“This is the first time I have used a cordless planer in a professional environment and I am impressed with the power,” says Matt Kazuma Kinoshita.
Based in the tropical paradise of Hawaii, Kazuma Surfboards has been manufacturing custom surfboards for the best surfers in the world for over 25 years. Its 10 expert craftsmen have over 135 years of combined board building experience, and in the last 25 years the company has manufactured over 34,000 surfboards. When it comes to trusted tools, owner and shaper Matt Kazuma Kinoshita relies on his modified Hitachi planer, which has been his shaping tool of choice for many years.
When Hitachi spotted Matt’s love for his Hitachi corded planer in his Instagram and YouTube posts, the team thought he could do with seeing the new range of 18V cordless tools and gave Matt the Hitachi 18V P18DSL/JJ cordless planer to use and test.
“I have been dreaming about a cordless planer because I do quite a few outdoor shaping demonstrations,” explains Matt. “This is the first time I have used a cordless planer in a professional environment and I am impressed with the power of the P18DSL/JJ. It is easily as powerful, if not more, than my corded version and it is much quieter. Its weight is light and I love the brake so I can set it down faster.”
“We were excited to see such an incredible craftsman have such loyalty to his old Hitachi planer, which has been used by shapers in the surfboard industry for many years.”
Hitachi Power Tools’ Marketing Director, Simon Miller, said: “We were excited to see such an incredible craftsman have such loyalty to his old Hitachi planer, which has been used by shapers in the surfboard industry for many years. Our cordless tools are used across many trades, and we wanted to show Matt the tougher, faster and more advanced cordless range would be suited to his needs.”
The P18DSL/JJ has a cutting width of 82mm and a cutting depth of 2mm for speedy stock removal, and a fine finish can be easily achieved with its high no-load speed of 16000/min. Weighing in at a mere 3.3kg, the cordless planer also has a soft grip handle making it light and comfortable to use – important when jobs are large or lengthy.
Additionally, the Planer has a built-in battery life indicator so users can instantly see how much charge is remaining. To limit accidental damage, the tool’s integrated blade stand prevents harm to the blade or the work surface.
Matt’s satisfaction with and loyalty to Hitachi Power Tools means the team are looking forward to supporting his work with other tools to test and use in his workshop as he continues to shape some of the best boards money can buy.
