Power Tools Reviews
Makita 1912B 7.5 Amp 4-3/8-Inch Planer
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 Great Planer!! I needed a good heavy duty planer to scarff 1:8 slope joints in plywood sheets (I build boats). This planer has met all of my expectations. Plenty of power. Accurate cutter depth control. Extremely easy to change/sharpen blades. I would have given it five stars except for the useless chip collection port. Chips and dust dump out right by the motor fan! Small inconvenience though. All in all a very nice tool! big it has lots of power ,use it to do 2x4 & 4x4 in one pass .will hog well also .but it is big Tymothy Park, builder I used a friend's Porter-Cable Model 367 power plane and quickly began to wonder how I got along without a power plane for so many years. I thought I'd get the same model Porter-Cable, but it appears Porter-Cable replaced it with another model. Further, all the reviews I read about Porter-Cable power planes in Amazon.com left me somewhat confused so I thought I'd try Makita, a brand with which I've had good success. I went for the 4 3/8" model because I could true a built-up beam in one pass. When I got the Makita I first noticed the weight difference between it and the Porter-Cable. The Makita is heavier and at first blush seemed better suited for a shop rather than a jobsite (one must always keep in mind bigger might not be better). The next thing I noticed is the drive belt on the Makita is not fully enclosed like the one on the Porter-Cable (I nicked my finger with it, and for a brief second I thought it was the blade that nicked me). Finally, the exhaust port on the Makita dumps out the chips (often plentiful) right next to the air intake for the motor (the Porter-Cable has a two door system that lets you vent the chips to either the right or left side). Despite these short comings I really like the Makita. It's way powerful which I believe calls for the extra weight and compared to, say, a Mag 77 worm drive saw it's a fly weight. It's very smooth in part because you're limited to 1/16" cut, the cutter head turns @ 16000 RPM, and my blades don't yet have any nicks in them. For me the bottom line is how much I use a tool, and it's a rare day that I don't press the Makita into service. Compared to no plane there is no comparison. Compared to muscle powered planes, I think you will wonder why it took you so long to power up. Compared to other powerplanes, well let's say the Makita's flaws are evident (are you listening, Makita), but it's still a way useful tool. | |||||||||
