DEWALT Biscuit Joiner, 6.5 Amp, 10,000 RPM, Retractable 45 Degree Notch, for Depth Spots (DW682K)

Why it's worth it

The dual rack-and-pinion fence keeps the blade and the fence parallel every time you change height, which is what you want when you're cutting the same joint all day. It gives up a little motor and won't tilt past 90 degrees.

The dual rack-and-pinion fence is why cabinet shops buy this one. Both sides of the fence ride on gear teeth and move together, so the blade and the fence stay parallel wherever you set the height. On a tool without it, you square the fence, cut ten joints, nudge something, and don't find out until a glue-up refuses to close. Over hundreds of cuts, that's the difference between fussing and just working.

The retractable 45-degree notch is a small feature that saves real time. Set the tool against the outside face of a mitered corner and it indexes the cut for you — no measuring, no marking. The heavy aluminum shoe is flat, non-marring, and meant to be clamped down, so you can fix the joiner in place and bring small parts to it instead of the other way around.

From our review of 7 biscuit joiners, by David Sinclair, Managing Editor

What we like

• +The dual rack-and-pinion fence is why cabinet shops buy this one
• +The retractable 45-degree notch is a small feature that saves real time
• +At 6.5 amps it gives up a little to the Porter-Cable on paper

What to know

• –The fence tilts from 0 to 90 degrees and stops there
• –Chip ejection is the recurring gripe