STANLEY 1-12-045 Heavy Duty Metal Bench Brush - 60x260mm Industrial Cleaning Tool for Workshop, Garage & DIY Projects

I'm not writing this and comparing it to a Lie-Neilsen or Veritas because if you're trying to, you live in a fantasy world. There's a reason why this is less than a third of the cost. Even the pre-WWII version had to be fettled and finished to your working specifications. At the price point, which is what's important here, these planes are fantastic. You may have to flatten the sole, you will have to lap it no matter the maker without spending $250 or more... Adjust the frog to your liking, flatten the back of the blade, hone the iron. So many people complain about the iron not being razor sharp from the factory yet even Lie-Neilsen, you still have to hone the iron... This isn't a new thing. Learn to true up your tools and properly sharpen your irons because you're going to have to do it regularly to keep it functioning properly and you'll be happy with your tools. These are skills you have to have to be a woodworker and always have been.Okay enough ranting. The casting and machining is well within acceptable tolerances and the iron is properly ground to 25 degrees. All I had to do was lap the sole, adjust the frog to smoothing tolerance, three minutes to flatten the back edge and then about four minutes to hone the cutting edge to around 30 degrees and razor sharp. All the same things I had to do to all of my other planes and I get shavings that I can put on the page of a book that I can read through.There is a decent amount of backlash in the depth adjustment but again, at the price point that's normal and acceptable. If two extra seconds of spinning a wheel with your finger are that big of a problem, remake the parts or spend a lot more money to have tighter tolerances.The only real annoyance is the "plastic" tote and knob but they are easy to replace even without a lathe. Plenty of Youtube videos show you how to make new ones from hardwood and you can either make a template from the existing tote and knob or print out templates from many sources online. The other option is to go to ebay or a few other sources and either find originals or buy from someone that makes them. I prefer to make my own so I can shape them to my hands directly.It's nice that you can order from Amazon UK now since you can't directly order the 4 1/2 in the US. Mine took about a week to arrive and was well packaged with no damage or even scratches. A good buy for a new tool and it was a lot cheaper than finding a vintage one from ebay.