Category: Comparisons

HVLP vs airless vs LVLP comes down to what you’re painting. An HVLP sprayer gives the finest, most controlled finish and is the right tool for furniture, cabinets, doors and trim. An airless sprayer pumps paint at thousands of psi and covers walls, ceilings, siding and fences many times faster. An LVLP gun is a low-pressure spray gun that runs on a small air compressor, for people who already own one. A roller still beats all three on a single room you don’t want to mask.

Below is a side-by-side table, how each sprayer works, the three head-to-heads people actually search for (HVLP vs airless, HVLP vs LVLP, and paint sprayer vs roller), a project-by-project chooser, and one sprayer of each type I’d look at, with figures from the makers’ own pages. For full lineups, see my best HVLP sprayers and best paint sprayers for cabinets.

HVLP vs Airless vs LVLP at a Glance

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What Is an HVLP Sprayer?

HVLP stands for high volume, low pressure. Instead of blasting paint at high pressure, the sprayer moves a lot of air at a gentle pressure and uses it to shear the paint into a fine mist at the nozzle. The definition regulators use is precise: South Coast AQMD Rule 1136, the Southern California rule for wood coatings, defines HVLP spray as a gun operated at 0.1 to 10 psi, measured at the center of the air cap and at the air horns. Because the spray is slow and soft, less paint bounces off the surface and more of it lands where you aim, which is why Wagner calls HVLP a finishing tool for small to medium projects.

Turbine HVLP

Most HVLP sprayers sold for home use are turbine systems: an electric turbine, like a high-output blower, feeds air through a hose (or straight through the body on handheld units) to a gun with a paint cup. For a worked example of the choice, read my Wagner Flexio 4000 vs 5000 comparison. There’s no compressor and no water or oil in the air. The number of turbine stages sets how much pressure you get: Fuji rates its 2-stage Semi-PRO 2 at 5.0 psi, and more stages handle thicker paint with less thinning.

Compressor (Conversion) HVLP Guns

An HVLP gun can also run on a shop compressor. The gun takes high-pressure air from the hose and drops it to 10 psi or less at the cap. The catch is volume: contributors on WOODWEB, the woodworking trade forum, describe the original conversion guns as needing around 22 CFM at 50 psi, far more than a typical garage compressor delivers. That’s the gap LVLP guns were made to fill.

Where HVLP Wins and Where It Loses

• Wins: finish quality, control on edges and profiles, low overspray, quick cleanup of one gun and one cup.
• Loses: speed on large areas, constant cup refills, and thinning. Titan, which sells both types, says thinning is “much more of a requirement” with HVLP because the passages are small and clog with thick paint.

What Is an LVLP Spray Gun?

LVLP means low volume, low pressure. It’s still a low-pressure gun, so it keeps HVLP’s soft spray and low overspray, but its air cap is designed to atomize with much less air. WOODWEB’s knowledge base sums up the difference the way most finishers do: both types run at 10 psi or less at the cap, usually from 20 to 40 psi of inlet pressure, and guns that need less than roughly 7 to 10 CFM tend to be marketed as LVLP, everything above as HVLP. Many guns labeled HVLP are, by air use, LVLP.

Why LVLP Exists: Small Compressors

The selling point is the compressor you already have. The same WOODWEB thread notes that LVLP guns can often run from a compressor the size people use for a nailer, in the 5 to 6 CFM range. For a sense of scale, AEROPRO lists 3.0 to 3.9 CFM at 2.0 to 3.5 bar (about 29 to 51 psi) for its R500 LVLP gun. Always check the gun’s CFM against the compressor’s rated output at that pressure, the same way you would for an air sander.

The Trade-Off

Less air means less paint moved per minute and, usually, a narrower fan. That’s fine for a chair, a drawer front or a car panel, and slow for a set of 20 cabinet doors. You also need clean, dry air: a regulator at the gun and a water separator matter more than the gun itself.

What Is an Airless Paint Sprayer?

An airless sprayer uses no air at all. An electric piston pump pulls paint from the bucket and pushes it down a hose to the gun, and the paint atomizes as it’s forced through a tiny opening in the tip. Wagner puts typical fluid pressures at 1,200 to 3,300 psi or higher. Graco’s Magnum X5, a typical homeowner model, is rated at 3,000 psi, takes tips from 0.009 to 0.015 inches and moves up to 0.27 gallons a minute.

Tips Set the Job

The tip’s orifice size controls how much paint comes out and its fan width controls the stripe. Small orifices suit thin stains and enamels, larger ones suit wall paint and primers, and every machine has a maximum tip size it can supply. That max tip size is the single most useful spec when you compare airless sprayers.

Fine-Finish Tips and Air-Assisted Airless

Airless isn’t only for walls. Titan suggests pairing an airless sprayer with a fine-finish tip as “a good middle ground between airless and HVLP,” at some cost in speed and with fewer coatings. Production cabinet shops go a step further with air-assisted airless (AAA), which wraps the airless fan in a little air to cut overspray. Those are professional systems, but they’re why you’ll read that “pros spray cabinets with airless”: usually it’s a fine-finish setup, not a house-painting rig.

HVLP vs Airless: Which Is Better?

Neither: they’re built for different jobs. Wagner’s own summary is that airless is “typically used for house painting or large projects” and HVLP for “fine finishing on small to medium projects.” Here’s how that plays out.

Finish Quality

HVLP has the edge. Titan’s comparison puts it this way: a given material might call for 2,000 psi through an airless sprayer and only 10 psi through an HVLP, and that lower pressure gives more control over flow and film thickness. Interestingly, WAGNER notes that HVLP droplets are actually larger than airless ones; the difference is in the control and the soft landing, not in a finer mist.

Speed and Project Size

Airless wins, and it isn’t close. It sprays straight from a 1 or 5 gallon bucket, so you never stop to refill a cup, and one pass covers a wide stripe. On a whole room, a fence or a house exterior, HVLP would take many times longer.

Overspray, Masking and Waste

High pressure means more paint drifting off target. With airless you mask everything you don’t want painted, and some paint stays in the pump and hose at cleanup. HVLP lays more of the paint where you aim it. Southern California’s rule for wood-coating shops makes the point in regulatory terms: HVLP is on the list of approved application methods, alongside brushes and rollers, and any other method has to prove it matches HVLP’s transfer efficiency before it can be used.

Thinning

Airless sprays most latex paints unthinned. Most HVLP sprayers need thinner paint, checked with a viscosity cup; more turbine stages reduce the thinning. If you hate thinning, either buy a 3-stage or higher turbine or go airless with a fine-finish tip.

For Cabinets

For a DIY kitchen, HVLP is the safer choice: less overspray in the house, more control on raised panels and edges, and a cup-sized batch is the right amount for a set of doors. Airless with a fine-finish tip works and is faster on a big kitchen, but it takes practice to avoid runs. My best paint sprayers for cabinets cover both, and the cabinet refinishing guide covers the prep.

HVLP vs LVLP: Which Should You Buy?

The question is really about your air supply.

No Compressor: Turbine HVLP

If you don’t own a compressor, buy a turbine HVLP and stop there. It’s one box, the air is dry and warm, and there’s nothing else to size. Buying a compressor to run an LVLP gun only makes sense if you’ll use the compressor for nailers or air tools too.

You Own a Compressor: LVLP

If you already have a compressor in the 5 to 10 CFM class, an LVLP gun with a regulator and water separator is the cheapest way into spraying, and it gives a fine finish on furniture. A true conversion HVLP gun on that compressor will run out of air.

For Woodworking and Furniture

Both work. Turbine HVLP is easier for beginners and better for larger pieces because of its higher flow and wider fan; LVLP is excellent for small parts, touch-ups and clear coats. WOODWEB’s contributors add that HVLP guns generally do better in production because they move more material.

For Cars

Auto painters use both. LVLP is popular with hobbyists because it runs on a home compressor and is easy on clear coats; HVLP guns on a large compressor are the shop standard for full resprays. Automotive paint is a different world from wood finishes, so follow the paint maker’s gun settings.

Paint Sprayer vs Roller

A sprayer doesn’t automatically beat a roller. The time you save spraying is often spent masking, and a roller wastes almost no paint.

When a Roller Wins

• One room, especially a furnished or lived-in one: masking a whole room for 20 minutes of spraying rarely pays.
• Touch-ups and repaints in the same color.
• Tight budgets: a roller frame, covers and a brush cost a fraction of any sprayer.
• Windy days outside, where overspray travels.

When a Sprayer Wins

• Empty rooms and new construction, where there’s nothing to protect: airless.
• House exteriors, fences and decks with lots of surface and texture: airless or a large HVLP. See my best deck stain picks for what to spray.
• Cabinets, doors, shutters, spindles and furniture, where a brush leaves marks and a roller can’t reach: HVLP.
• Ceilings, if the room is empty: faster and kinder to your neck.

Spray and Back-Roll

Many painters do both: spray the paint on with an airless sprayer and immediately roll over it. Spraying is fast; back-rolling works the paint into texture and evens the film, which is why stain and paint makers often call for back-brushing or back-rolling on decks and siding.

What It Costs

For cabinets, professionals usually charge more for a sprayed finish than a brushed and rolled one, because spraying takes more masking and prep. My cabinet refinishing cost calculator shows both, side by side, for your kitchen.

Which Sprayer for Which Project

• Dressers, tables, chairs: HVLP turbine, or LVLP if you own a compressor.
• Kitchen cabinets: HVLP turbine; airless with a fine-finish tip for big kitchens and experienced hands.
• Interior doors and trim: HVLP for a handful, airless for a whole house of new doors.
• Interior walls and ceilings: roller for one room, airless for empty rooms or a whole floor.
• Exterior siding: airless, with back-rolling where the paint maker calls for it.
• Fences and decks: airless or a large HVLP; a roller or pad for small decks.
• Clear finishes on wood (poly, lacquer, shellac): HVLP or LVLP, light coats, sanding between them as in my guide to sanding between coats of polyurethane.
• Cars and metal parts: LVLP or HVLP gun on a compressor.

Whatever you choose, practice on cardboard or the back of a door first. My guide on how to use a paint sprayer covers thinning, distance, overlap and cleanup step by step.

Sprayers to Consider, One of Each Type

One machine per type, so you can see what each class looks like. For more choices, see my roundups of the best HVLP sprayers and sprayers for cabinets, and how I choose the products I recommend.

Fuji Spray Semi-PRO 2 Gravity HVLP Spray System (2203G)

Best HVLP for Furniture and Cabinets

A turbine HVLP built for fine finishing. Fuji’s 2-stage turbine delivers 5.0 psi to an M-Model non-bleed gravity gun with a 400cc cup and a 1.3 mm air cap as standard; caps from 0.8 to 2.0 mm are available for thinner or thicker coatings. The 25 ft hose has an air control valve to reduce overspray and bounce-back, the turbine sits in a metal case with a gun holder, and a viscosity cup is included so you can thin by measurement, not guesswork. Fuji backs it with a 2-year warranty.

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• ✅ Gravity cup and non-bleed gun for fine work
• ✅ Air control valve at the gun
• ✅ Viscosity cup included
• ❌ 2 stages: latex usually needs thinning
• ❌ Premium price tier

Best For: Woodworkers finishing furniture, doors and cabinet sets regularly.

HomeRight Super Finish Max HVLP Sprayer

Best Budget HVLP

A handheld HVLP with the turbine in the body. HomeRight lists 450 watts, a 40 oz cup, 1.5, 2.0 and 4.0 mm brass tips, two air caps and a pattern you can set from 1″ to 12″ wide. It’s rated for oil and water-based materials, from chalk-type and milk paint to latex, enamel, primer, poly, stain and varnish, with less thinning than HomeRight’s smaller Finish Max. HomeRight covers it for 2 years.

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• ✅ Three tips and two air caps
• ✅ No hose, nothing to set up
• ✅ Low price tier
• ❌ You hold the turbine’s weight
• ❌ Slow on big surfaces

Best For: Furniture makeovers, small fences and a first try at spraying.

Graco Magnum X5 Airless Paint Sprayer

Best Airless for Homeowners

The X5 is the airless most homeowners start with. Graco rates it at 3,000 psi, 0.27 GPM and a maximum tip of 0.015″, and it supports up to 75 ft of hose for second stories. The pressure is fully adjustable, the suction tube drops into a 1 or 5 gallon bucket, and paints and stains spray unthinned. It ships with an SG2 gun, a TrueAirless 515 tip, a 25 ft hose and a Power Flush adapter that connects to a garden hose for cleanup. Graco pitches it for projects of up to 10 gallons.

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• ✅ Sprays unthinned paint from the bucket
• ✅ Adjustable pressure
• ✅ Garden-hose cleanup adapter
• ❌ Overspray: masking is part of every job
• ❌ Too much machine for one dresser

Best For: Whole rooms, ceilings, fences and house exteriors.

InoKraft D1 LVLP Air Spray Gun Premium Kit

Best LVLP Gun if You Own a Compressor

The D1 kit is built around the two things beginners forget: it includes a pressure regulator and an oil-water separator with the gun, plus 1.3, 1.5 and 1.7 mm nozzles for thin to heavier coatings. The body is one piece of forged aluminum with a Teflon coating, which makes cleanup easier, and InoKraft pitches it for furniture, automotive and DIY projects. Before buying, check the manual’s air requirement against your compressor’s CFM rating.

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• ✅ Regulator and water separator included
• ✅ Three nozzle sizes
• ✅ Easy-clean coated body
• ❌ Needs a compressor
• ❌ Slower than a turbine on big pieces

Best For: Furniture, small panels and clear coats in a shop that already has air.

Still deciding? Tell me in the comments what you’re painting and I’ll help you pick the type.

Best choice for most woodworkers

DEWALT DW618PK

One 2-1/4 HP motor with both a fixed and a plunge base, so you don’t have to choose.

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• Fixed only DEWALT DW618
• Plunge only Makita RP2301FC

A fixed base router holds the bit at one depth, so you set it and start every cut from an edge; a plunge base router rides on spring-loaded columns, so you can start with the bit above the wood and lower it into the middle of a board. Fixed bases are simpler, steadier and better in a router table; plunge bases are needed for mortises, stopped grooves, inlays and stepped deep cuts. If you can only buy one router, buy a kit with both bases.

Below I compare the two bases side by side, show the jobs where each one wins, answer the questions people ask most, and point to three routers that fit each choice. For the full range of routers, see my best router for woodworking picks.

Plunge vs Fixed Base Router: Side by Side

How a Fixed Base Router Works

In a fixed base, the motor clamps into a sleeve and you set the depth by raising or lowering the motor, usually with a threaded ring or a micro-adjust knob, then lock it. The bit sticks out the same amount for the whole cut. Because the motor sits low in the base, a fixed-base router has a low center of gravity and feels steady on an edge. Its depth adjustment is also the most precise: DeWalt’s DW618 ring moves in 1/64″ steps. It’s the base most people bolt under a router table, and some, like Bosch’s MRC23EVSK fixed base, adjust from above the table.

The limit is that the spinning bit is always exposed below the base, so a cut has to start at an edge. Tipping a fixed-base router into the middle of a board to start a cut is how bits catch and routers jump.

How a Plunge Base Router Works

A plunge base carries the motor on two columns with springs that hold it up. You place the router flat on the wood with the bit above the surface, switch on, unlock and push down to a depth stop, rout, then let the springs lift the bit out before you switch off. A turret under the depth rod gives you three to five preset stops, so you can reach a deep cut in equal passes without touching the setting. That makes the plunge base the right tool for anything that starts or stops inside the board: mortises, stopped flutes and grooves, inlays, hinge mortises with a template and keyhole slots.

The trade-off is a taller, heavier tool with its handles higher up, which feels less steady on narrow edges, and a depth setting that is usually coarser than a fixed base’s micro-adjust.

When to Use Each Base

Use a Fixed Base For

• Roundovers, chamfers, coves and ogees on edges with a bearing bit.
• Rabbets for cabinet backs and picture frames.
• Grooves and dadoes that run out at an edge, with an edge guide or straightedge.
• Flush trimming laminate, veneer and edging.
• Router-table work: molding, rail-and-stile joints, raised panels.

Use a Plunge Base For

• Mortises for mortise-and-tenon joints and loose tenons.
• Stopped grooves, flutes and dadoes that don’t run out at an edge.
• Template work where the cut starts inside the template: hinge mortises, inlays, letters, keyholes.
• Deep cuts in several passes using the turret stops.
• Circles and cut-outs in the middle of a panel.

Plunge cuts need bits made to cut at the tip, such as plunge-cutting straight bits, spiral bits and core box bits; profile bits with a bearing on the tip can’t plunge. My guide to types of router bits shows which is which.

Routers for Each Choice

Three routers that cover the options. All three could be ordered on Amazon when I checked them, and the specs come from DeWalt and Makita.

DEWALT DW618PK Fixed and Plunge Base Router Kit

Best of Both: a Two-Base Kit

The answer to plunge vs fixed for most people is both, on one motor. The DW618PK pairs DeWalt’s 12 A, 2-1/4 HP variable-speed motor (8,000 to 24,000 RPM, soft start) with a DW6184 fixed base and a DW6182 plunge base. The fixed base adjusts on a micro-fine ring in 1/64″ steps; the plunge base has a five-position turret stop and through-the-column dust collection. The motor swaps between them with quick-release latches, and you get 1/4″ and 1/2″ collets and a 3-year warranty. It’s the top pick in my best router for woodworking list.

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• ✅ Fixed and plunge bases, one motor
• ✅ 1/64″ depth ring and turret stop
• ✅ 3-year warranty
• ❌ Costs more than a fixed-base router alone

Best For: Anyone who wants to do edge work, table work and plunge cuts with one router.

DEWALT DW618 2-1/4 HP Fixed Base Router

Fixed Base Only

If your work is edge profiles, rabbets, grooves from an edge and router-table jobs, the fixed-base DW618 is the same 12 A, 2-1/4 HP motor with variable speed from 8,000 to 24,000 RPM, soft start, the 1/64″ micro-fine depth ring and a tool-free steel cam lock, without the plunge base. DeWalt sells the DW6182 plunge base separately, so you can add it later and end up with the same kit.

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• ✅ Same motor as the kit for less
• ✅ Plunge base can be added later
• ❌ No plunge cuts until you buy the base

Best For: Edge work and a router that will live in a table.

Makita RP2301FC 3-1/4 HP Plunge Router

Plunge Base Only, With Power

A dedicated plunge router makes sense when most of your routing is mortises, stopped cuts, templates and deep work. Makita’s RP2301FC has a 15 A, 3-1/4 HP motor (9,000 to 22,000 RPM), a 2-3/4″ plunge on linear ball bearings, a quick-release depth adjustment with micro control and three preset stops, an electric brake, twin LEDs and a tool-less template guide system. It weighs 13.4 lb, with 1/4″ and 1/2″ collets.

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• ✅ Smooth 2-3/4″ plunge on ball bearings
• ✅ Electric brake and LEDs
• ❌ Heavy for edge work
• ❌ No fixed base

Best For: Mortising, template routing and deep plunge cuts.

What About Trim Routers?

Compact trim routers come with a fixed trimmer base and often accept a plunge base too: Makita’s RT0701CX7 kit includes both. A small plunge base on a trim router handles hinge mortises and small inlays well, but it limits you to 1/4″ bits and shallow cuts. For deep mortises and big bits, use a full-size plunge router.

Conclusion

The difference between a plunge and fixed base router is where the cut can start. A fixed base starts at an edge and is the steadier, more precise choice for profiles and table work; a plunge base drops into the board for mortises, stopped cuts and templates. Buy a two-base kit and you won’t have to choose. Questions about which base suits your project? Ask in the comments.

A dust extractor and a shop vac work the same way, with high suction through a small hose, but an extractor adds what sanding needs: a fine filter (usually HEPA), automatic filter cleaning on many models, an anti-static hose and an outlet that switches it on with your tool. A dust collector is a different machine: it moves four to eight times more air through a 4″ hose at much lower suction, which suits the chips from a table saw, planer or jointer, not a sander. Most shops end up with an extractor or a shop vac for hand tools and a collector for stationary machines.

Below is the dust extractor vs shop vac vs dust collector comparison with the makers’ own numbers, why suction and airflow pull in opposite directions, which tool needs which machine, when a shop vac with a cyclone separator is enough, and the machines I’d look at in each category. If you already know what you need, jump to my best dust extractor, best shop vac for dust collection or best dust collector pages.

Dust Extractor vs Shop Vac vs Dust Collector at a Glance

Examples in the table come from makers’ specs: DEWALT DWV010 (150 CFM), Bosch VAC090AH (150 CFM, 97″ water lift), Festool CT 26 (138 CFM, 96″), Makita VC4210L (148 CFM, 92″); POWERTEC DC5371 (560 CFM), JET DC-1200VX-BK1 (1,200 CFM with filters installed), RIKON 60-100 (3.25″ static pressure) and Laguna C|Flux:1 (10.1″).

Suction vs Airflow: Why the Three Machines Exist

Every dust machine trades suction for airflow. Suction, measured as water lift or static pressure, is the force that pulls air through resistance: a long, narrow hose and a sander’s tiny dust holes. Airflow, measured in CFM, is the volume of air moved, which carries chips away from a big cutter. You can’t have both from one small motor.

High Suction, Low Airflow: Extractors and Shop Vacs

Extractors and shop vacs use a fast, small motor that builds very high suction. Bosch and Festool list 96 to 97 inches of water lift. That pull is what gets dust through a 1-1/4″ hose and the holes in a sanding pad. But the volume is small, around 130 to 150 CFM, so a shop vac on a table saw or planer chokes on chips. DeWalt’s own DW735 planer manual says it’s not recommended to connect a shop vac, because most can’t handle the volume of chips and the hose may clog.

High Airflow, Low Suction: Dust Collectors

A dust collector uses a large impeller to move 560 to 1,200 CFM through a 4″ hose, but at low pressure: RIKON lists 3.25 inches of static pressure for its 60-100 and Laguna 10.1 inches for the C|Flux:1. That volume grabs chips from a planer’s chute or a table saw’s cabinet, but the low pressure can’t pull air through a sander’s small port and hose. Connect a sander to a collector and you’ll collect almost nothing.

Is an Extractor Just a Vacuum?

Mechanically, close to it. What makes an extractor worth more is the set of features built around sanding:

• Tool-triggered outlet. Plug the sander into the extractor and it starts and stops with the trigger, often with a few seconds of run-on to clear the hose. Without it, most people stop connecting the hose.
• Fine filtration. Most extractors carry a HEPA filter rated to capture 99.97% of particles at 0.3 micron, the standard Bosch quotes for its VAC090AH. A standard shop vac cartridge isn’t built for sanding dust.
• Automatic filter cleaning. DEWALT pulses the DWV010’s filter every 30 seconds and Bosch every 15, so suction doesn’t fade halfway through a tabletop.
• Anti-static hose and adjustable suction. No shocks from dry dust, and you can turn suction down so a sander doesn’t clamp itself to the work.

Can I Use a Shop Vac as a Dust Extractor?

Yes, with three upgrades, and it’s the right first step for a lot of hobby shops:

1. A fine-dust or HEPA filter (or a filter bag) in place of the stock cartridge.
2. A cyclone separator such as the Oneida Dust Deputy between the tool and the vac. Oneida says it catches 99% of dust and debris before the filter, so the filter clogs far less often. My best dust separator guide compares the options.
3. A plug-in auto switch so the vac follows your sander, and a small tool hose with an adapter for the sander’s port.

Even upgraded, a shop vac is usually louder and has no automatic filter cleaning. If you sand for hours each week, the extractor is the better tool. If you sand now and then, the upgraded shop vac is enough.

Which Machine for Which Tool

For hoods, guards and fittings tool by tool, see my guide to dust collection for woodworking tools.

Is a Dust Collector More Powerful Than a Shop Vac?

It moves far more air, but it doesn’t pull as hard. A 1 HP collector like the POWERTEC DC5371 is rated at 560 CFM, nearly four times what a 150 CFM extractor moves, while its static pressure is a small fraction of a vacuum’s water lift. So “more powerful” depends on the job: at a planer chute the collector wins easily; at a sander’s port the vacuum wins. That’s also why a dust collector makes a poor floor vacuum: on a long, narrow cleaning hose its suction collapses. Sweep chips toward a floor sweep or the 4″ hose, and use a shop vac for corners and benches.

What Size Shop Vac Do You Need for Dust Collection?

For tool dust, tank size matters less than the hose and filter. A 12 to 16 gallon vac with a 2-1/2″ hose suits chip-heavy tools like a miter saw or router table; for a sander, a 1-1/4″ or 1-1/2″ tool hose with an adapter works far better than a 2-1/2″ floor hose. Put a cyclone separator in front and the vac’s tank size stops mattering much, because the bucket catches most of the debris.

Is a Dust Extractor Worth It?

If you sand more than a few hours a month, yes. The tool-triggered start means you actually use extraction every time, the HEPA filter catches the fine dust that hangs in the air, and automatic filter cleaning keeps suction up through a whole job. Sanding also goes faster with a clean pad, because the abrasive cuts wood instead of riding on its own dust. If you sand occasionally, a shop vac with a HEPA filter, a Dust Deputy and an auto switch gets you most of the way for less. If you own Festool sanders, my Festool dust extractor comparison covers which CT model fits.

The Machines to Look At in Each Category

DEWALT DWV010 8-Gallon HEPA Dust Extractor

Dust Extractor: Best for Most Sanding

The DWV010 is what an extractor adds over a shop vac, in one machine. Its 15 A motor moves 150 CFM, the HEPA filter is pulsed clean automatically every 30 seconds, and the tool-activated outlet starts and stops it with your sander or saw. The 15 ft anti-static hose is 1-1/4″, the right size for sander ports, with a swiveling universal connector. DEWALT notes it meets the EPA Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule for HEPA vacuums only when fitted with its DWV9330 filters.

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• ✅ Automatic filter cleaning every 30 seconds
• ✅ Tool-activated outlet
• ✅ Hose sized for sanders
• ❌ Water lift not published
• ❌ Not for planer or table saw chips

Best For: Anyone who sands, routes or track-saws every week.

Bosch VAC090AH 9-Gallon Dust Extractor

Dust Extractor: Best for Drywall and Fine Dust

Bosch publishes both numbers that matter for the suction argument above: 150 CFM and 97 inches of water lift. Automatic filter cleaning fires every 15 seconds, twice as often as the DEWALT, which counts with drywall compound and plaster. The HEPA filter is rated at 99.97% at 0.3 micron behind a fleece bag, the Power Broker dial turns suction down for sanders, and power tool activation is built in.

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• ✅ Filter cleaned every 15 seconds
• ✅ Airflow and water lift both published
• ✅ Adjustable suction
• ❌ Higher price tier than the DEWALT
• ❌ Heavier to carry

Best For: Drywall, plaster, paint and concrete dust.

RIDGID RT1200 NXT 12-Gallon Wet/Dry Shop Vac

Shop Vac: Best Budget Base for Tool Dust

The RT1200 is a solid shop vac to upgrade into a part-time extractor. It has a 12-gallon tank, a 5.0 peak HP motor and RIDGID’s scroll noise reduction design. The 1-7/8″ x 8 ft locking hose won’t pull loose, and filters change tool-free with the Qwik Lock system, so swapping in a fine-dust or HEPA-rated filter is easy. There’s no automatic filter cleaning and no tool outlet: add a cyclone separator and a plug-in auto switch.

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• ✅ Low price tier
• ✅ Locking hose
• ✅ Tool-free filter changes
• ❌ Stock filter isn’t for sanding dust
• ❌ No tool outlet or auto filter cleaning

Best For: Cleanup plus occasional sanding, with a Dust Deputy in front.

Oneida Dust Deputy Deluxe 5-Gallon Cyclone Kit

Shop Vac Upgrade: Cyclone Separator

A cyclone between the tool and the vac is the single biggest upgrade for a shop vac. Oneida says the Dust Deputy captures 99% of dust and debris before it reaches the vac’s filter. The Deluxe kit includes the anti-static cyclone, a clear 5-gallon bucket so you see when to empty it, a quick-release lid, four casters, a 3 ft hose and adapters. Its 2″ tapered ports accept standard 1.5″ to 2.5″ vacuum hose fittings.

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• ✅ Keeps the vac filter from clogging
• ✅ Clear bucket shows the fill level
• ✅ Fits most shop vac hoses
• ❌ Tall setup
• ❌ Costs more than the cyclone alone

Best For: Turning a shop vac into a usable dust system for sanders and routers.

WEN DC3401 Rolling Dust Collector

Dust Collector: Budget Entry

The WEN DC3401 is the smallest step from a shop vac to a real collector. A 5.7 A motor and 6″ impeller move up to 660 CFM through a 4″ port into a 12-gallon, 5-micron zippered bag. It weighs 17 lb, rolls on four locking casters and has a built-in wall mount, and WEN covers it for 2 years. It’s enough for a benchtop planer or a miter saw hood, one machine at a time.

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• ✅ Light enough to hang on the wall
• ✅ 4″ port for planers and hoods
• ✅ Lowest price tier among collectors
• ❌ 5-micron bag, not for fine dust
• ❌ Brushed motor

Best For: A first collector for a benchtop planer or miter saw.

JET DC-1200VX-BK1 Vortex Cone Dust Collector

Dust Collector: Best for a Shop With a 230V Circuit

The JET DC-1200VX-BK1 is a 2 HP single-stage collector that runs on 230V, so it needs a 230V circuit rather than a standard outlet. JET rates it at 1,200 CFM with filters installed, and the Vortex Cone inside separates chips from the air stream so they drop into the bag instead of packing the 30-micron bag filter. The motor is totally enclosed and fan-cooled for continuous duty, it rolls on swivel casters, and JET’s warranty is 5 years for home use.

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• ✅ 2 HP motor with a Vortex Cone
• ✅ 1,200 CFM with filters installed
• ✅ 5-year warranty for home use
• ❌ 230V only, so it needs a 230V circuit
• ❌ 30-micron bag: fine sanding dust still gets through

Best For: Shops with a 230V circuit and a table saw, jointer and planer used one at a time.

Still not sure which one your shop needs? List your tools in the comments and I’ll suggest the setup I’d use.

The DeWalt DW735 is the better planer: it’s 13″ wide instead of 12-1/2″, has two feed speeds that give 96 or 179 cuts per inch, and a fan that blows chips out of a 4″ port. The DW734 is the simpler, lower-priced DeWalt with one speed at 96 cuts per inch and no fan. The Makita 2012NB is the lightest and quietest of the three, with an automatic head clamp against snipe, but it has two knives, a single feed rate that works out to about 51 cuts per inch, and its dust hood is an optional extra.

Below is the DW735 vs DW734 vs Makita 2012NB comparison spec by spec from the makers’ own manuals and product pages, what each difference means at the bench, the DW735 vs DW735X question, how each one handles snipe and chips, and which to buy. For the wider field, including spiral-head planers, see my best thickness planer picks.

DW735 vs DW734 vs Makita 2012NB at a Glance

Figures come from DeWalt’s product pages and manuals (DW735 and DW734) and Makita’s product page and manual (2012NB). Cuts per inch for the Makita are calculated from Makita’s own cutterhead speed, knife count and feed rate, the same way DeWalt gets its 96 and 179.

What the Differences Mean at the Bench

Width: 13″ vs 12-1/2″ vs 12″

Half an inch sounds trivial until you glue up a panel that comes out 12-3/4″ wide. The DW735 takes it in one piece; the DW734 and the 2012NB don’t, and you’re left with a hand plane, a drum sander or a rip and reglue. If you build tabletops, cabinet doors or wide boxes, the DW735’s 13″ is the most practical difference on this page. The depth limits shrink as boards get wider on all three: DeWalt allows the full 1/8″ only on boards up to 6″ wide, and Makita drops from 1/8″ to 1/16″ above 5-7/8″ and to 3/64″ above 9-1/2″.

Cuts Per Inch and Surface Finish

Cuts per inch is how many knife strikes land on each inch of board, and more strikes leave smaller scallops. DeWalt rates the DW734 at 96 cuts per inch with three knives at 10,000 RPM and a 26 ft/min feed. The DW735 has the same head plus a two-speed gearbox: speed 2 matches the DW734 at 96 for fast stock removal, and speed 1 slows the feed to 14 ft/min for 179 cuts per inch. DeWalt’s manual recommends speed 1 for finish passes because the slower feed reduces tear-out and knife wear. The Makita turns two knives at 8,500 RPM and feeds at 27.9 ft/min, which works out to about 51 cuts per inch. You’ll see larger knife marks to sand away, so plan on starting a random orbital sander around 120 grit.

Snipe

Snipe is the deeper cut at the ends of a board when the cutterhead carriage moves as the board enters or leaves the rollers. For setup and feeding technique on any of these planers, see how to use a thickness planer. All three attack it at the carriage. The DW734 has a four-column carriage lock that DeWalt says drastically reduces the movement. The DW735 locks the carriage automatically, so you can’t forget. Makita’s Interna-Lok clamps the head automatically, and Makita says it eliminates snipe. Whatever the machine, support long boards level with the bed at both ends; DeWalt’s manual describes snipe as what happens when an unsupported end drops.

Chips and Dust Collection

This is where the DW735 pulls furthest ahead. Its fan-assisted chip ejection blows chips out through a port that takes a 4″ dust collector hose, and DeWalt’s manual says it’s not recommended to connect a shop vac, because most vacs can’t keep up with the volume of chips and the hose can clog. The DW734 ships with a dust hood but no fan, so it relies on the suction of whatever you connect. The Makita needs its optional dust hood before you can connect anything. A planer makes more chips than any other tool in a small shop, so budget for a real collector: my dust collector for a small shop guide covers 115V machines that suit all three planers, and dust collection for woodworking tools covers the hoses and hoods.

Weight and Noise

The Makita weighs 61.9 lb on Makita’s spec sheet, about 21 lb less than the DW734 and 29 lb less than the DW735. If the planer lives on a shelf and comes out for each project, or rides in a truck, that matters. Makita also publishes an 83 dB noise rating and calls it low noise for operator comfort; DeWalt doesn’t publish a figure for either model. Wear hearing protection with all three.

Warranty

DeWalt lists a 3-year limited warranty, 1 year of free service and a 90-day satisfaction guarantee on both DeWalt planers. Makita’s 2012NB manual carries Makita’s limited one-year warranty.

DeWalt DW735 vs DW735X

It’s the same planer. The DW735X is the DW735 sold as a package with DeWalt’s folding infeed and outfeed tables and an extra set of knives, which is why DeWalt lists it at 101 lb against 91.3 lb for the bare planer. The tables support long boards to reduce snipe, and the spare knives save a trip when the first set dulls, since each DeWalt knife is reversible. When the two sell in the same price tier, as they often do on Amazon, the X is the better buy. If you plan to build a planer cart with its own long tables, the bare DW735 is enough.

Is the DeWalt DW734 a Good Planer?

Yes. It shares the DW735’s motor, three-knife head and 96 cuts-per-inch finish at its single speed, it has DeWalt’s reversible knives, a turret depth stop and a material removal gauge, and its infeed and outfeed tables give 33-1/2″ of support. What you give up is the half inch of width, the slow 179 cuts-per-inch finishing speed, the fan-assisted chip ejection and the automatic carriage lock. If you plane mostly narrow, straight-grained stock and your dust collector is decent, the DW734 does the job a tier lower.

DeWalt DW735 vs Makita 2012NB

The Makita’s case is weight, noise and its anti-snipe head clamp. The DeWalt’s case is width, a smoother finish at 179 cuts per inch, chip ejection that works with a 4″ collector out of the box, and two more years of warranty. For a home shop where the planer stays on a stand, the DW735 is the stronger machine. For a finish carpenter who carries a planer to job sites, the Makita’s 29 lb saving is real. Check the price before you choose: on Amazon the 2012NB is listed in a higher price tier than the DW735 at the moment, which removes the reason most people used to pick it.

Common DW735 Problems and How to Avoid Them

• Clogged chip chute with a shop vac. DeWalt’s manual warns against it: connect a dust collector with a 4″ hose, or let the fan blow chips into a bin.
• Snipe on long boards. Use the folding tables (included with the DW735X) and lift the far end of long boards as they exit.
• Tear-out in figured wood. Switch to speed 1 for 179 cuts per inch, take light passes and feed with the grain. Straight knives tear out more than a spiral head on curly maple; for that, a spiral planer such as the WEN PL1326 below is the alternative.
• Dull knives. DeWalt’s knives are double-edged: turn them around to the fresh edge before buying a new set.
• Short stock. DeWalt says never to plane anything shorter than 12″.

Which Should You Buy?

• Most home shops: DW735X. Width, finish, chip ejection and tables in one box.
• You already have support tables or a planer cart: DW735.
• Tighter budget and narrower boards: DW734.
• Job-site carpentry where weight decides: Makita 2012NB, if the price is close to the DeWalts when you buy.
• Lots of figured or reclaimed wood: a spiral-head planer like the WEN PL1326.

The Planers Compared

DeWalt DW735X 13″ Two-Speed Thickness Planer with Tables and Spare Knives

Best Overall: the DW735 Package

DeWalt describes the DW735X as the DW735 that includes infeed and outfeed tables and an extra set of knives. Underneath it’s the same machine: a 15 A, 20,000 RPM motor driving a three-knife cutterhead at 10,000 RPM, a two-speed gearbox for 96 or 179 cuts per inch, capacity of 13″ wide by 6″ thick, an automatic carriage lock against snipe, fan-assisted chip ejection and a 19-3/4″ cast aluminum base that DeWalt says is twice as rigid as a standard 10″ base. A turret stop returns to 1/8″, 1/4″, 1/2″, 3/4″, 1″ and 1-1/4″. DeWalt lists 101 lb with the tables and a 3-year limited warranty.

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• ✅ 13″ width and two feed speeds
• ✅ Fan-assisted chip ejection to a 4″ port
• ✅ Tables and spare knives included
• ❌ Heaviest of the three
• ❌ Straight knives can tear out figured wood

Best For: Home shops milling rough and surfaced lumber to final thickness.

DeWalt DW735 13″ Two-Speed Thickness Planer

Same Planer Without the Extras

The bare DW735 has everything that matters in the comparison above: 13″ width, 96 or 179 cuts per inch from feed rates of 26 or 14 ft/min, the automatic carriage lock, the material removal gauge and the fan-assisted chip ejection. DeWalt includes a dust hose adapter, a blade-change T-wrench and the crank handle, and lists 91.3 lb assembled. Its manual allows up to 1/8″ per pass on boards up to 6″ wide and says not to plane anything shorter than 12″. Choose it over the X if you’ll mount it on a cart with your own long tables.

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• ✅ Same performance as the DW735X
• ✅ About 10 lb lighter without the tables
• ✅ 3-year limited warranty
• ❌ No folding tables or spare knives
• ❌ Often sold in the same price tier as the X

Best For: A planer cart or bench setup that already has long infeed and outfeed support.

DeWalt DW734 12-1/2″ Thickness Planer

Best Value DeWalt

The DW734 is the one-speed DeWalt. Its 15 A motor and three-knife head at 10,000 RPM give 96 cuts per inch at a 26 ft/min feed, which DeWalt calls one of the finest finishes of any portable planer. It takes boards 12-1/2″ wide and 6″ thick, uses a four-column carriage lock to reduce snipe, and has disposable, reversible knives that DeWalt says last 30% longer. The extra-long tables give 33-1/2″ of support, and a turret stop returns to 0″, 1/4″, 1/2″ and 3/4″. It ships with a dust hood but no fan. DeWalt lists 83.4 lb and a 3-year limited warranty.

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• ✅ Same three-knife head as the DW735
• ✅ Long tables built in
• ✅ Lower price tier
• ❌ 12-1/2″ width, one speed
• ❌ No chip-ejection fan

Best For: Narrower boards and occasional planing on a tighter budget.

Makita 2012NB 12″ Portable Planer with Interna-Lok

Lightest and Quietest

Makita’s 2012NB weighs 61.9 lb on Makita’s spec sheet and lists 83 dB, which Makita calls low noise for operator comfort. Its Interna-Lok automated head clamp is Makita’s answer to snipe. A 15 A motor turns two double-edged knives at 8,500 RPM, the feed is 27.9 ft/min, and capacity is 12″ wide by 6-3/32″ thick on a 12″ x 30-3/8″ table. The manual limits depth to 1/8″ on boards under 5-7/8″ wide, 1/16″ up to 9-1/2″ and 3/64″ at full width. The dust hood (193036-7) is an optional extra, and the manual carries a one-year limited warranty.

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• ✅ About 21 to 29 lb lighter than the DeWalts
• ✅ Interna-Lok head clamp against snipe
• ✅ Published 83 dB noise rating
• ❌ Two knives, coarser finish
• ❌ Dust hood sold separately
• ❌ Currently in a higher price tier than the DW735

Best For: Carpenters who carry a planer to job sites and value weight over width.

WEN PL1326 13″ Spiral Benchtop Thickness Planer

Spiral-Head Alternative

If tear-out in figured or reclaimed wood is your main problem, a spiral head changes more than any feature on the three planers above. The WEN PL1326 uses 26 staggered, rotatable inserts instead of long knives, on a 15 A motor, and planes boards up to 13″ wide and 6″ thick at a single 26 ft/min feed. When an insert dulls or chips, you rotate it to a fresh edge instead of replacing a whole knife. It sits in a lower price tier than the DW735.

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• ✅ Spiral head reduces tear-out
• ✅ Rotatable inserts
• ✅ 13″ capacity in a lower price tier
• ❌ Single feed speed
• ❌ No slow finishing speed like the DW735’s

Best For: Figured, reclaimed or mixed-grain lumber where straight knives tear out.

Choosing between these three for a specific project? Tell me what you mill and how wide your boards get in the comments, and I’ll help you pick.

Festool’s dust extractors share the same 96″ water lift and HEPA filtration, so the choice between a CT 15, CT MIDI I, CT 26 and CT 36 comes down to tank size, weight and features, not suction. The CT 15 is the light cleaning specialist, the CT MIDI I is the compact one for sanding on the move, the CT 26 is the all-rounder for a shop, and the CT 36 is the same machine with a bigger tank. For most woodworkers who sand a lot, the CT MIDI I or the CT 26 is the right Festool dust extractor.

Below is a side-by-side table with Festool’s own figures, what actually changes between the models, the CT 15 vs CT 26, CT MIDI vs CT 26 and CT 26 vs CT 36 questions people ask most, whether a Festool vacuum is worth it against DEWALT and Bosch, and the five models worth buying. If you’re still choosing the sander, start with my guide to which Festool sander to buy, or the Festool vs Mirka comparison if you haven’t settled on a system.

Festool Dust Extractor Comparison at a Glance

All figures come from the product pages on festoolusa.com. Every model in the table runs on 120V, draws 350 to 1,200 watts depending on the suction setting, and lists the same maximum vacuum.

What Actually Changes Between Festool Dust Extractors

Read the table across and one thing stands out: suction barely changes. The CT 15 and CT MIDI I are rated at 130 CFM, the CT 26 and CT 36 at 138 CFM, and all five list 96 inches of water lift. You don’t move up the range for more pull at the sander. You move up for capacity, mobility and convenience.

Tank and Bag Size

This is the biggest difference. The two compact models hold about 4 gallons with a 3.3 gallon bag; the CT 26 holds 6.9 gallons and the CT 36 holds 9.5. Fine sanding dust packs into a bag slowly, but planer chips, track saw cuts and drywall compound fill a small bag quickly. If you sand cabinets for a full day, or run a track saw through sheet goods, the bigger tank means fewer stops to change bags.

Weight, Size and Wheels

The CT 15 weighs 23.1 lb and the CT MIDI I 25.3 lb, light enough to carry up stairs in one hand. The CT 26 and CT 36 add 5 to 10 lb and roughly 6 inches of length, and Festool fits them with large swivel wheels and a locking brake, because you roll them rather than carry them. A finish carpenter who works in clients’ homes will feel that difference on every job; a woodworker whose extractor lives next to the bench will not.

Auto-Start: Corded Outlet and Bluetooth

The feature that makes an extractor useful is that it switches on with the tool. The CT MIDI I, CT 26 and CT 36 have a built-in outlet that starts the extractor when you pull the trigger on a corded tool, and Bluetooth that starts it from a Festool cordless tool’s Bluetooth battery or an optional remote. Festool’s page for the new CT 15 doesn’t list Bluetooth; Festool positions it as “the specialist for cleaning work,” and its manual shows an outlet that starts it automatically with a corded tool, rated for tools up to 3.7 A. If you plan to run cordless Festool sanders, skip the CT 15.

Filter Cleaning

The standard CT MIDI I, CT 26 and CT 36 have manual filter cleaning: you trigger it to knock dust off the main filter when suction drops. The CT 36 EI AC adds Festool’s AUTOCLEAN, which cleans the main filter automatically at intervals of 15, 30, 60 or 120 seconds that you set in the Festool app. That matters most with drywall compound, plaster and paint, the fine dust that blinds a filter in minutes.

Cord, Storage and System Parts

The CT 15 has a 16.4 ft cord; the others 24.6 to 25 ft. The MIDI, CT 26 and CT 36 have T-LOC on top, so a Systainer of sanding discs or a pre-separator clips onto the extractor and travels with it. The same three keep the hose and cord on the machine with a built-in hose holder and cord wrap. Every model in the range has an antistatic hose and five suction levels, which you’ll use to stop a sander from sucking itself onto the work.

Festool CT 15 vs CT 26

These two are the most common comparison, and they’re built for different jobs. The CT 15 is the smallest, lightest Festool dust extractor in the range: 23.1 lb, about 4 gallons, a 16.4 ft cord, and cleaning nozzles stored onboard. The CT 26 is 7.5 lb heavier and much longer, but holds 6.9 gallons, adds Bluetooth, T-LOC and the 25 ft cord, and rolls on big wheels with a brake. Airflow is within 8 CFM.

• Choose the CT 15 if you mostly clean up after work, sand occasionally with corded tools, and carry the extractor between rooms or job sites.
• Choose the CT 26 if the extractor is part of your daily sanding or track saw work, you own Festool cordless tools, or you want fewer bag changes.

Festool CT MIDI vs CT 26

This is the real decision for most buyers. Both have the corded-tool outlet, Bluetooth, T-LOC, manual filter cleaning and a cord of about 25 ft. The CT MIDI I is 5.4 lb lighter and fits under a bench or in a car trunk. The CT 26 holds 6.9 gallons against 4.0 and adds 8 CFM. Sanding produces fine dust in small volumes, so a MIDI goes a long time between bags on sanding alone. If you also run a track saw, a router or a domino on the same extractor, the CT 26’s extra capacity starts to pay.

Festool CT 26 vs CT 36

Festool’s own specs make this one simple: same airflow, same vacuum, same filter area (979 square inches), same cord, same features. The CT 36 holds 9.5 gallons instead of 6.9, stands 1.4 inches taller and weighs 1.1 lb more. Buy the CT 36 if you empty the CT 26 too often, typically on drywall, demolition cleanup or long sheet-goods sessions. For a one-person woodworking shop, the CT 26 is enough, and it sits one price tier lower.

Is a Festool Dust Extractor Worth the Money?

It depends on what you’re comparing it with. Against a shop vac, yes, if you sand a lot: the tool-triggered start, HEPA filtration, antistatic hose and adjustable suction are what make an extractor something you actually connect every time. My dust extractor vs shop vac guide covers that difference in detail.

Against other extractors, the Festool case is the system and the warranty rather than raw numbers. Festool USA covers its power tools bought from authorized US dealers for 3 years, including wear and tear, and Hartville Hardware, the seller of these models on Amazon, is on Festool’s list of authorized online dealers. The T-LOC Systainer stacking, Bluetooth start from Festool batteries and hoses that click into Festool sanders are only worth paying for if you’re in, or moving into, the Festool system.

Festool vs DEWALT

DEWALT’s DWV010 lists 150 CFM against the CT 26’s 138, and it pulses its HEPA filter clean automatically every 30 seconds, a feature Festool only puts in its AC models. It also sits in a lower price tier. The Festool is more compact for its tank size, offers Bluetooth start and integrates with Systainers. If you don’t own Festool tools, the DEWALT is the value pick; it’s the overall winner in my best dust extractor roundup.

Festool vs Bosch

Bosch’s VAC090AH lists 150 CFM and 97 inches of water lift, with automatic filter cleaning every 15 seconds. It’s aimed at drywall, concrete and fine dust, where that frequent filter cleaning matters. The Festool CT 36 EI AC answers it with AUTOCLEAN; the standard Festool models don’t. For woodworking only, either brand works, and the Festool is the lighter machine to move around.

What About the CT SYS and Cordless Models?

Festool also makes the CT SYS, a dust extractor in a Systainer case: 15.2 lb, 1.2 gallon container, 106 CFM, 80 inches of water lift and a stated 67 dB(A), for dry dust only. It’s built for remodelers and painters who carry it on a shoulder strap. Its smaller container and lower airflow make it a second extractor for occupied homes, not the main one for a woodshop. Festool also sells cordless CTC models, but for sanding at a bench a corded extractor with an outlet is simpler.

Which Festool Dust Extractor Should You Buy?

• Hobby woodworker sanding at one bench: CT MIDI I, or the CT 26 if you also run a track saw or router on it.
• Finish carpenter or remodeler working in homes: CT MIDI I for mobility, with a CT SYS as a second unit if you work in occupied spaces.
• Cabinet shop or long sanding sessions: CT 26, or CT 36 if you empty the CT 26 more than once a day.
• Drywall, plaster and paint sanding: CT 36 EI AC. Pair it with a drywall sander from my drywall sander guide.
• Cleanup first, occasional sanding with corded tools: CT 15.

The Festool Dust Extractors Worth Buying

All five Festool models below are sold on Amazon by Hartville Hardware, which Festool lists as an authorized online dealer. The DEWALT at the end is the alternative if you don’t need the Festool system.

Festool CT MIDI I HEPA Dust Extractor (578512)

Best Festool Dust Extractor for Most Woodworkers

Festool calls the CT MIDI I a rethink of the old MIDI rather than an update, and the spec sheet shows why it suits sanding. It’s rated at 130 CFM and 96″ of water lift, holds 4.0 gallons with a 3.3 gallon bag, and weighs 25.3 lb. A built-in outlet starts it with any corded tool, and Bluetooth starts it from a Festool cordless tool’s battery or an optional remote. The 24.6 ft cord is long for a compact unit, T-LOC lets a Systainer ride on top, and the main filter can be swapped from outside. Festool also lists a LevelStop system that shuts the motor off when it’s picking up water.

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• ✅ Corded outlet and Bluetooth auto-start
• ✅ Light enough to carry
• ✅ 24.6 ft cord and T-LOC Systainer dock
• ❌ 4 gallon tank fills fast with chips
• ❌ Manual filter cleaning

Best For: Sanding at the bench or on site with Festool sanders, corded or cordless.

Festool CT 26 EI HEPA Dust Extractor (577871)

Best Festool Dust Extractor for a Workshop

Festool calls the CT 26 EI “the all-rounder for workshops and job sites.” It holds 6.9 gallons with a 6.3 gallon bag, moves 138 CFM with 96″ of water lift, and has 979 square inches of filter area. Touch controls, five suction levels, the corded-tool outlet and Bluetooth auto-start are standard, and the Festool app can show warnings on your phone. It weighs 30.6 lb and rolls on large swivel wheels with a locking brake. The 25 ft cord, hose holder and T-LOC make it the hub for Systainers, a pre-separator or Festool’s Workcenter.

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• ✅ 6.9 gallons, fewer bag changes
• ✅ Same features as the CT 36 in a shorter body
• ✅ Big wheels with a brake
• ❌ Too long to carry comfortably
• ❌ Manual filter cleaning

Best For: A one-person shop running sanders, a track saw and a router from one extractor.

Festool CT 36 EI HEPA Dust Extractor (577872)

Biggest Tank

The CT 36 EI is the CT 26 with a taller container. Festool lists the same 138 CFM, 96″ of water lift, 979 square inch filter, 25 ft cord, Bluetooth, corded-tool outlet and five suction levels, but the container grows to 9.5 gallons with a 9 gallon bag. It stands 23.4″ tall and weighs 31.8 lb, only about a pound more than the CT 26. Festool describes it as the all-rounder for professionals in workshops and on job sites.

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• ✅ 9.5 gallon container
• ✅ Only about 1 lb heavier than the CT 26
• ✅ Same Bluetooth and outlet features
• ❌ No more suction than the CT 26
• ❌ Manual filter cleaning on this version

Best For: Long sanding sessions, sheet goods and job-site cleanup where bag changes slow you down.

Festool CT 36 EI AC HEPA Dust Extractor with AUTOCLEAN (577874)

Best for Drywall and Fine Dust

This is the CT 36 with Festool’s AUTOCLEAN: the main filter is cleaned automatically, and in the Festool app you can set the interval to 15, 30, 60 or 120 seconds. Festool says the result is consistently high suction, longer working intervals and longer filter life. Everything else matches the CT 36 EI: 138 CFM, 96″ water lift, 9.5 gallons, 25 ft cord, Bluetooth and the corded-tool outlet. It weighs 33.5 lb.

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• ✅ Automatic main filter cleaning
• ✅ Adjustable cleaning interval in the app
• ✅ 9.5 gallon container
• ❌ Top price tier of the range
• ❌ Heaviest model here

Best For: Drywall sanding, plaster, paint and anyone tired of tapping a clogged filter.

Festool CT 15 HEPA Dust Extractor (578441)

Lightest and Lowest Price Tier

Festool calls the CT 15 “the specialist for cleaning work,” and the design follows that brief. It weighs 23.1 lb, holds 3.96 gallons with a 3.3 gallon bag, and still lists 130 CFM and 96″ of water lift. The crevice and upholstery nozzles store inside the machine, the flat top works as a shelf, and the main filter changes from outside. The chassis has steel axles, and the cord is 16.4 ft. Festool’s page doesn’t list Bluetooth, so it won’t start from a Festool cordless tool; Festool’s manual shows a tool-start outlet for corded tools up to 3.7 A.

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• ✅ Lightest Festool extractor here
• ✅ Cleaning nozzles stored onboard
• ✅ Same 96″ water lift as the big models
• ❌ No Bluetooth listed by Festool
• ❌ Shortest cord, no T-LOC

Best For: Cleanup in homes and workshops, plus occasional sanding with corded tools.

DEWALT DWV010 8-Gallon HEPA Dust Extractor (Non-Festool Alternative)

Best Alternative If You Don’t Own Festool Tools

If you don’t need the Festool system, the DEWALT DWV010 is the extractor to compare. It lists 150 CFM from a 15 A motor, pulses its HEPA filter clean automatically every 30 seconds, and has a tool-activated outlet. The 15 ft anti-static hose is 1-1/4″, a good size for sander ports, with a swiveling universal connector at the tool end. It sits a full price tier below the Festool CT 26.

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• ✅ More airflow than any Festool here
• ✅ Automatic filter cleaning as standard
• ✅ Lower price tier
• ❌ No Bluetooth or Systainer docking
• ❌ Bulkier than a CT MIDI for its tank size

Best For: Woodworkers with DEWALT, Bosch or Makita sanders who want automatic filter cleaning.

Not sure which size fits your shop? Tell me in the comments what tools you’ll connect and how you work, and I’ll help you pick the right Festool extractor.

A jointer makes a board flat and straight: it flattens one face and squares one edge to it. A thickness planer makes a board an even thickness: it cuts the top face parallel to the bottom face. You need both to turn rough or warped lumber into square stock, because a planer copies whatever shape the bottom face has, and a jointer can’t make two faces parallel. If you buy only one, most hobby shops start with the planer and flatten the first face with a planer sled until a jointer fits the budget.

Below is how each machine works, a side-by-side comparison, the right order for milling lumber, which one to buy first, ways to get by without a jointer, and the jointers and planers I’d look at, with figures from the makers’ own manuals. For the other planer comparisons on the site, see my best thickness planer picks.

Jointer vs Planer at a Glance

How Each Machine Works

The Jointer

A jointer has a spinning cutterhead set between two flat cast or aluminum tables. The outfeed table is level with the top of the knives; the infeed table is set lower by the depth of cut. You slide the board across the infeed table, over the cutterhead and onto the outfeed table, and each pass shaves off the high spots. After a few passes the face is flat. Then you stand the board on that flat face against the fence, set at 90°, and joint one edge square to it. WEN’s manual for its JT630H and JT833H benchtop jointers puts it simply: the machine is designed for creating flat surfaces. It allows up to 1/8″ per pass and recommends 1/32″, because several light passes give a cleaner, flatter result on a warped board than one heavy one.

The Thickness Planer

A planer turns the jointer upside down. The cutterhead sits above a flat bed, and feed rollers pull the board under it. Everything above the height you set is cut off, so the top face comes out parallel to whatever the bottom face rests on. DEWALT’s DW735 manual spells out why this matters: the planer “will work best with material that has been run through a jointer to produce one flat surface,” and if a board is bowed, the feed rollers flatten it as it passes and the bow returns afterward. In DEWALT’s words, “To properly remove the bow, use a jointer.”

Milling Rough Lumber: The Right Order

1. Cut to rough length, a few inches over final, so bowed boards have less to lose.
2. Joint one face flat on the jointer, cupped side down.
3. Joint one edge square to that face, flat face against the fence.
4. Plane the second face parallel to the first, flat face down on the planer bed, taking light passes and flipping end for end between passes.
5. Rip the second edge parallel on the table saw, jointed edge against the fence.
6. Crosscut to final length, then sand: the planer leaves knife marks and sometimes snipe at the ends, so start a random orbital around 120 grit.

This sequence is known as “four-square” milling, and it’s why many woodworkers say the jointer and planer are a pair rather than an either-or choice.

Which Should You Buy First, a Jointer or a Planer?

It depends on the lumber you buy.

• You buy S4S (surfaced four sides) or S2S boards from a home center: they’re already flat enough. A planer lets you bring them to any thickness you want, and a jointer is not urgent.
• You buy rough-sawn lumber, or use reclaimed boards: you need a flat reference face. Get the planer first and use a planer sled for the first face, or buy both together.
• You mostly glue up panels and boxes from straight stock: a jointer for clean, square glue-line edges may matter more than a planer.

For most hobby shops, the planer is the machine you’ll use on every project, so it usually comes first. My thickness planer reviews compare the benchtop models worth buying.

Can a Planer Do a Jointer’s Job?

Use a Planer Sled for the First Face

A planer sled is a flat carrier board, usually melamine or MDF, longer than your stock. You set the warped board on it, fill the gaps underneath with shims or hot glue so it can’t rock, and send the whole sled through the planer. The top face comes out flat because the sled, not the board, rests on the bed. Then remove the board, flip it flat side down, and plane the other face normally. It’s slower than a jointer but costs almost nothing, and it handles boards wider than any benchtop jointer.

Edges Without a Jointer

A planer can’t straighten an edge, but a table saw can: run the board against a straight-line ripping jig or a straight sled, or rip one edge using a factory edge as the reference. A hand plane or a router with a straightedge also works for glue-line edges.

Do I Need a Jointer if I Have a Table Saw?

Not for edges, as long as you’re happy with saw-cut glue lines. The table saw can’t flatten a face, though, so with rough or cupped lumber you still need a jointer, a planer sled or a hand plane for the first face.

Why Can’t You Use a Jointer on Both Faces?

Because a jointer only makes a face flat, not parallel to anything. Joint both faces of a board and each one will be flat, but the board can end up thicker at one end or edge than the other. Making the second face parallel needs a reference on the opposite side, which is what the planer’s bed provides.

Width: The Jointer’s Limit

A 6″ jointer only flattens boards up to 6″ wide, and an 8″ model up to 8″; benchtop planers take 12″ to 13″. You’ll see advice online to remove the guard and joint a wider board in two passes; OSHA’s rules and the jointer manuals require the guard, so skip that trick. The safe options for wide boards are a planer sled, ripping the board, jointing the halves and gluing them back, or a bigger jointer. A jointer planer combo is the compact way to get 12 or 16 inches of jointing width, because both functions share one wide cutterhead. If you work with wide stock often, the extra capacity of an 8″ model like the WEN JT833H is worth the bench space. My best benchtop jointer picks compare the 6″ and 8″ models side by side.

Jointer and Planer Safety Basics

• Keep the guard on. OSHA’s woodworking machinery standard requires hand-fed jointers to have an automatic guard over the cutterhead on the working side of the fence, plus a guard behind it, and push sticks or push blocks at hand.
• Respect minimum sizes. WEN’s jointer manual says not to joint stock shorter than 8-1/8″, narrower than 3/4″ or thinner than 1/4″, and to use a push block on anything narrower or thinner than 3″. My guide on how to use a jointer walks through setup and face and edge jointing step by step. DEWALT says never to plane material shorter than 12″.
• Take light passes. 1/32″ per pass on the jointer, and no more than the planer’s rated depth (1/8″ on the DW735 for boards up to 6″ wide).
• Cut with the grain to avoid tear-out, and check every reclaimed board for nails and grit before it goes near the knives.
• Collect the chips. Both machines throw a lot of shavings, and a 4″ port on a dust collector handles them far better than a shop vacuum.

Jointers and Planers to Consider

WEN JT630H 6″ Spiral Benchtop Jointer

Best Benchtop Jointer for Most Shops

A compact 6″ jointer with a spiral cutterhead of 12 inserts instead of two long knives. WEN’s manual lists a 10 A motor, 12,000 RPM, up to 1/8″ per pass (1/32″ recommended), a 30″ x 6-3/16″ table, a fence that tilts from 90° to 135°, a 2-1/2″ dust port and a weight of 36.8 lb. It’s light enough to store on a shelf and covers most furniture boards. WEN gives it a 2-year warranty.

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• ✅ Spiral head with replaceable inserts
• ✅ Fits on a bench
• ✅ Tilting fence
• ❌ 6″ width limit
• ❌ Short tables for long boards

Best For: A first jointer for flattening faces and squaring edges.

WEN JT833H 8″ Spiral Benchtop Jointer with Extendable Table

Best for Wider and Longer Boards

The 8″ version answers the two complaints about small jointers. Capacity goes up to 8″ wide, and the 33″ table extends to 51″ for long boards. It has a 16-insert spiral cutterhead, the same 10 A motor and 12,000 RPM, up to 1/8″ per pass (WEN says to reduce depth by 1/32″ per inch of width over 6″), and both 2-1/2″ and 4″ dust ports. It weighs 55.1 lb and carries WEN’s 2-year warranty.

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• ✅ 8″ capacity
• ✅ Tables extend to 51″
• ✅ 4″ dust port option
• ❌ Heavier and longer to store
• ❌ Shallower cuts on wide boards

Best For: Tabletops, wide panels and long boards.

Cutech 40160HB 6″ Spiral Cutterhead Benchtop Jointer

Best 6″ Jointer with Carbide Inserts

Cutech’s 6″ benchtop jointer uses 12 two-sided tungsten carbide inserts on a spiral head at 11,000 RPM, driven by a 10 A motor. Cutech lists Teflon-coated aluminum tables of 30″ x 6-1/4″, a fence with stops at 90° and 135°, up to 1/8″ per pass, a 2-1/2″ port and a weight of 37.3 lb. Carbide inserts generally stay sharp longer than steel, and each one has two edges. Cutech backs it with a 3-year limited warranty.

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• ✅ Carbide inserts
• ✅ 3-year warranty
• ✅ Coated tables for smooth feeding
• ❌ 6″ width limit
• ❌ Costs more than the WEN 6″

Best For: Hardwoods and anyone who hates changing knives.

DEWALT DW735X 13″ Two-Speed Thickness Planer

Best Thickness Planer Overall

The benchtop planer most others are compared to. The 15 A motor drives a three-knife cutterhead at 10,000 RPM, and two feed speeds give 96 or 179 cuts per inch. DEWALT’s manual lists boards from 1/8″ to 6″ thick and up to 13″ wide, and up to 1/8″ per pass on boards up to 6″ wide. The X package adds infeed and outfeed tables and a spare set of knives, and DEWALT backs it with a 3-year limited warranty.

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• ✅ Two feed speeds
• ✅ 13″ x 6″ capacity
• ✅ Tables and spare knives included
• ❌ Straight knives can tear out figured wood
• ❌ Premium price tier

Best For: Milling rough lumber to thickness in a home shop.

WEN PL1326 13″ Spiral Benchtop Thickness Planer

Best Value Spiral Planer

A spiral cutterhead with 26 staggered, rotatable inserts instead of long knives, on a 15 A motor. It planes boards up to 13″ wide and 6″ thick at a single 26 ft/min feed, and an onboard gauge shows how much each pass removes. When an insert dulls or chips, you rotate it to a fresh edge rather than replacing a whole knife.

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• ✅ Spiral head reduces tear-out
• ✅ Rotatable inserts
• ✅ 13″ x 6″ capacity
• ❌ Single feed speed

Best For: A planer that handles some figured wood without a second machine.

WEN PL1337 Planer and JT630H Jointer Bundle

Best Way to Buy Both at Once

If you mill rough lumber, this bundle pairs the JT630H 6″ spiral jointer above with WEN’s PL1337, a 13″ planer with the same 26-insert spiral cutterhead as the PL1326 plus two feed speeds (26 and 16 ft/min), capacity of 13″ wide and 6″ thick, a combination 2-1/2″ and 4″ dust port and a 2-year warranty. Both machines use spiral heads with small inserts instead of long knives, which suits four-square milling of mixed or figured lumber.

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• ✅ Both machines in one order
• ✅ Spiral heads on both
• ✅ Two-speed planer
• ❌ Jointer limited to 6″ width
• ❌ Two machines to find space for

Best For: Setting up a milling station for rough-sawn lumber.

Planning your first milling setup? Tell me what lumber you buy and what you build in the comments, and I’ll help you decide which machine comes first.

Wood filler and wood putty do opposite jobs. Wood filler goes into bare wood before you sand and finish: it dries hard, you sand it flush, then paint or stain over it. Wood putty goes on after the finish: it stays soft, comes pre-colored to match a stain, and you press it into nail holes and wipe off the excess with no sanding. The quick rule: bare wood, use filler; finished wood, use putty. For holes that must hold a screw or for broken corners, use a two-part or epoxy filler.

The confusion comes from the labels. Some products called “putty” harden like a filler, and some fillers are sold as “putty” in a stick. Below is a side-by-side comparison, what each product type really is, which one to use for nail holes, screw holes, stained furniture, outdoor trim and floors, and the products I’d look at, using what each maker says about its own product. For more fillers by type of repair, see my best wood filler picks.

Wood Filler vs Wood Putty at a Glance

What Is Wood Filler?

Wood filler is a paste (or a powder you mix) that fills holes, dents, cracks and gouges in raw wood, dries hard, and becomes part of the surface you sand and finish. Because it hardens, it can be shaped, and the stronger ones can be drilled and screwed into. There are three main kinds.

Water-Based (Latex) Fillers

The tubs and tubes you find in every hardware store. Minwax Stainable Wood Filler is a latex filler for “unfinished indoor and outdoor wood surfaces”; Minwax says not to use it on holes larger than 3/4″ and to fill deeper holes in 1/4″ layers, letting each dry 2 to 6 hours. DAP Plastic Wood-X with DryDex goes on pink and turns natural when it’s dry, so you know when to sand, and DAP says it can be sanded, planed, cut, drilled, screwed or nailed. Gorilla Wood Filler dries in about an hour in shallow holes, cleans up with soap and water, and can go outdoors if it’s coated with exterior paint.

Two-Part and Epoxy Fillers

For damage that has to be rebuilt, not just filled. 3M Bondo Wood Filler is a two-part filler you mix with a hardener. J-B Weld KwikWood is a hand-kneaded epoxy putty in a stick: 15 to 25 minutes of working time, and after 60 minutes J-B Weld says it can be machined, drilled, tapped, sanded and painted. These cure harder than latex fillers, don’t shrink back out of deep holes, and suit missing corners, rotted spots and screw holes that have to hold.

Powder Fillers (“Water Putty”)

Durham’s Rock Hard Water Putty is the product that causes most of the confusion. Its maker calls it “a powder wood filler”: you mix about 3 parts powder to 1 part water, it sets fast, and it can be sawed, chiseled and sanded once it’s hard (Durham’s suggests about 8 hours before sanding). It dries a cream color and, in Durham’s words, “will NOT take most surface stains,” so it’s a filler for painted work, not for stained wood.

What Is Wood Putty?

Wood putty is a soft, pre-colored compound for hiding small holes and blemishes in wood that is already finished. It never cures hard, which is the point: trim and furniture move a little, and putty moves with them instead of cracking out.

Oil-Based Putty

Minwax Wood Putty is a “non-hardening, pre-mixed putty color-matched to Minwax Wood Finish stains.” Minwax’s instructions are clear on the order of work: stain and topcoat first, then press the putty in and wipe off the excess, and it “will not harden to a sandable surface.” DAP Plastic Wood Wood Putty is the same idea: DAP’s data sheet describes it as a non-hardening putty “for prefinished interior surfaces after assembly and finishing,” based on a blend of vegetable and mineral oils, interior use only, and it states the product “cannot be painted, stained or coated.” It needs 24 to 36 hours to dry, and tools clean up with mineral spirits.

Wax Sticks and Pencils

Wax fill sticks such as Minwax Blend-Fil pencils are the quickest putty of all. Minwax sells them for “scratches and nail holes in stained and finished wood”: pick the color closest to the stain, rub it into the hole, and wipe away the excess. Colors can be blended for a closer match.

The Name on the Can Isn’t the Test

Durham’s is called a putty and hardens like a filler. KwikWood is sold as an “epoxy putty” and cures hard enough to drill and tap. Meanwhile many people call any wood filler “putty.” So ignore the name and ask two questions instead:

1. Does it harden? If it dries hard and you sand it, it behaves like a filler.
2. Does it go on before or after the finish? Before means filler. After means putty.

The answers are always on the product’s own label or data sheet, and they decide whether you can sand, paint or stain over it.

Which One to Use, Repair by Repair

Nail Holes in Finished Trim and Furniture

Putty. Press a color-matched putty or wax stick into each hole after the finish is dry, and wipe off the excess. No sanding, no touching up the finish around it. This is exactly what Minwax Wood Putty, DAP Plastic Wood Putty and Blend-Fil pencils are for.

Nail and Screw Holes Before Painting

Filler. On trim and cabinets that will be painted, fill each hole with a latex filler, let it dry, sand it flush and prime. Overfill slightly and sand it back: a second skim is faster than a dimple showing through gloss paint.

Screw Holes That Have to Hold a Screw

Neither soft putty nor a light latex filler. Use a filler whose maker says it can be drilled and screwed, such as DAP Plastic Wood-X, or an epoxy like KwikWood. For stripped holes in hinges, a glued-in hardwood dowel or toothpicks is the traditional fix and is stronger than any filler.

Cracks and Gouges in Wood You’ll Stain

This is the hard case. Fillers rarely take stain exactly like the surrounding wood. DAP’s advice for Plastic Wood-X is to stain first and fill afterward, and Minwax tells you to test the stain over its Stainable Wood Filler on a scrap before you commit. The cleanest result usually comes from staining and finishing the piece, then hiding the hole with a color-matched putty or wax stick.

Outdoor Trim, Siding and Decks

Filler, and paint it. Minwax Stainable, DAP Plastic Wood-X and Gorilla are all rated for outdoor use, with Gorilla and DAP asking for an exterior paint or coating over the repair. Oil-based putty is out: DAP limits its putty to interior use. For rot, cut out the soft wood and rebuild with a two-part filler.

Hardwood Floors

For nail holes in a floor that’s already finished, a matching putty or wax stick is the easy fix. Before sanding and refinishing, fill nail holes and small dents with a filler and sand it with the floor. Wide gaps between boards are a different problem: boards open and close with the seasons, and a hard filler pressed into the gaps tends to crack out.

Cabinets and Furniture

Painted cabinets: filler before priming. Stained cabinets and furniture: finish first, then putty or wax for the small holes, and an epoxy for broken edges or corners.

How to Use Wood Filler and Wood Putty

Wood Filler, Step by Step

1. Clean out loose fibers and dust from the hole.
2. Press the filler in with a putty knife, slightly proud of the surface. Fill deep holes in layers, as the maker directs (Minwax: 1/4″ at a time).
3. Let it dry fully. DryDex fillers change color when ready; others list a dry time on the label.
4. Sand flush, starting around 120 grit and finishing with the grit you use on the rest of the piece. My guide to wood fillers covers how each one sands.
5. Prime and paint, or test your stain on a sample first. My step-by-step guide on how to use wood filler covers each stage in detail.

Wood Putty, Step by Step

1. Finish the piece completely: stain, then topcoat.
2. Pick a putty color that matches, or blend two.
3. Press the putty into the hole with a finger or a plastic knife.
4. Wipe off the excess with a cloth, following the label (Minwax uses a damp cloth). Don’t sand it.

Wood Fillers and Putties to Consider

Minwax Wood Putty (Golden Oak, 3.75 oz)

Best Wood Putty for Stained Wood

The classic non-hardening putty. Minwax describes it as pre-mixed and color-matched to Minwax Wood Finish stains, for minor scratches, gouges and nail holes. You stain and topcoat first, press the putty in, and wipe off the excess; Minwax notes it will not harden to a sandable surface, which is exactly why it doesn’t crack out of trim. Golden Oak is linked here; it also comes in other colors, such as Natural Pine.

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• ✅ Matched to Minwax stains
• ✅ No sanding
• ✅ Flexes with the wood
• ❌ Can’t be sanded
• ❌ Only for small holes

Best For: Nail holes in stained trim, doors and furniture.

DAP Plastic Wood Wood Putty (Dark Walnut, 3.7 oz)

Best Putty for Prefinished Interior Wood

DAP’s data sheet describes a non-hardening putty for prefinished interior surfaces, based on a blend of vegetable and mineral oils, in 12 colors. Finish the wood first, then fill: DAP says the putty cannot be painted, stained or coated, won’t harden enough to sand, and is for interior use only. It takes 24 to 36 hours to dry, and tools clean up with mineral spirits. Deep holes may need a second application.

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• ✅ Wide color range
• ✅ No sanding
• ✅ Stays flexible
• ❌ Interior only
• ❌ Can’t be painted or stained over

Best For: Prefinished paneling, molding and cabinets.

Minwax Blend-Fil Pencil (Brown Tone Medium)

Fastest Fix for Nail Holes

A fill stick for scratches and nail holes in stained and finished wood. Choose the color closest to the finish, rub the pencil into the hole until it’s filled, and wipe away the excess. Minwax says the colors can be blended for a closer match. Nothing to open, mix or clean up, which makes it the quickest way to touch up a room of trim.

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• ✅ No mess, no tools
• ✅ Colors can be blended
• ✅ Pocket-sized
• ❌ Tiny holes and scratches only
• ❌ Not for bare wood

Best For: Touching up nail holes after installing finished trim.

DAP Plastic Wood-X with DryDex (16 oz)

Best Wood Filler for Bare Wood

A latex filler that changes color as it dries: it goes on pink and turns natural, so you know when to sand. DAP says it can be sanded, planed, cut, drilled, screwed or nailed, won’t shrink or crack, and works indoors and out (coated outdoors). Shallow fills dry in 2 to 6 hours and deep fills in about 36; damage deeper than 1/4″ goes in layers. If the piece will be stained, DAP’s advice is to stain before filling.

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• ✅ Dry-time indicator
• ✅ Drillable and screwable
• ✅ Indoor and outdoor
• ❌ Deep fills need layers and time
• ❌ Stain match not guaranteed

Best For: Holes, dents and cracks before painting.

Minwax Stainable Wood Filler (6 oz)

Best Filler for Wood You’ll Stain

A latex filler made to be stained and painted, for unfinished indoor and outdoor wood. Minwax says not to use it on holes larger than 3/4″, to fill deeper holes in 1/4″ layers (2 to 6 hours each), to sand it flush before finishing, and to test your stain on a scrap first, because filler and wood rarely absorb stain the same way.

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• ✅ Made for staining
• ✅ Indoor and outdoor
• ✅ Clear limits from the maker
• ❌ Not for holes over 3/4″
• ❌ Stain match still needs a test

Best For: Small repairs in furniture and trim that will be stained.

J-B Weld KwikWood Epoxy Putty Stick (1 oz)

Best for Corners, Rot and Screw Holes

Called a putty, works like the strongest filler on this list. You cut off what you need and knead the two parts by hand; J-B Weld gives 15 to 25 minutes of working time, says it cures to the same density as wood, and after 60 minutes it can be machined, drilled, tapped, sanded, filed and painted. It works indoors and out and contains no solvents.

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• ✅ Rebuilds missing wood
• ✅ Holds screws
• ✅ Fast cure
• ❌ Small stick for big jobs
• ❌ Short working time

Best For: Broken edges, stripped screw areas and small rotted spots.

Durham’s Rock Hard Water Putty is worth knowing for painted repairs that need to be very hard, but it doesn’t take most stains. For a full comparison of fillers by repair, including Bondo and Gorilla, see my best wood filler guide.

Got a repair you’re not sure about? Describe it in the comments and I’ll tell you which one I’d use.

Festool vs Mirka comes down to what you sand and what you already own. Mirka’s DEROS II is the lighter, quieter-on-paper random orbital, with published noise and vibration figures, Bluetooth on every current model and a 2+1-year warranty. Festool sells the wider system: a gear-driven Rotex for coarse removal, finishing and delta sanders, cordless versions, the Planex drywall sander and CT extractors that click into Systainers, all under a 3-year warranty that covers wear. Pick Mirka if you want the best everyday 5″ or 6″ sander and don’t need anything else from the brand. Pick Festool if you want one family of tools, sanders and extractor included, that covers every sanding job in the shop.

Both brands sit in the premium price tier, and both are available on Amazon in the US. Below is the model-by-model match-up, the dust extraction systems behind each brand, warranties, and who should buy which. If you only want the DEROS in depth, read my Mirka DEROS review; if you’ve already decided on Festool, my guide to which Festool sander to buy goes through the whole lineup.

Festool vs Mirka at a Glance

Are Mirka and Festool the Same Company?

No. Mirka is Finnish: its own history page says it became part of the KWH Group, a family-owned company from Ostrobothnia, in 1984, set up its US arm, Mirka Abrasives Inc., in 1985, and introduced Abranet, its net abrasive for dust-free sanding, in 2001. Festool is a German company that dates its history to 1925. They compete head to head in premium sanders and dust extractors, and each sells abrasives built around its own pads, but there is no ownership link between them.

That history explains the difference in philosophy. Mirka started as an abrasives company and built sanders to get the most out of its abrasives, so its range is narrow and focused on random orbital and sheet sanding. Festool is a power tool company first, and its sanders are one part of a system that also includes saws, routers, extractors and Systainer storage.

Model by Model: Which Festool Matches Which Mirka

Comparing “Festool” to “Mirka” only makes sense tool against tool. Here is how the two lineups line up, using only the figures each maker publishes on its US site.

Everyday 6″ Random Orbital: ETS EC 150 vs DEROS II 650X

This is the fight most people mean. Both are brushless 6″ random orbitals for flat work, both run on a central vacuum hole pattern, and both come in a 5 mm orbit for faster stock removal. Festool also sells a 3 mm version, the ETS EC 150/3, for finer finishing; Mirka’s current DEROS II 650X is 5 mm only.

• Speed: Festool lists 6,000-10,000 rpm for the ETS EC 150; Mirka lists 4,000-10,000 rpm for the DEROS II, so the Mirka goes slower at the bottom of the dial, which helps with polishing and delicate veneers.
• Power: 400 W input for the Festool, 350 W for the Mirka. Neither figure tells you much about removal rate on its own: brushless motors at these sizes are rated by what they draw, not by what they deliver at the pad.
• Weight: Mirka lists 2.4 lb for the 650X. Festool’s ETS EC 150/5 page gives 2.5 lb in the description and 3.53 lb in the spec table, so I wouldn’t call a winner on weight from the paper alone; both are far lighter than a typical 6″ sander with a handle.
• Height: Festool states the ETS EC 150 is 4-1/2″ tall. Both are low enough to palm with one hand and keep your hand close to the work.
• Features: the Festool has a carbide-tipped pad brake, a vibration control system and constant speed under load. The Mirka has an LED speed lever, a separate on/off switch and Bluetooth, which lets the myMirka app track vibration exposure.

Compact 5″: ETS EC 125/3 or ETS 125 vs DEROS II 550X

The DEROS II 550X is the 5″ twin of the 650X: same 5 mm orbit, same 4,000-10,000 rpm, 350 W, and Mirka lists it at 2.2 lb, 71.0 dB and 3.2 m/s². Festool answers with two 5″ machines. The ETS EC 125/3 is the brushless one (3 mm stroke, 6,000-10,000 rpm, 3.31 lb in Festool’s table). The ETS 125 REQ is the entry ticket to Festool: a brushed 250 W motor, a fine 2 mm stroke and 6,000-12,000 rpm, made for finish sanding rather than removal. If you want a 5″ sander that both removes and finishes, the Mirka’s 5 mm orbit is the more versatile of the three.

Heavy Removal: ROTEX vs the Rest of the Mirka Range

This is where Festool has no rival from Mirka. A ROTEX switches between gear-driven rotary mode, which grinds through old finish, glue and paint like a small rotary sander, and normal random orbital mode for finishing, plus a polishing setting. The RO 150 FEQ runs 320-660 rpm in ROTEX mode and 3,300-6,800 rpm in random orbit mode on a 720 W motor, with a 5 mm stroke and a tool-free FastFix pad change. The price is weight: Festool lists 5.95 lb. Mirka’s answer for removal is simply its 5 mm orbit and a coarse Abranet disc, which works on flat stock but is not the same thing as forced rotation.

Sheet and Delta Sanders: RTS 400 and DTS 400 vs DEOS II

For flat panels into square corners, Festool sells the RTS 400 (80 x 133 mm pad) and the DTS 400 delta (100 x 150 mm), both orbital, 2 mm stroke, 250 W and 6,000-12,000 rpm. Mirka’s DEOS II family is the same idea in three shapes: the 343X (3″ x 4″), the 353X (3″ x 5″) and the Delta 663X (4″ x 6″), all 250 W, 3 mm orbit, 5,000-10,000 rpm and under 4″ tall. The DEOS II models publish 68 to 70 dB and 2.6 to 3.3 m/s² of vibration, and they have Bluetooth like the DEROS II. The Festools are the finer-cutting pair with their 2 mm stroke; the Mirkas cut a little faster and come in more pad shapes.

Cordless: Only Festool Has a Battery Option Here

Festool’s ETSC 2 125 and ETSC 2 150 are brushless 18V random orbitals with a 3.5 mm stroke, 6,000-10,000 rpm, an LED light ring and a pad brake, and Festool lists them at 2.65 lb as bare tools. The DEROS II is a corded 100-120 V tool, so if you sand on job sites without power, Festool is the brand in this comparison that covers it.

Drywall: PLANEX vs LEROS

For walls and ceilings, Festool’s PLANEX LHS 2 225 is a long-reach sander with an LED light ring around the head, adjustable suction, a brushless motor and a length of 47-1/4″ to 65″, at 11.02 lb. The newer PLANEX easy is a one-piece, 1.6 m version at 8.82 lb with a direct-drive motor over the pad. Mirka’s LEROS 950XCV takes a different route: a short, light 9″ sander (7.72 lb, 73.0 dB) with a head that flexes through 180°, used on a pole extension when you need reach. I compare these against the cheaper drywall sanders in my best drywall sanders guide.

Dust Extraction: The Systems Behind the Sanders

Both brands sell their sanders as “dust-free” systems, and both deliver on that only when the sander is connected to an extractor with auto-start. Bought alone, either sander is just an expensive sander.

Festool CT Extractors

Every Festool sander here has the same 27 mm dust port, and the CT extractors are built around them. The CT MIDI I is the one I’d look at for a sanding setup: 130 CFM of airflow, 96″ of water lift, a HEPA filter, a 15-liter container, a built-in power outlet that starts the extractor when a corded tool starts, and Bluetooth auto-start for cordless tools through a battery pack or remote. The cheaper CT 15 has the same airflow and HEPA filter, but Festool positions it as its cleaning extractor. The other advantage is storage: the CT MIDI I has a T-LOC coupling, so a Systainer case with the sander and abrasives locks onto the top.

Mirka DEXOS and Abranet

Mirka’s extractors are built for long sanding shifts. The DEXOS 1230X M AFC is an M-class, 30-liter wet and dry extractor with a 1,100 W brushless motor, 2,520 liters per minute of airflow, 250 mbar of vacuum, automatic filter cleaning, a HEPA filter, a low-airflow warning, two tool outlets with optional auto-start and Bluetooth. Pair any Mirka sander with Abranet, Mirka’s net abrasive, and the dust is pulled through the whole surface of the disc instead of a set of holes. That matters most on paint, primer and drywall compound, where fine dust clogs an ordinary disc quickly.

Can You Mix Brands?

Yes, with limits. Any corded sander can plug into the power outlet of either brand’s auto-start extractor, and hoses can be adapted between the two. What you lose by mixing is the convenience the systems are designed around: matching hose ends, Bluetooth pairing within the same brand, and in Festool’s case, the Systainer stacking. A DEROS running on a Festool extractor is a setup you’ll see discussed often on woodworking forums, and the reverse works too.

Price and Warranty

Both brands are firmly in the premium price tier, and on Amazon the current DEROS II and the brushless Festool ETS EC sit close to each other. Festool’s brushed ETS 125 REQ is the cheapest way into either brand. The ROTEX RO 150 and the PLANEX are at the top of their ranges. The buttons below show today’s price on Amazon.

Festool warranty: Festool USA’s terms cover new power tools “purchased from authorized dealers in the United States” for 3 years from the date of purchase, with proof of purchase, and its Warranty all-inclusive program includes wear and tear and lets you return a tool to the dealer within 30 days. Register the tool in your MyFestool account. Buying from an authorized dealer matters. When I checked, the Festool listings linked here were sold by Hartville Hardware, which appears on Festool’s own list of authorized online dealers, but sellers change, so check the seller on the listing before you buy.

Mirka warranty: Mirka gives every power tool a standard 2-year warranty and adds a third year free if you register the tool within 30 days of purchase. Keep the receipt and the extended warranty certificate.

On paper Festool’s warranty is the stronger one, because it is a year longer by default and explicitly covers wear parts.

Who Should Buy Which

• Buy Mirka if you mainly need one excellent random orbital, you sand for long stretches and care about weight, noise and vibration, you paint or finish drywall and want Abranet’s dust pickup, or you want the lowest-profile sheet sanders (DEOS II).
• Buy Festool if you want one system for every sanding job, from coarse removal (ROTEX) to corners (DTS 400) to walls (PLANEX), you want a cordless option, you already own Festool tools or Systainers, or you value the 3-year wear-and-tear warranty.
• Buy neither if you sand a few weekends a year. A good corded random orbital in the $$ tier does most of the same work; compare options in my best random orbital sanders roundup.

Festool and Mirka Sanders to Consider

Mirka DEROS II 650X 6″ Random Orbital Sander

Best Premium Random Orbital

The current 6″ DEROS: a brushless 350 W random orbital with a 5 mm orbit and 4,000-10,000 rpm. Mirka lists it at 2.4 lb, 71.0 dB and 3.4 m/s² of vibration. The speed lever has LED indicators, the on/off switch is separate, and Bluetooth connects it to the myMirka app for vibration monitoring. It is central vacuum ready and sold as a tool only, so budget for an extractor and discs. Warranty is 2 years, plus 1 free year when you register it within 30 days.

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• ✅ Light for a 6″ sander
• ✅ Noise and vibration published
• ✅ Low 4,000 rpm bottom speed
• ❌ 5 mm orbit only, no 3 mm version
• ❌ Corded only

Best For: Long sanding sessions on flat work, painting and finishing.

Festool ETS EC 150/5 EQ-Plus 6″ Random Orbital Sander

Best Festool Random Orbital

Festool’s direct answer to the DEROS: an EC-TEC brushless 6″ random orbital with a 5 mm stroke, 6,000-10,000 rpm and 400 W input. Festool states it is 4-1/2″ tall and lists a carbide-tipped pad brake, a vibration control system and constant speed under load. It ships with the MULTI-JETSTREAM 2 pad and a Systainer, and the 27 mm port fits every CT extractor hose. Want a finer scratch pattern? The ETS EC 150/3 is the same sander with a 3 mm stroke. 3-year Festool warranty from an authorized dealer.

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• ✅ Brushless, with pad brake
• ✅ 3 mm and 5 mm versions
• ✅ Systainer and CT system
• ❌ No published noise or vibration figures
• ❌ Premium price tier

Best For: Shops already on Festool extractors and Systainers.

Festool ROTEX RO 150 FEQ-Plus 6″ Multi-Mode Sander

Best for Removal and Finishing in One Tool

The tool Mirka doesn’t make. The RO 150 has three modes: gear-driven rotary at 320-660 rpm for coarse removal, random orbit at 3,300-6,800 rpm for finishing, and a polishing mode. A 720 W motor drives a 5 mm stroke, the FastFix system changes pads without tools, and a protector ring guards the edge of the pad against walls and edges. Festool lists it at 5.95 lb, so it is a two-handed tool rather than a palm sander.

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• ✅ Strips old finish in rotary mode
• ✅ Also finishes and polishes
• ✅ Tool-free pad change
• ❌ Heavy for overhead or vertical work
• ❌ Top of the price range

Best For: Refinishing furniture, doors and decks where old finish has to go first.

Mirka DEOS II 353X 3″ x 5″ Orbital Sheet Sander

Best Low-Profile Sheet Sander

A rectangular pad gets into square inside corners where a round disc can’t. The DEOS II 353X is a brushless 250 W orbital sander with a 3″ x 5″ pad, a 3 mm orbit and 5,000-10,000 rpm, under 4″ tall, with an LED speed lever and Bluetooth. Mirka publishes 69.0 dB and 2.6 m/s². Its Festool counterpart is the RTS 400, which has a slightly bigger 80 x 133 mm pad and a finer 2 mm stroke. For corners and edges, Mirka’s DEOS Delta II 663X is the triangular version.

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• ✅ Square corners and edges
• ✅ Low vibration figure
• ✅ Brushless and Bluetooth
• ❌ Small pad for large panels
• ❌ Premium price for a sheet sander

Best For: Cabinet doors, face frames and inside corners.

Festool CT MIDI I HEPA Dust Extractor

Best Extractor for a Mixed Tool Shop

The compact Festool extractor with everything a sanding setup needs: 130 CFM, 96″ of water lift, a HEPA filter, a 15-liter container, a power outlet with auto-start for corded tools, and Bluetooth auto-start for cordless tools through a battery or remote. A T-LOC coupling locks a Systainer onto the top, and the cable is 24.6 ft long. If you only need a HEPA extractor and can do without the outlet and Bluetooth, the CT 15 has the same airflow for less.

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• ✅ Auto-start outlet and Bluetooth
• ✅ HEPA filter
• ✅ Systainer stacks on top
• ❌ 15-liter container fills fast on big jobs
• ❌ Premium price tier

Best For: One extractor shared by sanders, saws and routers.

Mirka DEXOS 1230X M-Class HEPA Dust Extractor

Best Extractor for All-Day Sanding

Mirka’s big extractor is an M-class, 30-liter (8 gal) wet and dry unit with a 1,100 W brushless motor, 2,520 l/min of airflow and 250 mbar of vacuum. Automatic filter cleaning keeps suction up during long sanding runs, a HEPA filter handles the fine dust, a warning tells you when airflow drops, and two tool outlets offer optional auto-start. It also has Bluetooth. Mirka lists 77.0 dB.

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• ✅ Automatic filter cleaning
• ✅ Large 30-liter capacity
• ✅ Two tool outlets
• ❌ Bigger and heavier to move than a CT MIDI
• ❌ Top of the price range

Best For: Painters and finishers sanding for hours with Abranet.

The 5″ DEROS II 550X and the original DEROS 650CV are covered in detail in my Mirka DEROS review.

Still torn between the two? Tell me what you sand most and what you already own in the comments, and I’ll give you my take.

An electric hand planer shaves wood off in thin, flat curls and is the faster, straighter tool for taking a door, beam or board edge down to size; a belt sander grinds wood away and is the better tool for smoothing wide surfaces, leveling glue-ups and removing paint. If you need to remove more than about a sixteenth of an inch, plane it. If you need a smooth, even surface, sand it. On most real projects you do both: plane first, then sand.

This comparison is about the two handheld tools. If you’re choosing between a benchtop thickness planer and a drum sander for dimensioning boards, that’s a different decision, covered in drum sander vs planer.

Belt Sander vs Planer at a Glance

How Each One Works

Electric Hand Planer

A power planer has a small drum, the cutterhead, carrying two knives that spin between a front and a rear shoe. My guide on how to use a hand planer covers the technique, and the best hand planer picks compare seven corded and cordless models. You set the depth with the front knob, and every pass removes exactly that much wood across the width of the knives. The Makita KP0800K, for example, planes 3-1/4″ wide and up to 3/32″ deep in one pass, and the WEN 6530 adjusts from 0 to 1/8″ in 16 steps. Because the long base rides on the high spots and bridges the low ones, a planer straightens an edge instead of just following it.

Belt Sander

A belt sander runs a loop of abrasive over a flat platen. It has no depth setting: it removes wood as long as you keep it on the surface, and how much depends on the grit, the wood and how long you stay in one place. That makes it slower and less precise for sizing, but far better for making a wide surface smooth and even, and it doesn’t care about old paint or a hidden staple the way planer knives do. My guide on how to use a belt sander covers the technique.

When to Use a Planer

• Trimming a sticking door. A planer takes a clean, straight shaving off the edge. Plane the latch side, or the bottom, and work from each end toward the middle so the end grain doesn’t split.
• Fitting boards, shelves and countertop edges to a line.
• Taking down high joists, studs and beams, and flattening rough timber.
• Chamfers and rabbets: many planers have a V-groove in the front shoe for chamfering, and some take a rabbeting guide (the WEN 6530 cuts rabbets up to 1 inch).

When to Use a Belt Sander

• Leveling glued-up panels and tabletops, wider than the planer’s 3-1/4″ cut.
• Removing paint and old finish from flat surfaces. See how to strip paint from wood.
• Smoothing planer marks before finer sanding.
• Scribing and shaping small amounts to a curved line.
• Any surface with hidden metal, where planer knives would chip.

Using Both: Plane, Then Sand

The two tools work best as a sequence. Plane to size and to a straight line, then belt sand at 80 or 100 grit to blend the passes and remove any ridges or tear-out, then finish with a random orbital from 120 up to 180 or 220 before stain or paint. For a broader comparison of the belt sander with finishing sanders, see belt sander vs orbital sander.

Planers I’d Buy

Makita KP0800K 3-1/4″ Planer

Best Planer Overall

The KP0800K planes 3-1/4″ wide and up to 3/32″ deep per pass with a 6.5 A motor and a two-blade carbide cutterhead at 17,000 RPM. The depth knob clicks in 0.1 mm steps, a spring-loaded stand lifts the base off the work when you set it down, and the blade-setting system makes knife changes quick. It weighs 5.7 lb and comes with a case.

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• ✅ Fine 0.1 mm depth steps
• ✅ Spring-loaded stand protects the blades
• ✅ Carbide blades
• ❌ Mid-to-premium price tier

Best For: Doors, fitting and finish carpentry, where a precise cut matters.

WEN 6530 6-Amp 3-1/4″ Electric Hand Planer

Best Budget Planer

The WEN 6530 cuts 0 to 1/8″ deep in 16 positive stops and makes rabbets up to 1″ with its rabbeting guide. The 6 A motor gives up to 34,000 cuts per minute, it weighs 6 lb, and the kit includes a dust bag, a kickstand and a parallel fence bracket, with a 2-year warranty. It sits in the lowest price tier.

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• ✅ Deepest cut here, 1/8″
• ✅ Rabbets up to 1″
• ✅ Lowest price tier
• ❌ Coarser depth steps than the Makita

Best For: Occasional door trimming and rough carpentry on a budget.

Belt Sanders I’d Buy

For more options, including 4″ x 24″ and cordless models, see my full belt sander reviews.

Metabo HPT SB8V2 3″ x 21″ Belt Sander

Best Belt Sander to Pair With a Planer

A 9 A, 1,020 W motor with a variable speed dial at the base of the handle, a clear front cover so you can see the belt when sanding up to a surface, and a left-side dust bag that stays out of the way in corners. Metabo HPT backs it with a 5-year limited warranty.

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• ✅ Variable speed
• ✅ Clear front cover
• ✅ 5-year warranty
• ❌ Heavier than 3″ x 18″ sanders

Best For: Blending planer passes, leveling glue-ups and stripping flat surfaces.

WEN 6321 7-Amp 3″ x 21″ Belt Sander

Best Budget Belt Sander

The WEN 6321 runs a 3″ x 21″ belt with a 7 A motor and weighs about 6 lb, light for this belt size. It has a lock-on switch for long passes, a detachable dust bag, and a 2-year warranty. It sits in the lowest price tier.

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• ✅ Light for a 3″ x 21″
• ✅ Lock-on switch
• ✅ Lowest price tier
• ❌ Single speed

Best For: Occasional sanding next to a budget planer.

Trying to decide for a specific job? Describe it in the comments and I’ll tell you which tool I’d reach for.

A thickness planer is the tool for making boards thinner, fast: its knives take off real shavings on every pass. A drum sander removes only a sliver per pass, but it can safely thickness what a planer can’t, like figured wood that tears out, very thin stock and wide glued-up panels, and it leaves a surface that’s ready for finish sanding. If you mill rough lumber, buy the planer first. Add a drum sander when tear-out, thin parts or wide panels become your problem.

Most shops that own a drum sander use it after the planer, not instead of it. Below is how each machine works, a side-by-side comparison, the jobs where each one wins, and the models I’d look at. For handheld tools, the matching comparison is belt sander vs planer.

Drum Sander vs Planer at a Glance

How Each Machine Works

Thickness Planer

A thickness planer feeds a board under a cutterhead with two or three knives (or a spiral head with many small inserts) spinning at high speed, and rollers pull the board through at a set speed. The head is set to a height, and everything above that height is cut off in one pass. A benchtop model like the DEWALT DW735X runs a 15 amp motor with a three-knife head and two feed speeds, 96 or 179 cuts per inch, one for fast dimensioning and one for a finer finish. The WEN PL1326 and PL1337 plane boards up to 13″ wide and 6″ thick.

Drum Sander

A drum sander replaces the knives with a long drum wrapped in an abrasive strip, and a conveyor belt carries the board under it. It removes very little per pass, so you lower the drum a fraction of a turn at a time. On an open-ended (cantilevered) model, the drum is supported on one side only, so a panel wider than the drum can be sanded in two passes, flipping it end for end. It’s really a thicknessing sander: the job is to bring stock to an exact, even thickness and a sanded surface, not to take a lot off.

When to Use a Planer

• Milling rough-sawn lumber to thickness. A drum sander would take all day.
• Bringing a batch of boards to the same thickness for a project.
• Removing a lot of wood from reclaimed boards (after pulling every nail).
• Straight-grained species like pine, oak, poplar and walnut, which plane cleanly.

When to Use a Drum Sander

• Figured wood: curly maple, bird’s-eye, quartersawn stock and interlocked tropical species that tear out under knives.
• Thin stock: box sides, guitar tops and backs, veneer, inlay and marquetry.
• End-grain cutting boards, which should never go through a planer.
• Wide glued-up panels and cabinet doors wider than your planer.
• Short pieces that are too short for a planer’s rollers to hold safely.
• Removing planer marks and snipe before the finish sanding.

Using Both: The Usual Order

Joint one face and one edge, plane to within about a sixteenth of an inch of final thickness, then run the boards through the drum sander at 80 or 100 grit to reach final thickness without tear-out. From there, finish sand with a random orbital at 120 or 150 and up to 180 or 220. The grit steps are in what grit sandpaper for wood. Both machines produce a lot of waste, so plan for a real dust collector rather than a shop vacuum.

Do You Need Both?

Most hobby shops don’t. If you buy rough or skip-planed lumber, the planer is the one you’ll use every week, so start with my thickness planer picks. A drum sander earns its space if you make boxes, instruments, cutting boards or furniture from figured wood, or if tear-out is costing you boards. A middle path is a planer with a spiral or helical cutterhead, which cuts at a shearing angle and tears out less than straight knives.

Planers and Drum Sanders to Consider

DEWALT DW735X 13″ Two-Speed Thickness Planer

Best Thickness Planer Overall

A 15 A, 20,000 RPM motor drives a three-knife cutterhead at 10,000 RPM, and a two-speed gearbox gives 96 or 179 cuts per inch. The carriage locks automatically to reduce snipe, fan-assisted chip ejection blows the chips out of the machine, and the X package adds infeed and outfeed tables and a spare set of knives. DEWALT backs it with a 3-year limited warranty. Premium price tier.

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• ✅ Two feed speeds
• ✅ Tables and spare knives included
• ✅ Automatic carriage lock against snipe
• ❌ Straight knives can tear out figured wood
• ❌ Premium price tier

Best For: Milling rough lumber in a home shop.

WEN PL1326 13″ Spiral Benchtop Thickness Planer

Best Planer for Less Tear-Out

Instead of long knives, the PL1326 uses a spiral cutterhead with 26 staggered, rotatable HSS inserts, which WEN designs for a cleaner finish. It planes boards up to 13″ wide and 6″ thick, the 15 A motor turns the head at 10,000 RPM with a 26 ft/min feed, and an onboard gauge shows how much each pass removes. When an insert dulls or chips, you rotate it to a fresh edge instead of replacing a whole knife.

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• ✅ Spiral head reduces tear-out
• ✅ Rotatable inserts
• ✅ 13″ x 6″ capacity
• ❌ Single feed speed

Best For: Shops that want one machine and plane some figured wood.

JET JWDS-1632 16″ Drum Sander with Stand

Best Drum Sander for a Home Shop

An open-ended drum sander that handles stock up to 16″ wide in one pass or 32″ in two. JET’s SandSmart control watches the drum motor load and sets the conveyor speed for you, infinitely variable up to 10 ft/min, so you don’t burn the wood or stall the drum. The hood channels dust to a 4″ port, the conveyor tracks with tool-free adjusters, and it comes on an open steel stand with 80-grit abrasive installed and a 5-year warranty.

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• ✅ 32″ panels in two passes
• ✅ Automatic feed control
• ✅ 5-year warranty
• ❌ Needs a real dust collector
• ❌ Premium price tier

Best For: Figured wood, thin stock, end-grain boards and wide panels.

More drum sanders, from compact 10-20 models to the 18-36, are compared in my drum sander reviews.

Deciding between the two for your shop? Tell me what you build in the comments and I’ll give you my take.