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Every DeWalt planer currently on the market falls into one of three clear use cases: the DCP580B 20V MAX handheld planer for quick edge work on site, the DW734 12.5-inch benchtop planer for budget-conscious hobby shops, and the DW735X 13-inch two-speed benchtop planer for anyone milling rough lumber regularly. Pick the one that matches the width of stock you actually run and how many board feet you push through per month — not the one with the biggest spec sheet.
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DeWalt Planer Lineup at a Glance
These three machines share almost no overlap in what they do well, which makes the decision simpler than most tool comparisons.
| Spec | DCP580B (handheld, 20V MAX) | DW734 (benchtop) | DW735X (benchtop) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cutting width | 3-1/4 in | 12-1/2 in | 13 in |
| Max depth per pass | ~5/64 in (2 mm) | 1/8 in | 1/8 in |
| Motor / power | 20V brushless cordless | 15 amp corded | 15 amp corded |
| Cutterhead speed | ~15,000 RPM | ~10,000 RPM (cutterhead) | Two-speed: 96 or 179 cuts per inch feed options |
| Depth capacity (thickness) | N/A — edge/surface only | Up to ~6 in thick | Up to ~6 in thick |
| Weight | ~5.4 lb (tool only) | ~80 lb | ~92 lb |
| Knives | Reversible carbide insert | 3 steel knives | 3 steel knives, disposable reversible |
| Typical market price | $150–$220 (bare tool) | $400–$500 | $650–$800 (includes infeed/outfeed tables + spare knives) |
DCP580B: The Cordless Handheld for Trim, Fitting, and Job Sites
The DCP580B is not a substitute for a benchtop planer — it solves a different problem. With a 3-1/4-inch cut width and a brushless motor, it’s built for doors that stick, joists that need leveling, edges that need chamfering, and any work where the material can’t come to the machine. The depth adjustment dial runs in small increments and the front shoe is machined flat for consistent passes.
Buy it if: you install doors or trim, work on framing lumber, or need to flatten a small area without hauling boards across the shop. Skip it if your goal is flattening wide boards — overlapping 3-1/4-inch passes leave ridges you can’t avoid without sanding, and removing serious thickness by hand planing eats batteries fast. As a bare tool it makes the most sense if you already own 20V MAX batteries; a 5Ah pack handles roughly a full day’s intermittent trimming work.
DW734: The Entry-Level Thickness Planer
The DW734 is the cheapest way to get a real DeWalt wood planer that actually thicknesses lumber. Its 15-amp motor, 12.5-inch width, and 1/8-inch maximum depth of cut handle hobby-scale work — cutting boards, small tabletops, drawer stock — without complaint. The four-column carriage lock reduces snipe compared to older single-column designs, though snipe is never fully eliminated at this price tier.
Buy it if: you mill lumber a few times a month, your stock stays under 12 inches wide, and saving $200–$300 versus the DW735X matters more than finish quality. Skip it if you process hardwoods in volume — the single feed speed is aggressive, which produces a rougher surface on figured maple and means more sanding afterward.
DW735X: The Two-Speed Flagship
The DW735X is the model most serious hobbyists and small shops land on, and the “X” suffix matters: it bundles infeed/outfeed tables and an extra set of knives, which you’d otherwise buy separately. Its defining feature is the two-speed gearbox — a fast speed (179 cuts per inch effective feed) for quick dimensioning and a slow speed for finish-quality surfaces on hardwoods. That second speed is what eliminates most sanding between planing and finishing, and it’s absent from every cheaper benchtop planer, DeWalt’s included.
Buy it if: you mill 50+ board feet a month, work with hardwoods, or want a surface ready for finish straight off the machine. The 13-inch width also covers most tabletops built from single slabs or glued panels. Skip it if space is tight — at ~92 lb it’s “portable” only in the sense that two people can carry it, and it deserves a dedicated stand or flip-top cart.
Decision Matrix: Match Your Situation to the Model
| Your situation | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Contractor, door fitting, job site work | DCP580B | Cordless, one-handed, no bench needed |
| Hobbyist, occasional planing, under $500 budget | DW734 | Real thicknessing at the lowest entry price |
| Hobbyist buying rough-sawn hardwood regularly | DW735X | Finish speed saves hours of sanding; extra width helps |
| Small shop, daily use, glued panels over 13 in | Neither — look at 15 in+ stationary planers | Both benchtop models cap at ~13 in wide |
| Already own DeWalt 20V batteries | DCP580B (for edge work) + whichever benchtop fits | Tools complement, don’t replace, each other |
Ownership Realities: What Wears, What Costs Extra
Knives are the main consumable. On the benchtop models, hitting a staple or knot nicks all three knives in the same spot, leaving a ridge line on every subsequent board. Reversible knives on the DW735X get flipped once before replacement; budget roughly $60–$90 for a set, which at hobby use means one set every 6–18 months. The DCP580B’s carbide insert lasts much longer but its reversible edge still wants a spare on hand.
Snipe is a technique problem, not just a machine problem. Both benchtop planers produce slight snipe — a deeper cut at the board’s ends. The fix costs nothing: support the board level on the infeed and outfeed, or plane boards a few inches long and cut off the ends. The DW735X’s included tables reduce it substantially.
Take shallow passes. Both benchtops allow 1/8 inch per pass, but running that deep in oak or maple trips thermal overloads and accelerates knife wear. A 1/16-inch pass in hardwoods takes twice as many passes but halves the work the motor does. For the DCP580B, multiple light passes beat one deep pass for both battery life and cut quality.
Dust collection isn’t optional. The chip ejection on the benchtops is strong, but a trash can under the port fills in minutes. A shop vac is the minimum; a dedicated dust collector with a 4-inch hose keeps the cutterhead clear, which directly affects surface quality.
FAQ
Can a handheld DeWalt planer flatten a tabletop?
Technically yes, practically no. The 3-1/4-inch cut width and lack of a fixed reference mean you’d be chasing high spots for hours. Use a flattening sled with a router, or take the slab to a shop with a wide-belt sander.
Is the DW735X worth it over the DW734?
If you plane hardwoods more than occasionally, yes — the two-speed cutterhead and included tables/knives close most of the price gap, and the finish-speed surface skips the sander. For softwoods and infrequent use, the DW734 does 90% of the job.
Can benchtop planers run off a household outlet?
Yes — both are 15-amp tools designed for standard 120V circuits. Avoid running them on the same circuit as a dust collector if the breaker is only 15 amps; a 20-amp circuit gives headroom.