Customer Reviews for Makita 6.5 Amp 3-1/4 in. Corded Handheld Planer Kit with Blade Set, Hard Case

I have a few planers, this one I bought a while back to only use as a finish planer for smaller reclaimed lumber pieces, Ex 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 3/4” inch boards etc. I’ve now used it several times for that purpose and it’s been absolutely excellent. My planing is very shallow and with a few careful passes. I read some of the negative reviews, the dust ejection is a minor issue for me, I plane mostly outside.

Bought this after reading a couple of the online reviews. I've had a lot of success with Makita products which swayed my decision over DeWalt. I also like the kit type things if for nothing more than having case. The one apprehension was the lack of a dust collection mechanism. Read how others had bought a couple of attachments and also read the review about the Ryobi that did have a bag and how quickly it filled. This led me to ignore this feature or the lack of it. I bought this to smooth out a chain sawed slice of a flowering crabapple tree. The surface was really rough. in about 30 minutes I had the surface pretty smooth. I alway knew it would not be perfect and there were ridge lines from the blades. but it worked as advertised. I used the depth adjustment to control how much material was removed. It seemed accurate, I never measured. I duct taped a narrow hose used for car cleanup to the planner and ran the shop vac. That worked perfectly. Other than some fine dust there weren't any issues. I gave it 5 stars: no apparent damage out of the box, no setup required, all advertised parts were there, clear instruction manual, performed as advertised, results met my expectations. The only downside is probably more work to do now that the wife has seen the results.

Just picked one up and tried it on some already planed white oak (small test run - nothing special about this wood). I left the setting at zero depth to see how accurate it was set from the manufacturer. It appears to have cut about a 64th or better at zero depth. The blades immediately began chipping apart. Not just a little - a lot. I made two passes and the blades are completely unuseable. I attached 2 pictures to show how bad this is. I am obviously taking this back to the store for a refund. The unit itself seems to be well built and seems to have plenty of power. The blades can't handle hard wood.

Am still practicing with the new planer to eliminate mismatches from multiple passes over the old wood but like it a lot. The neighbors even came over to check it out.

The Makita KP0800 corded planer is an excellent power tool. Makita has done a good design and manufacturing job on this product. The kit includes 3-1/4 in. planer, blade gauge assembly, wrench, guide rule, blade set and tool case. The carrying case is very high quality. I love the ease of the depth adjustment knob. The depth adjustment is super easy to read, using 0.1mm increments from 0 to 2.4mm or 3/32 in. The edge fence is easy to install and use. The chamfering V-groove is effective. I like that the lock on button is easy to engage so I don’t have to hold the button to keep it running. The motor is adequate and relatively quiet. Blade sharpening requires a sharpening holder and a dressing stone. These are not included in the basic purchase. Looks like the brushes can be replaced fairly easily. Not sure how hard it is to align a new blade set. From the instructions, it does not seem like a piece of cake. It would be nice if the instruction manual would start with “what’s in the box”. The manual does not list that there is a bevel guide that will work on the unit. . Not sure, but during operation I felt I got a little hang up on some cuts. Other models may be a little smoother. Wish they had make the blade width ¼” longer so that you could plane the face side of a 2X4. It is quite messy but there are attachments that can be added to solve this. The size and weight are good for me unlike some heavier tools that I just can’t use. I will use it a lot with my wood crafting.

This is a great 3-1/4" corded planer that's accurate, powerful, and easy to use. The only downside is that it doesn't ship with a dust bag or a nozzle that can be readily attached to a shop-vac. The kit comes with a sturdy blow molded case that's a bit bulky, but has great positive retention storage for all the accessories. Also included is a T wrench for blade removal, a blade holder for use when sharpening, and an edge guide for rabbeting. Everything snaps into place and holds really well, although I usually have to mess around with the cord quite a bit to get it stowed so I can close the case. The depth adjustment knob for the planer has 1/256" resolution, and allows for depths ranging from 0" to 3/32". I was surprised to find that there weren't any stops at the extremes, and could keep turning the knob past the max depth marking. The front shoe continued to move, so I decided to push the planer past its limits and try a full 1/8" pass on the edge of a 2x4. It managed to do it, but I could tell it was struggling to keep up. When used at its specified max depth setting, this planer doesn't bog down at all, thanks to the 6.5A motor. It even leaves a really smooth finish without any discernible scalloping. Running it over knots and voids didn't cause any tear out either. Sharpening the knives periodically should keep them factory sharp for such clean cuts. The edge guide works pretty well, although you can't really set the planer down easily while it's installed. I cut a few rabbets with it without any problems. It would have been nice if it included a bevel jig as well, but most of the competition don't have that feature either. The front shoe does have a 45° chamfer guide though, and I found it pretty easy to keep on track. The lock on trigger is easy to engage too, so you won't have to spend time fumbling with it while the blades are spinning. The biggest downside to this planer kit is that it doesn't ship with any means for connecting it to a dust collector. I understand why it didn't include a dust bag, which could fill up after just one or two passes, but I'm mystified as to why it doesn't come with a circular nozzle. The chip ejection chute is an odd oval shape, and Makita sells an optional accessory for another $15 that replaces it and allows for attachment of a dust collector hose. However, the adapter is for a 37mm hose, not the standard 1-7/8" or 2-1/2" hose diameters. So most users will have to buy TWO adapters for connecting to a vacuum. It seems like Makita could remedy the biggest source of complaints from users of this planer by simply swapping out the cheap plastic dust collection adapter that comes with this kit. Overall, this is a great accurate planer. Just know that if you plan on using it somewhere you'll have to clean up after yourself that you'll have to spend at least another $20 on adapters.

The Makita KP0800K Corded Planer is an outstanding product. The deck is machined well and very smooth. It has a notch in the front deck to perform chamfering. It also includes an adapter for shiplapping (rabbeting). With 6.5 amps of power this tool powered through my boards with ease. The depth dial has click points for each setting ensuring you are cutting to the right depth. This tool will throw a lot of wood chips out and it does not include a bag. I highly recommend you purchase the dust extracting nozzle so it can be connected to your shop vacuum. It comes with an outstanding blow mold case that holds all the parts securely and has excellent latches and hinges. It should last the life of the tool. It would be nice if the manual included part numbers for each of the accessories.

I've wanted a power planer to use on material too bulky to run through my jointer. This one fits the ticket. It comes with blades preinstalled, a blade installation gauge and wrench, an edge guide for rabbiting, all in a nice plastic case. The blades are carbide and reversible, so they should last a while. It has a V groove in the front base plate as a guide when chamfering edges and the depth is adjustable in 1/256" increments. The hand grip is comfortable and secure. I especially like the spring loaded "kickstand" at the rear to keep from dinging the blads when the planer is set down. Out of the box, set at 3/32" it didn't remove any material. I checked the blade adjustment and it was OK. I finally figured out that the depth adjustment knob doesn't have any stops and had been unscrewed a turn too far. Once I got started planing, the resulting wood surface was nice and smooth. The chips were thrown several feet to the side and forward a little. Since I don't have any of the chip collection accessories yet, I'll be doing my planing outside. I was disappointed to find that the manual lists a number of accessories, but doesn't give any part numbers, making it harder to locate the correct parts.

Great product, robust and tough. Very accurate

Used Makita tools decades their the best

The planer does a good job shaving the lumber, however, the dust port is not compatible with a vacuum. This planer did not come with a dust bag so I had to hold the planer with one hand and hold my vacuum hose next to the dust port. Messy... I will be getting rid of this planer. Didn't have time to wait for delivery of the Bosch PL2632K. Buyer's regret

This thing is amazing I wish I woulda bought one years ago

Bought for a small job, tough to keep a board wider than the blades flat and even....works best on door edges. No regrets.

A highly precise instrument is an absolute beast. Would recommend anything

Key is missing so i am unable to replace the blade.

Works fantastic out of the box, will definitely be one of my most effective hand power tools.

Great easy to use fives a nice finish right out of the box

Very pleased with this purchase. Liked that it allowed me to start with very shallow passes-I was able to work up to the desired depth slowly. Also liked that it was small enough to handle easily and allowed a good visual on my workpiece.