Thickness planers turn rough lumber into uniform boards, and they are among the few shop tools where a single sale can save several hundred dollars. The DW735X package, a 13 inch planer with infeed and outfeed tables plus an extra set of knives, sold for $499 with free shipping during the 2020 Black Friday season, matching the best offers seen in years. For woodworkers and builders who process their own stock, knowing how to evaluate the deal matters more than the brand on the box.
The discipline that works for evaluating early Black Friday tool deals across multiple categories applies here as well. Check the package contents, the historical low, and the alternatives before committing. A planer purchase repeats the same decision structure as any big tool buy, and the checklist is short enough to run in the aisle.
What a Planer Package Should Include
The box matters as much as the machine. The package in question includes infeed and outfeed tables, which extend the bed so long boards do not tip as they pass through, plus an extra set of knives. Some deals add a mobile stand, and others sell the stand separately. Shoppers who evaluate early Black Friday tool deals across construction categories learn to confirm box contents before comparing prices, because the same model number can ship with different accessories at different stores.
| Configuration | Contents | Street price |
|---|---|---|
| Planer alone | Machine only | $449 to $499 |
| Planer kit | Machine, infeed and outfeed tables, extra knives | $499 |
| Planer plus mobile stand | Kit plus DW7350 stand | $599 |
| Stand alone | DW7350 mobile stand | $144 to $170 |
The infeed and outfeed tables are not decorative. Without them, boards flex at the entry and exit of the cutterhead, which rounds the first and last few inches of every pass. Buyers who skip the tables to save money usually add them later, and the retrofits rarely cost less than buying the tables in the original package.
Verify a planer package in four steps:
- Confirm the model number matches the package you think you are buying.
- Count the knife sets in the box.
- Check whether the infeed and outfeed tables are included or optional.
- Read the shipping terms before comparing prices.
The X designation on the model number signals the package rather than the machine. The same cutterhead and motor ship in the bare unit, the kit, and the kit with a stand, so the model number alone does not tell you what is in the box. Reading the full listing and the cart contents before checkout prevents the most common planer deal mistake: paying kit money for a bare machine.
Price History and What Counts as a Real Discount
The $499 price has appeared repeatedly over the years. The same package sold for that amount at Amazon in February 2020, and the pattern goes back further than that. The lowest recorded price was $475 in 2016, reached by stacking a $25 off $100 or more coupon on top of the seasonal price. Rounding up early Black Friday Dewalt deals at Home Depot and other chains shows the same package cycling through the same price points year after year, so a buyer who sees $499 can treat it as a proven floor rather than a one-time anomaly.
Coupon stacking explains the gap between $475 and $499. Coupon promos often exclude package deals, which means the $499 free shipping price is the practical low for most buyers. Treat any planer price at or below $499 as a strong seasonal number, and treat the occasional $475 as a rare bonus rather than the going rate.
Reading the Fine Print
Free shipping is part of the value. A planer in this class weighs around 90 pounds, and freight on that box can run $50 or more. A price that looks $20 higher with free shipping can beat a nominally cheaper listing with freight added, so read the shipping terms before comparing two deals.
Tracking the historical low changes how a buyer reads a sale. A price that appears twice in one season is a promotion. A price that appears every year is the market rate, and planning around it removes the pressure to buy on the first day. The difference matters for budget planning: a crew that knows the $499 floor can schedule the purchase instead of reacting to it.
Weighing the Stand-Alone Deal Against a Bundle
The same week, a second retailer offered the planer kit at $599 with the mobile stand thrown in. The stand sells separately for $144 to $170, so the bundle math depends entirely on whether the stand has a use. Buyers who planned to buy both save $45 to $70. Buyers who planned to keep the planer on a workbench pay $100 more for a stand they do not need. Professionals who shop Black Friday tool sales know bundle math only works when every included item has a use, and the stand question is the test case for this deal.
Doing the Bundle Math
Compare the two configurations on the same model. The $499 kit plus a $150 stand costs $649, which is $50 more than the $599 package with the stand included. If the stand is on the list anyway, the bundle wins. If not, the $499 kit leaves $100 in the bank for blades, dust hose, or rough lumber.
Retailer coverage matters for the same purchase. The $499 price appeared at a farm supply chain, an online marketplace, and a tool specialty dealer in the same week, which means shipping speed and return policy become the differentiators. Buyers in the Upper Midwest could also pick the machine up in store, which removes freight risk entirely. When three stores match a price, the deal is stable; when one store holds it alone, act quickly.
Comparing Planer Specs Before You Commit
Capacity comes first. A 13 inch planer handles boards up to 13 inches wide and roughly 6 inches thick, which covers dimensional lumber and most sawmill stock. Depth of cut per pass runs about 1/8 inch, and a two speed feed lets the operator choose between 96 and 179 cuts per minute depending on the wood.
Cutterhead design separates the classes. Three straight knives spin at about 10,000 RPM and give a clean cut that is easy to maintain by rotating or replacing blades. A 15 amp motor handles hardwoods without bogging, and a 2.5 inch dust port connects to most shop vacs and dust collectors. The capacity-first logic that guides miter saw deals during Black Friday applies to planers as well: match the machine to the largest stock you process, then let the sale decide the timing.
Match these four numbers to your work:
- Cutting width against the widest boards you expect to plane
- Maximum stock thickness against the lumber you buy
- Depth of cut per pass against how many passes you want to make
- Dust port size against your existing collection system
Cutterhead upgrades change the long-term cost. A helical head with indexable carbide inserts costs more up front but cuts quieter and handles figured wood with less tear-out, and a damaged insert rotates instead of requiring a full blade change. Buyers who plane a lot of hardwood should price the upgrade before deciding whether the straight knife version is a bargain.
When to Buy and When to Wait
Seasonal planer deals sell out fast. The same week this package appeared, a popular tool bundle vanished within hours, and the planer was expected to follow. If the deal disappears online, physical stores in Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, and Illinois still carried the same price for local pickup, which matters for buyers who prefer to inspect the box before paying.
Patience works too. The price history shows the package returns every season, so a missed sale means waiting weeks, not years. The price-checking discipline behind evaluating cordless drill deals during Black Friday sales events, checking history and stock before acting, transfers directly to planers.
Building the Planer Into a Woodworking Workflow
A planer is one station in a sequence. Joint one face and one edge first, then plane the opposite face to thickness, then rip to width at the table saw. Feeding boards with the grain reduces tear-out, and taking shallow passes on figured wood keeps the surface clean.
Watch the ends of every board for snipe, the slight dip where the rollers release the stock. Feeding longer boards through the tables, taking lighter cuts, and keeping the knives sharp all reduce it. Rotate the three knives as a set to keep the cut consistent, and store the machine with the tables folded when space is tight. The same checklist used for power tool deals during Black Friday sales events keeps the planer purchase aligned with the workflow that will use it.
Dust collection keeps the machine accurate. The 2.5 inch port connects to a shop vac for light work, but a dedicated dust collector with 4 inch ducting moves the chips fast enough to prevent clogging on long passes. Empty the collection bag before a heavy session, because a full bag cuts airflow and lets chips recirculate into the cutterhead.