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Corded or cordless planer

Updated: 23 October 2026

You are choosing between a mains planer around £40 and a cordless body past £100, and the two prices are not the same kind of price. A corded or cordless planer decision on this set turns on one fact: the DeWalt, Stanley and Bosch listings do not include a battery or a charger. If you do not already own the matching packs, buy the corded planer. The six rows and the scores are on the [Machine plane comparison](/hub/hand-tools/machine-plane). We did not run a runtime test, and we have no battery price to add. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are choosing between a mains planer around £40 and a cordless body past £100, and the two prices are not the same kind of price.

Our top picks

DeWalt DeWalt DCP580N-XJ

Best overall

DeWalt DeWalt DCP580N-XJ
8.9/10about £117.98
View offer
Bosch Bosch GHO 12V-20

Alternative

Bosch Bosch GHO 12V-20
8.5/10about £179.99
View offer
Einhell Einhell TC-PL 750

Best value

Einhell Einhell TC-PL 750
8.4/10about £39.78
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The price on the page is not always a working tool
  2. 2.What you give up with a cable
  3. 3.18 V at 82 mm, or 12 V at 56 mm
  4. 4.The condition, then stop

The price on the page is not always a working tool

The corded prices are a tool you can plug in: Einhell £39.78, KATSU £34.99, Draper £51.80, on 230 V with a BS 1363 plug. The cordless prices are a body. DeWalt DCP580N-XJ is £117.98, tool only on DeWalt UK. Stanley FATMAX SFMCW300B-XJ is £104.95, with no battery or charger in the bullets. Bosch GHO 12V-20 is £179.99, without battery and charger. Comparing £39.78 with £117.98 as complete kits makes cordless look merely a bit more. This page has no pack price to add. A DeWalt 18 V XR pack does not run Stanley V20, and neither runs Bosch 12 V. Kitd, as trade context rather than these shelf prices, says stay on the platform you already own.

What you give up with a cable

A cable limits you to the lead and to a socket on that landing. For two doors beside a hallway socket, that limit is small. The Einhell is 750 W and 82 mm, 4.5 from 6,008. The KATSU is 600 W, 4.3 from 124, with one report of a cut nearer 1 mm. The Draper is 900 W, chip 0-3 mm, 4.2 from 39. All three still need a shallow first pass. Einhell reviews often say no dust bag was supplied. Cordless does not fix dust, and you still should not sweep. It earns the premium when the batteries are already paid for, not for one afternoon on a new platform.
DeWalt DeWalt DCP580N-XJ

Testsieger

DeWalt DeWalt DCP580N-XJ
8.9/10about £117.98
View offer

18 V at 82 mm, or 12 V at 56 mm

With DeWalt XR packs, the DCP580N-XJ matches: 82 mm, £117.98, 4.8 from 1,425. One review says zero still shaved about a millimetre. With Stanley V20 packs, the SFMCW300B-XJ is £104.95, 4.8 from seven ratings, and the bullets omit width. Wickes lists 82 mm. Do not buy it for a DeWalt battery. With Bosch 12 V packs, the GHO 12V-20 is 56 mm, 1.5 kg and £179.99 bare. Reviewers use it on edges, not to take a solid door down.

The condition, then stop

Buy corded if you own no packs. The Einhell at £39.78 is the one this set can support for a few doors, with the dust-bag gap in the reviews. The KATSU is cheaper if you will measure a short dial. The Draper is the corded option when a bag in the bullets matters more than the review count. Buy the DeWalt body for XR packs and 82 mm without a lead. Buy the Stanley only for V20 packs, accepting seven ratings and a width the amazon bullets omit. Buy the Bosch only for small stock on 12 V packs you have. In every cordless case the price on the page is the body. A certified fire door waits on the certificate.

Common questions

Should I buy corded or cordless for a few doors?
Buy corded if you do not already own the matching batteries. The Einhell at £39.78, the KATSU at £34.99 and the Draper at £51.80 include the motor and a mains plug. The DeWalt, Stanley and Bosch prices do not include a pack or a charger. Beside a socket, the cable costs less than a new battery platform.
What does body only mean on the DeWalt and the Stanley?
The amazon price is the planer without a battery and without a charger. DeWalt UK says both are sold separately for the DCP580N-XJ. The Stanley bullets say the same for the SFMCW300B-XJ. You need a charged pack of that system before the tool will run. A corded listing has nothing to add except a socket.
Will a DeWalt battery fit the Stanley, or the reverse?
No. DeWalt 18 V XR and Stanley V20 are different platforms, and the Bosch tool is 12 V as well. A pack from one will not run the others. Match the planer to the packs you actually charge, not to the higher star line.
Is 12 V enough?
Enough for the work reviewers describe on the Bosch: edges, about 25 mm stock, and a door-closer rebate, near 1 mm a pass, on a pack nearer 3 Ah than 2.0 Ah. The knife is 56 mm, so a stile takes more than one pass. Reviewers say they would not take a solid door down with it.
How wide is the Bosch compared with the corded tools?
Einhell, KATSU, Draper and DeWalt state 82 mm. The Bosch blades are 56 x 5.5 x 1.1 mm, and Bosch Professional GB lists that model at 56 mm. That is a real difference on a door edge, which is why the Bosch is not the cordless substitute for the Einhell.
Do I save money by going cordless?
Only if the batteries are already paid for. The bare DeWalt is £117.98 against an Einhell at £39.78, before any pack. XR packs already on the shelf are not a second purchase. A new starter kit makes the corded planer the lower spend for a couple of doors. This page will not quote a pack price it does not have.

Related pages

Electric planer buying guide

Best electric planer

How to plane a door

Machine plane

How to use an electric planer: depth, shoe and rest

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked in October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file.

  1. HSE — Wood dust (retrieved October 2026)
  2. HSE — EH40/2005 (retrieved October 2026)
  3. legislation.gov.uk — Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved October 2026)
  4. IEC — 62841-2-14:2015, hand-held planers (retrieved October 2026)
  5. DeWalt UK — DCP580N-XJ 18V XR brushless planer, tool only (retrieved October 2026)
  6. Bosch Professional GB — Planers (retrieved October 2026)
  7. BuildWiz — Planer (retrieved October 2026)
  8. Checkatrade — How to plane a door (retrieved October 2026)