This plane is cast from durable, ductile iron, and the frog and body are made in one piece, creating a rock-solid body. The precisely milled A2 blades are an 1/8-in.-thick, ground to a 25° bevel, and a 12° bed angle. The plane’s most notable feature is their heft (2 lb.) which could reduce chatter and boost performance during smoothing tasks, but it also makes rounding edges and other typical uses more tiring. Another problem was a large gap at the throat, even when the adjustable mouthpiece was closed all the way. This new plane has great potential, but poor machining hinders their performance. If Stanley could improve its quality control, they’d have a set of reasonably priced planes to rival the original Sweethearts. I hope they make the effort.

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