Hitachi P18DSL Cordless Pla
Aimed at pro carpenters and joiners, but some keen DIYers will love it too. Robustly made and accurate with the capability of a corded with the convenience of a cordless.
It took me about half an hour of planing up some hard oak to be a convert to this Hitachi planer. There is an awful lot to like about it, and you can probably forget any reservations you might have about cordless planers – this one does the job. My reservations about cordless
planers in general were largely based on a test I did years ago on a cordless planer. This was before the days of Lithium Ion and 5Ah battery packs. This planer had limited capability and the battery pack was heavy relative to the machine so it was a bit unbalanced. Within minutes of using the Hitachi, I
could feel and see that it was not going to be troubled by any of the above. It feels exactly like a corded planer in the hand, and the quality of construction was reassuringly professional. But what you get is the cordless freedom to move the tool about easily from job to job. There are a number of interested
bodies including “Health and Safety” and some tool companies that are quite openly saying that “cordless only” worksites are very nearly a reality for almost all types of powered tools. Planers, routers and circular saws
are still most often corded because they are power hungry and rotational speed dependent – but my guess is that within five years the “cordless only” worksite will be a reality. What I really liked about the Hitachi
from the moment I picked it up is that it is clearly a “professional” tool. The quality of manufacture is robust, as we would expect from Hitachi. First contact was via the rubber overmoulded operating handle. This is comfortable and grippy and enhances the feel of the machine in the hand. Directly behind the handle and perfectly placed for balance is the 5Ah battery pack. This slides in on a pair of rails and clicks into place positively. It will not slip out even if the tool is inverted. The grey battery release buttons do not stick – they just work well. The Hitachi green body is made
from robust, well-moulded plastic with a side mounted alloy drive belt cover. Underneath, the sole plates - front
and back – are made from ground sheets of solid alloy 5mm thick – just like a professional planer should have. There is one rebating groove on the front sole plate and a spring-loaded foot on the back of the rear plate so that you can put the planer down on a flat surface without waiting for it to stop completely and also to protect the cutter blades. The front knob handle is black and grooved and also controls the depth of cut of the machine. Unlike some lesser machines, the depth of cut control actually
10 ToolBUSINESS+HIRE
works. Set it to 0 and the cutters do not actually make contact with the workpiece. The scale is graduated in 1/10 mm increments up to a full cut depth of 2mm which is more than enough on a powered planer unless you are in the business of removing 50mm from the bottom of a door, in which case a saw is called for. I liked the placement of the handles because accurate planing relies on starting
Independent Review by Peter Brett
the work with pressure placed on the front of the machine and ending the cut with pressure on the back of the machine. The handle placement provided good control and balance. There is of course only one control
switch – the trigger. In order to operate the trigger, it is necessary to pull back the switch lock lever. This lever sticks out on both sides of the handle so is suitable for left or right-handers. With the motor running, the noise levels are a lot less than the equivalent corded planer, and this is another advantage, especially for carpenters working in a client’s home. The planer comes with two chip
collection options - a simple port to connect to a vacuum extractor or an adaptor to connect to a chip bag. In truth, a corded vac may not be available in a cordless work environment, so I really concentrated on the chip collection bag option. The vac port is easy to remove (one screw) and the bigger port is fitted using the same screw. The large port then has the chip bag attached where it sticks out to the side. This may cause hassle in some applications, but it is the only real option for good chip extraction. The chip collection is very good and filled the bag quickly, but it is easy to empty via the big zip.
Also supplied in the large box (could
be smaller?) is a side fence, a blade spanner, and a blade sharpening holder should you choose to use resharpenable blades instead of the double-sided carbide blades. There is, of course, a second battery and the “intelligent” charger to ensure that batteries are properly looked after. I mostly used the planer on a project
preparing some hard oak for a coffee table I am making. The planer will cut oak to the full width of the blade (82mm) and up to 2mm deep, and is as accurate as the user is careful to be accurate. It pays to make the passes not too swift and thereby you will avoid corrugated planer marks and end up with a smooth finish. A fast feed speed will also slow the
planer somewhat and doesn’t give good results because your accuracy will be compromised. When I worked indoors I reckon about 95% or more of the waste is collected in the collection bag, so I had very little cleaning up to do. Bearing in mind that most planers
are used for jobs like fitting doors or other joinery tasks in softwood, the Hitachi has all the ingredients for being a very useful replacement for a corded planer. It also has a good balance, is as
well made as a corded equivalent and can justifiably be added to a professional’s toolkit. I just need another week or so of using it before it goes back!
www.toolbusiness.co.uk
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