$18 Hand Plane VS, a $289 Hand Plane - Woodworking on a Budget

[@LimitedGunnerGM]

I have a couple Bailey pattern planes, but I find myself reaching for the Japanese plane 9/10 of the time.

[@robertstigter9195]

Thanks for this test Eric. Verry valuable. I bought a Stanley Nr. 4 ages ago and inherrited a wooden smoothing plane by the dutch tool manufacturer "Nooitgedacht" from my father back in the 90- thies. Both are in a bad condition, but setting-up a new workshop now I am in pension, you video made me decide to restore both blades instead of buying new planes. Thanks for uploading, ist's always a pleasure to see you working and hear your clear and explanatory comments. Rgds from Germany and stay safe. Robert

[@EricSorensenCanada]

Thanks Robert! Sounds like a good restoration project. You also might have better luck (than me) finding used wood body planes in Germany. It's hard to find them where I live in Canada.

[@robertstigter9195]

@@EricSorensenCanada Thanks for your answer Eric. The company Nootgedacht (founded in 1840 in Ijlst in my home country The Netherlands) does not exist anymore, It was sold early 2000 (over 3 different stations) to Newell Rubbermaid , who again sold it to Stanley Black and Decker. They do NOT sell planes any more. I found antique wooden planes from Nooitgedacht at E-bay. If you need German wooden planes, please tell me, then I could buy them for you and send them to Canada. We could change adresses later. Rgds, Robert

[@Vincent-S]

I've been wanting to try out the single iron japanese planes after finally tuning the little double iron one I had after letting it sit for a month or so for the wooden body to acclimate. That one being so cheap means it's good to fiddle around with

[@joncarter3038]

Hi Eric, a really good video. It might not have been a scientific test but it was one that most people should be able to relate to. For me you clearly identified how much value you get for your money, in three clear categories based on cost. At the end of the day we now know that all three will work, so job done. Thanks for the time and effort that you put into your videos they are always informative and well presented. Great stuff.

[@EricSorensenCanada]

Thanks Jon! Cheers🙂

[@teeeff5179]

Nice comparison, much appreciate your effort to be fair and even-handed.

[@EricSorensenCanada]

Thanks for watching! Cheers🙂

[@JeanClaudePeeters]

I love my E.C.Emmerich and Ulmia planes.

[@EricSorensenCanada]

Yes, they are so well crafted!

[@contestwill1556]

that design feels great both pushing and pulling too

[@sapelesteve]

Interesting comparison Eric. I own a Veritas hand plane & really love it. The little Japanese plane was impressive, as was the wooden plane. It would have interesting to see what the differences were between the blades that each plane came with. We all know that the sharpness of the blade is the critical factor in getting those thin slices of wood. The Japanese are know for the quality of their blades. Anyway, keep up the great work & stay safe............. 👍👍😉😉

[@EricSorensenCanada]

Thanks Steve! This is one of those things where woodworkers tend to be in one camp or the other. I try to keep an open mind and use both wood and iron body planes. Good point about the blades. I know for sure my Veritas plane only has the O1 General Tool steel iron. You can buy the higher quality A2 or the PM-V-11 blades but those were out of stock when I bought my Veritas plane. I don't even know if the Japanese plane is true Japanese steel but it seems to be comparable to the O1 at the very least. The ECE hand plane made in Germany seems to be an A2 judging from the finish. All that means though is that the O1 tool steel will need to be sharpened more often. Cheers🙂🍺

[@Shabapulon]

I have an ece primus, what’s the joint on the sole of the plane called?

[@jerryshallenberger4494]

Really interesting video, Eric, but it is a little like comparing apples to oranges to grapes. It would be interesting to see a comparison of a high end iron plane like the Veritas to a bargain iron plane like from a big box store, especially if the comparison included any needed setup and quality of materials. Thanks for making great videos.

[@EricSorensenCanada]

Thanks Jerry! They have one thing in common: they are all smoothing planes. I know they are all in different classes but most tool purchases are dictated by what one can afford. I also like to make the comparison between wood body and Iron body, as that too will dictate price. I guess I might have inadvertently sparked a feud between the iron plane and wood plane people. As for myself, I like both.

[@williequinlan4946]

Thank You 👍✅

[@hernancoronel]

I would say that the japanese plane is really really cheap and for a smoothing plane it is bad that is missing the double iron. The other two I’d say are up to par for the test you wanted to perform. Thank you for sharing and keep up the great content!

[@EricSorensenCanada]

Believe it or not, the cheaper ones only come in two parts. For how cheap it is, it still worked well. Not sure how it would stand up over time though.

[@woodywood1951]

Maybe you could make one other test with those 3 planes: how many shaving you can do before sharpening. I have a very cheap plane that I had to modify a bit, but it now works very well, except I have to sharp the blade kind of often time, but I paid around $25 at home depot more than 10 years ago...

[@EricSorensenCanada]

It all depends on the grade of tool steel. You can find plane irons in a few different grades: A2 is a 1% carbon, 5% chrome, air-hardening tool steel OR O1 - general purpose tool steel OR Veritas' PM-V11 which is a powdered metal alloy that is supposed to hold an edge longer. It really comes down to the manufacturer and how good they are at making their plane irons.

[@woodywood1951]

@@EricSorensenCanada Harbor Freight steel is most of the time, not the best... But It's difficult (at least to me) to find out the kind of steel those plane's blade or (plane's blade) are made of... I really like those tests when people buy the tools, so free to say the truth! thanks for the quick answer.

[@andreicharpentierquesada4530]

Also they had scrapers instead of sand paper

[@bimmarvinlim3804]

According to my wallet ill get that japanese cute planer.

[@davanders2006]

I wonder how a Canadian made #4 Veritas ($229.00+tax) smoothing plane would stand up to the American made Lie-Nielson #4 Bronze smoothing plane ($350.00+tax)?

[@williamn01]

Just the same 👍