Considering the low price, the Ryobi planer has an impressive amount of power. The lack of extension tables could lead to more snipe than the other machines, but I didn’t find excessive snipe while planing an 8-in.-wide by 40-in.-long board. Add reasonably good dust collection (adjusts to blow chips out the back or hooks to a dust collector on the side) and the package becomes a great value for any shop. The planer leaves a good surface. I gave it the best-value award.

We tested 11 benchtop planers in a head-to-head review. For the full review, including more info about this model, read the article here.

Photo: Anissa Kapsales

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