Hitachi P20SF Planer - Video Review

[Stone Message]

Hitachi sent their new planer for me to test and so I have produced a video and will write an article for my magazine. For a sub £100 machine it does pretty well although dust collection requires you to spend a little more money. It appears to be well made, the ergonomics are good and it is easy to use.

Take a look at:



Peter

 

[duburban]

looks exactly like my makita. i think somebody is rebranding or sharing production somewhere.

 

[Stone Message]

I have not seen the Makita but all these hand held planing machines look pretty much the same. I know that a lot of OEM work is done in the tool world and so several manufacturers will put their brand on the same machine. I have a Dewalt 625 router and the identical (apart from colour and name badge) CMT machine.

Peter

 

[duburban]

the underbelly of the industry is interesting. i wish i knew more about the process and what those people were coming up with.

heres that makita

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0033WSK5O/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000051ZOO&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=17JAXSX9Q87ZH3RSPAQ2

 

[Stone Message]

Gosh - they do look very similar. In the UK the Makita is about £150 but the Hitachi is £99.

Peter

 

[Tinker]

I have not seen the Makita but all these hand held planing machines look pretty much the same. I know that a lot of OEM work is done in the tool world and so several manufacturers will put their brand on the same machine. I have a Dewalt 625 router and the identical (apart from colour and name badge) CMT machine.

Peter

Peter, Thanks for the demo.  I'm not really interested in the Hitachi, or any other planer.  I already have the HL 850 with frame and fence. 

I did learn something form your presentation.  I always wondered what that little groove was for at the front plate of my 850. 
You just showed me.  [thanks]
Tinker

 

[Stone Message]

Hi Tinker

The Hitachi was a sweet little thing for the money but the HL850 - that is in a completely different league. I saw one demonstrated and would love to have one sometime. It does really good rebates and the optional cutters are all very interesting. Maybe my magazine will send me one to review one day.

Glad you know what the groove is for.

Peter

 

[Tinker]

Peter, if you ever do get an 850 to demo, you should try to get it with the stand and fence as well.  Among the most common applications for planers, i have even used mine to make a round tool handle (paint brush for a joke type present). It did not come out perfectly round but could have with a little more sanding. 

I was very surprised at how long a piece of wood could be straight edged with such a short table.  Clamped to my MFT, it becomes very stable.  I don't know if any of the other hand planers can be used as a stationary planer.  I have not looked into that.

I would not even look for any stationary planers as my shop is to inaccessible for anything as heavy. The little hand planers do make life a bit easier for many projects.  I have used mine as a surface planer on wide boards, or beams too wide and/or thick for my DW 12" thickness planer to rough it down before going at them with hand planes.
Tinker

 

[Stone Message]

Hi (again) Tinker

The Hitachi does not have a stand as an optional extra. I have seen the Festool one and it really does look like a well thought out piece of kit.

If anyone from Festool HQ reads this then give the planer a thought!!!

Peter

 

[Tinker]

Hi (again) Tinker

The Hitachi does not have a stand as an optional extra. I have seen the Festool one and it really does look like a well thought out piece of kit.

If anyone from Festool HQ reads this then give the planer a thought!!!

Peter

To Festool
HINT HINT HINT
Tinker

 

[Christian A.]

Hello Peter,

Thank you for the review.
Yesterday I checked out a number of different power planers in a store. Unfortunately, I had to discover that the front and back soles/plates of a few planers were not true/parallel/in line with each other. I wonder how the Hitachi planer performs in this regard. If you set the planing depth to "0" and hold a straight edge against the soles, are there any gaps?

Thanks in advance,

Christian

 

[Stone Message]

Hello Peter,

Thank you for the review.
Yesterday I checked out a number of different power planers in a store. Unfortunately, I had to discover that the front and back soles/plates of a few planers were not true/parallel/in line with each other. I wonder how the Hitachi planer performs in this regard. If you set the planing depth to "0" and hold a straight edge against the soles, are there any gaps?

Thanks in advance,

Christian

Hi Christian

That was one of the first things that I checked with the machine that Hitachi sent to me and it was fine. I did not check it again after use and the machine has now been returned to Hitachi. A lot of tools appear to be made in one factory (often in the far East) and then sold under a number of different names. I know that in such cases some tool companies insist on higher quality control checks to be made on their batches of tools (and they pay extra for this). So, you may see machines which are essentially identical but some may be better than others. That is one of the beauties of Festool - everything is made in Germany and almost every bit of work is done inside the Festool factory.

Peter

 

[Christian A.]

Thank you for your response, Peter.

Have a nice weekend,

Christian

 

[Tinker]

Peter, I had watched and commented on your demo when you first showed.  This morning, i came across it again and rewatched the demo.
A new questioned came to me immediately.  Thatdepth adjustment  knob on the front appears to be very handy to hold on to as a guide to the machine while cutting.  The same is true when using an armstrong powered hand plane, of which i have several models of varying size.  On every one of those, i make full use of that knob.  I note that you are doing exactly the same with the Hitachi, as I am sure most other WW'ers do as well.

My question:  Is there any way to lock that knob so, if one holds tight and has a tendency to rotate the knob as he/she plows thru a cut, the knob does not inadvertantly rotate to a deeper, or shallower, cut? 

I have never tried any other power hand planer (other than armstrong powered models) than the HL 850 with the adjustment tucked safely away from such inadvertant misadjustment.
Tinker

 

[Stone Message]

Peter, I had watched and commented on your demo when you first showed.  This morning, i came across it again and rewatched the demo.
A new questioned came to me immediately.  Thatdepth adjustment  knob on the front appears to be very handy to hold on to as a guide to the machine while cutting.  The same is true when using an armstrong powered hand plane, of which i have several models of varying size.  On every one of those, i make full use of that knob.  I note that you are doing exactly the same with the Hitachi, as I am sure most other WW'ers do as well.

My question:  Is there any way to lock that knob so, if one holds tight and has a tendency to rotate the knob as he/she plows thru a cut, the knob does not inadvertantly rotate to a deeper, or shallower, cut? 

I have never tried any other power hand planer (other than armstrong powered models) than the HL 850 with the adjustment tucked safely away from such inadvertant misadjustment.
Tinker

Hi Tinker

No, there is no way to lock the knob. It is a little stiff to turn (but not difficult) and it does not turn unless you want it to - so nothing to worry about at all. I have a very old planer (Bosch or is it B&D - I would have to open up the workshop to find out) bought in about 1979 which has a knob in the same place and is much easier to turn. It does not move unless I deliberately make it.

Peter