The electric brake is a brilliant safety feature. It does away with dangerous run-on that can cause accidents and gouge the workpiece.

Several users have complained about the quality of the sole. It’s easily scratched and can mark the surface you’re working on.

The 620 Watt motor spins up the twin cutting blades up to 34,000 cuts per minute (CPM) at 17,000 rpm. You can adjust the planing depth down to 2mm. The adjustable front shoe has a neat “V” groove for chamfer cuts. And the rear fixed shoe features a spring-loaded catch to help avoid damaging the workpiece.

The 550 Watt motor spins up the single cutting blade to an impressive 19,500 rpm and you can plane up to 1.5mm per pass. There’s a “parking rest” on the rear shoe to avoid damaging the workbench as well. Just like the “blue” professional Bosch planer, there’s just one Woodrazor cutting blade to worry about. Adjusting it with the included hex key is a simple operation. As far as I’m concerned, the best cordless electric planers have brushless motors. They’re more powerful, efficient and you never need to change brushes. You get all the refined qualities of the excellent Makita KP0800, but without the cord. Ideal for working away from the mains or when you’re fed up with trailing cables. The first thing to note about this planer is the handle. It’s comfortable and uses Ryobi’s signature rubberised GripZone found on most of their tools. It makes up for the fact that this is a heavier planer than some on my list at 3.1kg. It’s not too heavy, but you can feel the difference over longer sessions. Fitted with ultra-sharp, durable carbide reversible blades for high-quality, accurate surface results

The GHO 18V-LI Professional cordless planer delivers impressive performance in the 18 V category. It features a continuously adjustable depth-of-cutting setting of up to 1.6 mm, enabling fast, uninterrupted work progress. The planer is fitted with ultra-sharp and durable carbide reversible blades, producing high- quality, accurate surface results. Its lightweight design ensures easy, comfortable handling. Equipment & Application

Starting with the ergonomics, Einhell have done a good job with the handle. It’s built at a comfortable angle and has plenty of soft rubberised plastic to help keep vibrations to a minimum. The front handle is rubberised as well and doubles up as the fine adjustment dial. Compared with the Makita KP0800’s metal motor housing, the Ryobi feels quite plastic. It’s tough plastic, but I prefer the durability that comes with steel.

An incredible no-load speed of 19,500 rpm. Compared to the Bosch Professional GHO 26-82D it’s 1,500 rpm faster. It does it all with a smaller motor than the Makita KP0800 as well. Cordless electric planers aren’t usually as fast as corded versions, but this one is slow. Compared with the lightning fast Bosch PHO 1500, I doubt it will cut as smoothly.

For a relatively inexpensive planer, the cutting depth is impressive. It can cut 0.4 mm more per pass compared to the Bosch GHO 26-82D. It’s a powerful bit of kit.Also, look for reversible planer blades with a sharp edge on both sides that can be flipped through 180° for longer life. Like the Bosch GHO 26-82D, you can choose which side the chips eject from. It’s a premium feature you might only expect to see on more expensive tools. Although they’re probably better known for their battery-operated power tools, Japan’s Ryobi make one of the best corded planers, the RPN780-S. It’s a powerful tool that can remove a serious amount of material when it needs to. You can set the blade depth to “P” for “protect” on the front dial. This lifts the blade up above the line of the foot, keeping it out of trouble. No more scratched workpieces too!