Customer Reviews

Hitachi P20SBK 3-1/4-Inch Portable Planer

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I looked at all the planers. I was going to buy a planer with AMPS being my first concern. With a 3.4 amp motor this planer did not fail once. I put this machine to work on rough cut white oak with the blades full bore, and I got tired before this Hitachi planer. My only wish is the shoe as in all planers in this class was 1 inch longer. With a longer shoe or base this would get 5 stars. At this price you cannot go wrong. Blades are a snap to change, and sharpen. This is a nice machine.

If you need a hand planer for occasional use and don't want to spend more than $100 bucks this is an excellent buy. I gave it 5 stars are mainly because this is a best value choice. I got mine on sale for $89. It came with a metal case and right angle fence. It's a quality tool and fit and finish are very good. The shoe is a little short, making it slightly unbalanced, but it still feels pretty good in your hand. Depth of cut adjustments are simple and accurate, and it will produce a very clean cut. I've had mine for 2 years and the blades are holding up extremely well. I have not had to change them or sharpen them. It takes a little practice but it will take down to 64th of an inch with very little snipe at the ends. Has plenty of power for my needs. I use it mainly on bowed studs, shaving jam extensions flush, or back planing baseboard. None of these operations require extreme accuracy, but this tool delivers very nice results. Occasionally I will use it for shaving doors and it works fine but you will likely need some touch up hand sanding.

I think this is the probably the best hand planer out there for less than $150. For under $100 you can't beat it. If you want the top of the line look at the Porter Cable 9118 but that tool is 5 times the price.

I'd have to give it 4.5 stars, it's worth more than 4 stars so I had to give it 5.

Good, solid tool. Simple, clean and throws chips clear easily. Plenty of power for most jobs, handles hardwoods well with reasonable bite.

Con, no dust collection port or bag. Just ejects the chips out the side shoot. In the shop it's no big deal, if I have guests coming over and I want them to think I've been working hard, I'll run it over a board for a few minutes and it looks like I've been working for hours. In the house, you better get someone to catch. On the plus side, the chips are shavings, not saw dust so it's easy to clean up.

Not that it's hard to figure the thing out but the instructions are all but useless. I'd rate them about 50% if you count the safety warnings. No mention of how to use the edge guide and usage suggestions basically consist of an illustration of a board with the cutting already done. Blade change instructions are a bit lacking as well.

If you need a power planer handy you can use, you can't go wrong with this one.

I purchased this planer a year ago to knock off twists and crowns from some rafters. It was a real timesaver, and I have used it to plough out casings and trim as well as fitting doors. I actually like the shorter shoe since it makes it easier to follow a scribe line. It is also very light weight. Much easier to handle than the big PC.

The only major drawback is the lack of a dust/shavings adapter for the vac. It blows shavings a good ten feet!