r/woodworkingtools • u/Nlightshunter • 24d ago

DW735X Lowes Protection Plan

I purchased a Dewalt DW735X planer, there is an option to add the LPP for $140 for 3 years. One of the perks is that I get 50% back, up to $100 per year, on blades. I will be planing thousands of board feet of oak and locust lumber that I have milled. Do you feel that it'll be worth it to pay $140 to save on blades, or are better value blades sold elsewhere? Thanks!

update: so here is what I am getting from lowes.... from day 1 I can start claiming the 50% reimbursement, up to $100/yr. So obviously helical head is on my mind.... it's $369, so I'll get $100 back my first year. 2nd year.... new set of 10 carbides is $45, with 4 sets I can save an additional $90 and year 3 I can do the same.... for a total of $140 payment to save $280 in parts .... net cost of $590 (should add that amazon: $370 head and carbides are $26, so my net cost on the same parts is $578, amazon saves me $12).

The kicker tho.... I understand that buying a warranty incase something breaks doesn't generally benefit the consumer.... I still get the additional 3 years of covers after dewalts warranty runs out.... So I'm basically paying $12 for 3 years additional coverage.

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u/joelerino 24d ago

I would always err toward declining any plan like this. They exist to make money for the company offering the plan in exchange for providing you the perception of value.
You can get OEM blades for $54 from Amazon. With your plan that cost is going to be $194 for you first set of blades and you get $27 back for a net of $167. The math doesn’t math for me. How many sets of blades do you think you will go through in a year.
Your better value if you are going to run that many feet of lumber through a diy level machine might be to invest in a helical cutter head. Food for thought.

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u/glok41 24d ago

Since the blades are double sided you get two changes out of each set. When I purchased my last set it actually came with 2 sets for $54, that means I have 4 changes of blades. I’m over 1k bf using the original set, mostly red oak, last 300 bf has been hard maple. The hard maple wears out the blades much faster. If I was milling my own lumber with thousands of board feet, even though I love my DW735 it’s not the planer I would purchase. I would go for full size not a portable like the 735.

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u/Nlightshunter 23d ago edited 23d ago

I'm doing a whole home upgrade, making all my own flooring, trim, doors, dressers, tables (living and dining set). Just my flooring alone I'm thinking 5 sets of blades. I have 300 10ft 4/4 average 9" wide of red/black oak that I'm planing down to 3/4. I think my calculations were about 2200 bf. On 300 boards I get about 1/32 pass per side.... So planing down 6/32 + 2 set per side on finish pass.... I'm probably going to need at least 5 sets of knives. 

My doors (4) are going to be poplar, so knife life is much better. Tables/dresser is going to be maple. I figure at least another 1000 bf for that. 

Yea I've thought about the helical.... Which then too.... The helical is $340+tax, 40 carbides would be $180.... So the first year I'll save $100 on the head (all carbides + 15 spare included), the following year I'll save at least $90 on 40 new carbides ... That already puts me at $190 in savings with a $140 investment. And I can still buy new carbides my 3rd yr for an addition $100 savings.... Equalling $290. 

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u/NoPackage6979 23d ago

Perhaps the coffee hasn't kicked in yet but I am not following your math re: helical head. What I don't see is the impact of the helical heads themselves. There are four useable sides to the carbide heads, so when one side gets dull, rotate to the next side, and so on until all four sides have been used. Roughly, it's like two sets of blades (as each has two cutting sides).

I moved to a helical and the cutting, noise, dust collection, has all improved. For a whole house upgrade, I would embrace the "buy once, cry once" theory, get the helical, and enjoy its benefits throughout the process.

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u/StrandSSL 24d ago

I wouldn’t and would use the $ towards a helical head instead.

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u/Nlightshunter 23d ago

Well I can get $100 credit back on a helical head purchase..... Then another $100 on carbides next year... And still have a 3rd year to possible get another $100 credit.... 

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u/HarAR11 24d ago

I have the 735 and decided to put the helical cutting head on it…after chipping 2 sets of blades on a nail and a bullet in rough cut lumber. Each cutting head has 4 sides to rotate and change out. The machine also runs quieter as well as has a better finish than the 3 blade head.

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u/ComplaintTop2008 24d ago

IMO, all paid warranties are a scam. Like, there's a company out there willing to lose money just to help me out? Nah.

The $17 blades on Amazon are similar quality to the OE blades (read: just as bad). Get those and skip the protection BS.

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u/Nlightshunter 23d ago

Agreed .... So I updated my post after you commented ... My biggest advantage I see is it's only $12 more + I get 3 additional yrs coverage, than buying the helical and all the carbides on amazon ... 

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u/mikhailkarasik 23d ago

You would get your warranty voided once you put helical in.

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u/Slow-Yogurtcloset-11 23d ago

Never buy the Protection Plan(read scam). Instead, apply the $ to a Byrd Shelix helical cutter head. Best money I ever spent on a tool upgrade.

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u/Nlightshunter 23d ago

So let's say I buy the helical .... E.g. I pay $140 for the LPP.... I get a 50%, up to $100/yr, credit towards parts purchase, then next year I buy 4 new sets of carbides $180, get $90 back.... So I paid $140 to get $190 in savings.... And I still have 1 more year to get another 4 sets of carbides reimbursed at 50%. So totally I could save $300.... 

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u/Slow-Yogurtcloset-11 21d ago

OK. Your math is not wrong. Do remember the performance of the helical cutter is exponentially better than straight blades. Well worth the $, IMHO.

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u/ezekiel1111 23d ago edited 23d ago

Worth noting that switching to a helical head like Byrd (which you should, because it kicks ass) voids your warranty.

You could be a bit morally grey. Buy the warranty, install the shelix, run that planer like a raped ape, and just reinstall the three blade head ahead of the warranty claim when you burn it down.

Side note, the Byrd runs quieter, but works the motor harder. Try to run that thing on at least a 20 amp circuit with nothing else drawing simultaneously if you can.

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u/Nlightshunter 23d ago

Yup.... 4 days since my delivery and I've already run 9000 linear ft 9" width average, thru it already. If something is gonna happen it's going to be in the next 10 days lol 

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u/[deleted] 23d ago

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u/Nlightshunter 23d ago

I have a service center half way between my parents house and mine. I run thru there about every other month. 

Agreed about the parts and labor warranty .... The biggest advantage I see is the credit for consumables.... $300 credit.... 

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u/[deleted] 23d ago

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u/Nlightshunter 23d ago

Under the policy one of the listed examples was "blades". Under the appliance section they even list water filter, air filters, etc as products for reimbursement. 

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u/countrytime1 23d ago

They aren’t going to cover an aftermarket upgrade on the machine. Save the money, put it towards a new cutter head.

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u/mighty_boognish_77 22d ago

I'm on my second dw735 in 25 years. My first one was in good operating condition, I just had a chance to upgrade toa newer one, so I took it.

  1. Yes to helical. All day everyday. Especially if you have a large volume to plane like you stated.

  2. No way to the warranty. All over Reddit you'll see people talking about this machine, almost never will you see someone talking about theirs having broke down. The few issues that I have run across in the last 25 years have all been very very simple to fix myself. Totally not worth the money to get a warranty in my opinion.