Veritas Low Angle Block Plane Review

First I have to disqualify myself as any sort of hand-plane expert. I only have a few planes and I don't use the ones I have frequently. My hand plane use tends to fall into the category of trim work mainly; this is however the plane that I use most often. My point of reference for the Veritas plane in particular comes from the low angle Record block plane that I have, as a result you will see scattered references to it in this article.

To start out, I like the Veritas plane quite a bit and think it is a great value. There might be better planes on the market but I don't see how they could be better enough to justify spending more on them. I received my plane in good condition, the blade was sharp but had a small roll in the edge (in one spot) that needed to be stropped out before use. Aside from re-touching the edge, the plane was ready to use right out of the box. I don't believe in doing all the fine polishing of plane surfaces that one reads about in magazines and such. The machining quality is top-notch giving me no reason whatsoever to do any prep work to the tool before use (aside from sharpening the blade). The feel and heft of the plane is significantly better than the Record plane I was using and the overall fit and finish is pretty high. When picked up for use, the tool feels much better than the Record. I can't really put my finger on why but it feels noticeably more substantial and ready-to-work. The body has two small set screws to constrain the blade laterally. I think these screws are one of the best ideas the Veritas brand planes have; my theory is that they help stabilize the blade as well. The blade is held in place by a thick and sturdy cap, it holds the blade very securely, I think much more so than the Record does. I prefer the blade adjustment on the Veritas quite a bit more than the Record. It is more easily done and there is more backlash on the adjustment. The Veritas plane is intended for general trim tasks including end grain. For that task, it works very well, this is without a doubt the best plane I own and maybe even the best tool. It is the practical embodiment of quality and performance.