Here is a quick side by side of a Porter cable and Ryobi corded planer. I happen to own both planers. I picked up the Ryobi at their factory direct store in Birch Run for about $35 or $40. It’s a refurb unit but it did come with all the parts and a limited warranty. The Porter cable I came across At an antique fair in Allegan MI. It was sitting on a $5 table and when I talked to the gent he said no one wanted it for $10. I have to say for $5 I could not pass it up. And I wasn’t disappointed. So let’s look at the similarities and differences of these two tools.

Tools

First thing you’ll notice of course is the color difference. And ultimately through all this I think you’ll find that generally that’s the big difference. If you pick these up and hold them side by side they both weigh about 6 lbs. Both of them are 6 amp, run at 16,500 RPM and feature a “D” style handle with an integrated trigger and trigger lock.

The Porter-Cable and the Ryobi both have ejection ports that are selectable to eject either on the left or the right side of the tool. Each one will accommodate a shop vac hose to help manage the chips.

Both tools also have a forward handle which is capable of adjusting the depth and are infinitely variable but also have click stops every 64th of an inch. This makes it very handy to dial in a specific depth of cut.

The Ryobi has a really nice feature that allows for the storage of the wrench. Porter cable may have the similar feature which is the square opening at the toe but I got this used and it did not come with any of the accessories so I’m a little unsure. By the way if you happen to know please leave me a comment I’d be interested.

Both Ryobi and the Porter Cable have a chamfering feature. This is really nothing more than a 45° groove in the toe plate. Ryobi only has one but Porter Cable provides three. It’s not a feature that I use personally but I could see where it might be handy in some cases.

Accessories

I did pull the manual for the Porter Cable so had the opportunity to see what accessories came with it. What it revealed was that both tools provide a wrench, a dust collection bag, and a guide.

Below is a excerpt from the Ryobi Manual. Figure 5 and Fig 10 show the Ryobi Dust Bag and Figs 7-9 show the Rabbet Fence installation and use.

Below is a excerpt from the Porter Cable Manual that shows the accessories with 1a being the Rabbet Fence and 1b the dust bag.

Planning

I did put both of them through their paces on both pine and oak. Performance was very similar though I did note that there is a chip in the blade of my Ryobi so I may have to go ahead and replace that blade. Both performed equally well in both cutting, providing a smooth continuous surface, and in ejecting chips.

Ultimately these two tools are almost identical. I have to say that now that I’m an owner of two power planers I’m pretty happy with both of them. They’re not tools that I will use on an everyday basis but these two tools both perform very well and I think they’ll be with me for a long time. I would say if you could find one under $100 and you have the need, either one would do a great job in your shop.