basis of comparison beyond what the HSS knives in my old head did. The finish from a NEW set of Dewalt HSS knives may have been ever-so-slightly smoother (that is until the first nick lines appeared after a few board feet.:D). Anyway, a planer is a dimensioning tool. Everything has to be sanded and I don't find myself doing any more sanding with carbide than I did with HSS.

The other thing I like about the Byrd is that carbide is much more forgiving of what you send through it. For example, I planed down some old cutting boards of my mother-in-law's that had glue lines. This is something I would have been very uneasy about doing with HSS cutters.

[Jeff Willard]

As to the quality of the finish, I don't have a wide basis of comparison beyond what the HSS knives in my old head did. The finish from a NEW set of Dewalt HSS knives may have been ever-so-slightly smoother (that is until the first nick lines appeared after a few board feet.:D). Anyway, a planer is a dimensioning tool. Everything has to be sanded and I don't find myself doing any more sanding with carbide than I did with HSS.

The other thing I like about the Byrd is that carbide is much more forgiving of what you send through it. For example, I planed down some old cutting boards of my mother-in-law's that had glue lines. This is something I would have been very uneasy about doing with HSS cutters.

'Zackly. Add to that the fact that carbide will retain it's edge up to 10x as long. How much are you really saving with the HSS?

[Danny Burns]

My aftermarket head was just over $300 at discount. I believe it is normally around $400.


Can you tell me where I can get a spiral head for my planer at $300 please.
Thanks, I've always thought that a nice Byrd head would be a great addition.

[Joe Kaufman]

In SoCal, Home Depot is dumping the DW735. There are 5 stores within a 7 mile radius, 2 of which still had new units on cearance 2 weeks ago. I got one on 7/4/09 for $325 (NIB). Last week someone reported they got one for $270 - don't remember the location. This may affect the value of a used 735 until HD clears their inventory.

Joe