In a sea of handplanes—colored in various shades of gray, gold, and black—the Record’s trademark blue color is always easy to spot. The plane has a wide blade and body that can do a lot of work but may tire out the user’s hand. The adjustable throat and depth-of-cut adjuster are similar to those on the Stanley. However, the Record had the most backlash of all of the planes reviewed—more than one-and-a-half full turns. The lever cap is tensioned by a knurled knob that is awkward and difficult to grasp because of its location. Like its cousin the Stanley, the Record has a thin blade and a small bed.

As soon as I took the plane out of the box (or plastic sleeve, in this case), I noticed how sharp the edges were on the castings, so I filed them down. The adjustable throat plate was bowed with a 0.002-in.-high spot in the middle. Lapping corrected the problem. After preparing the blade, I put the tool to work.

The Record performed similarly to the Stanley, under moderate conditions, but balked under the more demanding tests. Adjustments during use were a bit trying due to the excessive backlash and hard-to-get-to lever-cap screw.

I agree with the comments of other woodworkers who reviewed this plane in our trial tests. They called the Record “a good value for an entry-level plane,” and said, “its performance and value are consistent with its price.” All in all, it’s a reasonable tool for the money.

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