# Cutech planer or Dewalt 735



## Thrifty Tool Guy (Aug 23, 2007)

My local big box store has a "special order return item" DW735 on sale for $420, which is a good price for that item relative to new. However, since the cutech planers now offer spiral heads, is the $420 price any good relative to all the options.?


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

I vote for the DW735 - - you can get a spiral head for it if you want.

HJ


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Thrifty Tool Guy said:


> My local big box store has a "special order return item" DW735 on sale for $420, which is a good price for that item relative to new. However, since the cutech planers now offer spiral heads, is the $420 price any good relative to all the options.?


when you get to the pictures blow them up and even after careful dressing you'll see the individual snipes....
read the thread carefully...
spiral head is misleading...

http://www.routerforums.com/featured-topics/77025-do-space-saving-benchtop-jointers-work.html


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## Ratbob (Apr 6, 2015)

@Stick486 - TTG is comparing the 735 to Cutech's line of planers with spiral heads. From all I've read the Cutech tools are re-branded Steel City products.
@THRify Tool Guy - I'm down to those two choices too. That's a great price on the 735. If the box is unopened I'd be sorely tempted given the lack of user reviews of the Cutech line.


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

I would buy the 735 ""if"" you could return it if you need to.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

same style head on the planer as the joiner?...
getting the 735 is a no brainer...

WTB...
the 735 was used for a project and returned...


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## Thrifty Tool Guy (Aug 23, 2007)

I'm comparing the 735 with the spiral head Cutech planers. The 735 is an unused returned item at a big box. Between the store policy and the Dewalt warranty, I'm not concerned about those issues.

More to the point is .......... should I just jump to the spiral head technology for similar $


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Thrifty Tool Guy said:


> More to the point is .......... should I just jump to the spiral head technology for similar $


cultech's spiral head isn't a true spiral...


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Agree with Stick`s comment, the head is actually just a staggered row of cutters, not a true spiral head. With a true spiral you have 2 or 3 rows of cutters per revolution that run in spiral grooves. Not the same as Cutech`s design.

FWW did a comparison a few years ago of lunchbox planers and the 735 won the competition handily. At it`s weight it is barely considered portable though. I think it`s around 98lbs.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

There's nothing wrong with a little extra weight though. Gives one that feeling of extra solidity.


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

Piling on....

The DW735 has been reviewed ad nauseum and I don't think I've ever seen anything other than very positive or better. As others have said, the CU-tech doesn't have a true spiral. Also, none of their 13" models come with carbide inserts so it's a pretty poor "step up" from the 735's straight blades. 

And for that price on the DW735, you better move fast. I've seen used ones listed for more than that.

Personally, I would never go back to using a straight blade planer but then we are talking about double the cost of what you're considering.


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## greenacres2 (Dec 23, 2011)

PhilBa said:


> Piling on....
> 
> And for that price on the DW735, you better move fast. *I've seen used ones listed for more than that.*
> 
> Personally, I would never go back to using a straight blade planer but then we are talking about double the cost of what you're considering.


Shoot, I've seen used ones listed for more than retail LIST price!! 

Can't speak on the Cutech, but my DW 735 has been great. Went from a Delta 12" to a DW 733 to the 735--both "step-ups" were significant. It was a floor display with no box (from a Sear's store), for $325 as i recall. After a year or so i added the Byrd head--different world than the straight knives (which were pretty darned good). 

For what i have in it, and what it does--i'd be willing to do it at retail if i needed to buy again. That's a statement coming from a cheap-skate like me.

earl


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## MikeMa (Jul 27, 2006)

CUTech is the company who has made a lot of other companies tools. I have seen what we now know as cu tech from the now defunct Steel City, Rikon, Delta/Porter Cable, and a few others. I had a Delta (now it is a Porter Cable) bench top jointer that was made from them. From my experience, your money will be far better spent on the Dewalt.


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## kywoodchopper (Jul 18, 2013)

Seems as everyone is saying that the spiral cutter on the 13" planers aren't true spiral. I totally agree. I have a 735. Since I work with a lot of figured wood I purchased a spiral cutter head from Byrd. I could not do this work with regular knives. I have a friend with a Steel City planer with their version of a spiral cutter head. I took a figured board to him for planing. It ripped it apart. I took the same board to another friend with a planer with regular blades. It did a much better job, but still ripped it in places. These fellows are right about 13" planers spiral cutters aren't spiral. 

The spiral on the Byrd spiral cutter head are turned at an angle to get the same effect as a spiral router bit would work. The one on the Steel City the not turned at an angle so the effect is the same as a planer with 2- or 3-knives.

Hope this helps. Malcolm / Kentucky USA


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## Thrifty Tool Guy (Aug 23, 2007)

Malcolm,

Thanks for the input and your observations. Since I was originally not planning on buying a planer until I was in a place with space for a 15" unit, like a Grizzly, are the Grizzly (non-Byrd) spiral cutters also marginal?


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

this is Byrd...









this is the Grizzly Indexable Spiral Cutter Head...









this is the Cutech segmented cutter head...
which they call a spiral...
Spiral Cutterhead Comparison


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

I put a byrd shellix in my 15" planer last year and did a fair amount of research on spiral vs helix. Byrd is the only after marker helical that I found. It may be the only one out there period. PM offers a helical but uses byrds. Jet claims a helical but doesn't say who's it is - I bet it's byrd, too. From all the reviews, helicals are a little better than regular spirals on extremely figured wood than spirals but for most "run of the mill" figure, they are about the same. The shelix slices but leaves a slightly cupped surface which some people don't like though I have no complaints after running lots of Jatoba though my planer. Jatoba is notoriously hard to sand so it's close to a worst case scenario - looked fine to me though. And, a $10 cabinet scraper works really well on it.

To the question of Griz (non-helical) spirals vs the byrd shelix - no, they aren't marginal. For the vast majority of wood, you wouldn't really see any difference. But you WILL see and hear a big difference with either over a straight blade head. If I had a choice of shelix vs spiral, I'd take the shelix but not at much of a premium. I'm looking at a new jointer and would happily take a spiral instead of a shelix.

That cu tech "spiral" looks empty. Not enough cuts per second. One of the reasons the byrd or griz spirals work so well is they have a lot of cutters and thus take smaller cuts. The cu tech head has 24 cutters while the byrd drop in for the DW735 has 40. At this point, the math is optional.

By the way, griz sells the byrd shelixs and some times has them on sale. I think I paid 580 for my 15" but they are going for 655 now. 

Final note: upgrading a planer head is a fair amount of work. A skilled mechanic will have no problem. I consider myself semi-skilled and it was a challenge.


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## whimsofchaz (Jun 6, 2013)

Get the 735 it is the leading portable planer out there. It will run for ages. Every review of planers I have seen says the 735 is the best. Don't get caught up in that spiral game. When you have to replace 50 cutters instead of 3 blades you will wish you got the 735


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

While I totally agree that the 735 is a very good choice, arguing 3 cutters is better than 50 (actually 40 in the 735 shelix) is kind of funny. Carbide lasts about 10X HSS and there are 4 sides to each cutter so you get 40X the life of HSS blades. All others things being equal, we are talking about a wash on the number of cutter/blade changes (though you would go through 120 straight blades in the time to go through one spiral, no small cost there). Plus, when you nick a blade, you have to replace the straight one while you only need to turn the damaged spiral cutters.

But, in addition to carbide and better recovery from damage, two additional very good reasons to get a spiral/helix are that it does a much better job on figured wood and is a lot quieter.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

You beat me to it. When you do chip a blade, or a cutter, surely you wouldn't be replacing all the cutters at one time. But you would need to replace the whole blade!


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

" But you would need to replace the whole blade!"

Make that blades, plural. 3 on mine.
Chances of only nicking _one_ of the HSS blades is a crap shoot. Having said that, the Delta blades can be flipped over, so basically you get a 2nd chance...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> " But you would need to replace the whole blade!"
> 
> Make that blades, plural. 3 on mine.
> Chances of only nicking _one_ of the HSS blades is a crap shoot. Having said that, the Delta blades can be flipped over, so basically you get a 2nd chance...


offset the blades a fuzz so that the nicks don't line up...


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## schnewj (Nov 18, 2013)

Stick486 said:


> offset the blades a fuzz so that the nicks don't line up...


This is possible in the 735 but there is not an awful lot of leeway. I was talking to a DW rep at the local Woodcraft vendors fair last fall about this. He was demonstrating how easy it was to change blades and get them set correctly. You can offset the blades just a skosch but not a lot, since the blades index to pins on the head. It can be done.

I bought a DW735 on the advice of the members here. I was in the market to buy the Steel City 13" and was waiting for the new units to come out, when they went out of business. I can't be happier that I didn't get the Steel City. Stick has shown why, with the different heads he just illustrated.

If you want to add a Byrd head to the DW735 at some point it in not all that difficult. The price is around $300 for the cutter. I got my 745 for $500, so a cutter would bring it up to an $800 machine. If I were putting that much into it at the outset, then I would probably just move up to a 15". Not to say that I won't add a Byrd in the future, but I don't think that I need to at this point.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

so you can't move the blades a fuzz on the 735.. only a schosh...
leave one blade in position...
move one to the right...
move the other one to the left...

totally you may get your fuzz...
so this means a ''tad'' is out of the equation..


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## socalboarder (Jan 31, 2016)

I'm a newbie woodworker but for what it's worth I decided to take a chance on the Cutech Planer. I've been really happy with the performance after running everything from dimensional lumber to walnut and maple through it. Since I've got limited garage space, I even went back and bought the benchtop jointer. Both have performed very well. I'm sure a $1,000+ planer and jointer with a true helical head would work better but neither were in my budget and for the money I've been thrilled with the performance. Also, support from Cutech has been great.


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

sniff, sniff??


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

TwoSkies57 said:


> sniff, sniff??


heheheheheheheheheh...


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Snagged...?


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Hey, Scott; welcome!

Just ignore them. They're just jealous 'cause you've got a new tool 
(And you _like_ it!!!)


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Dan is right, Scott...just jealous...but what's not to like about a new tool added to the arsenal...

Welcome to the funny farm...


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## Thrifty Tool Guy (Aug 23, 2007)

Stick486 said:


> so you can't move the blades a fuzz on the 735.. only a schosh...
> leave one blade in position...
> move one to the right...
> move the other one to the left...
> ...


I solved my dilemma by buying a used Jet 15" planer with a helical head. Price was $100 less than a new 735.

Thank God for Craigslist.....


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Thrifty Tool Guy said:


> I solved my dilemma by buying a used Jet 15" planer with a helical head. Price was $100 less than a new 735.
> 
> Thank God for Craigslist.....


way to go thrifty...


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

I agree,Thrifty,You will make some chips now.

Herb


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## Thrifty Tool Guy (Aug 23, 2007)

Herb Stoops said:


> I agree,Thrifty,You will make some chips now.
> 
> Herb


When I looked inside the planer and saw the helical head......All I could say was, I'll take this too.......

I originally responded to a table saw listed in the ad. It was a very good day.


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

Thrifty Tool Guy said:


> I solved my dilemma by buying a used Jet 15" planer with a helical head. Price was $100 less than a new 735.
> 
> Thank God for Craigslist.....


That's a steal of a deal. congrats.


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Thrifty...you're gonna hafta keep looking over your shoulder for the cops...you stole it ! ! !

You're living up to your name


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

The helical head is worth what you paid by itself. I've looked at upgrading my 16" but it's pricey.


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## Thrifty Tool Guy (Aug 23, 2007)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> The helical head is worth what you paid by itself. I've looked at upgrading my 16" but it's pricey.


I agree. I considered updating my father's Belsaw planer, but that wasn't logical......would have cost more than buying new.

In any case, most all of my tools are now Craigslist acquisitions. It may take a while for what you want to pop-up, but, if you're patient, someone will be dumping the stuff they no longer need or want.


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

Thrifty Tool Guy said:


> I agree. I considered updating my father's Belsaw planer, but that wasn't logical......would have cost more than buying new.
> 
> In any case, most all of my tools are now Craigslist acquisitions. It may take a while for what you want to pop-up, but, if you're patient, someone will be dumping the stuff they no longer need or want.


I agree! The $600 PM66 or $300 DW735 don't come up that often but, with patience, you can be there if you keep an eye on it.

And, upgrading to a helical head isn't too bad if the unit you're upgrading didn't cost that much.


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