The Stanley is the only Bailey-style plane that rightfully can trace its lineage directly to its inventor, Leonard Bailey. But sadly, the once familiar rosewood handles have been replaced with molded plastic and the trademark three-piece lateral adjuster is now one piece of pressed steel. On the plane I looked at, the frog-to-body contact was quite rough, and the sole was dished 0.002 in., toe to heel.

Once tuned up, this tool felt similar to the vintage Baileys I’ve used for years. After I replaced the stock blade with a 1/8-in.-thick Lie-Nielsen blade and chipbreaker, this plane produced a consistently thin shaving in dense hardwood.

Even though Stanley’s current offering isn’t quite at the level of quality it once was, as a general-purpose plane it’s still a good product, and it’s my choice for best value among the planes reviewed.

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