We Tested 26 Affordable Hand Planes

Spreadsheet: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17fbZs5qsZbaDJFSM6x… 00:17 History of the test 01:49 How the test was conducted 09:01 close look at the planes 22:58 Factory Comparison 25:56 Spreadsheet explained 31:02 final score

sorry to ask, What is a plane? I thought they might've been aeroplanes but then i saw a bunch of doorknobs

I adjusted the rankings by deciding which problems I could fix. Modifying the handles, not a big problem. Making the thing hold its settings is a big problem. Packaging, I just recycle, who cares unless I am doing an unboxing video. I appreciate the ability to do this in all your tests.

This man is a national treasure. I’m not kidding.

Thank you for doing all that work. Your in depth studies (planes, chisels etc) don't just help us pick a good tool, they also teach us about what makes the tool good.

You’re the man! I’m so glad that I got to participate in a Wood by Wright test with the Groz hand plane. I suggested it after seeing it come up in amazon searches, and right when I committed to sponsoring one, they sold out on Amazon and on the Groz site. I nearly gave up after making the suggestion that it might be different than my Grizzly plane or others from the same factory. They got back in stock briefly for me to get an example sent. It is so nice to see someone who knows what he’s doing show how the QC on this level of planes is why some reviews have raved about a particular brand being great value only to have floods of comments about how terrible they are. I’m planning to donate mine after using it on a project myself. Looking forward to it.

I had a coworker ask if he could try my plane out - being the only broke woodworker he knew using a hand plane. I lent him my Kobalt (which I had spent a TON of time tuning) and he wasn't very impressed. It made me reassess how much time I'd spent on that thing and learning the quirks to know how to keep it running. I realized it's essentially useless to anyone but me. After seeing this video, I'm glad I had ultimately suggested he go for the Taytools plane. I did put a Taytools iron/chipbreaker on it and a Reed plane yoke (you were out of town when I ordered it - moving I think, thank you for the email heads up!) Those two things really improved the plane, but wouldn't have been worth it if I hadn't worn out the originals. I'm glad to see I wasn't quite as crazy as I had thought with all the adjustments and cursing it took to get it working well. Excellent job good sir!

You are thorough, detailed and concise. Mostly, however, in my opinion, you are honest. I put a lot of faith and weight into your reviews. Thanks so much.

Great video and the usual thorough and fair assessments. James was definitely not plane around.

I love that there are an option for us folks in Canada that is decent, thanks for the video and all the testing you did.

That's an impressive test. I mean - REALLY impressive. Well done...!

Hi James, I’m new here just getting into woodworking as I need a relaxing hobby while I recover from a knee injury. Just wanted to say thanks for the cool beginner-friendly content and boost your engagement numbers a little.

Shop estate sales and garage sales - you'll get great quality at super low prices. You'll probably have to do some tune up.

Maybe you can do a "Frankenstein" video. Meaning....for $75, $100, $150, etc. what plane parts can you buy and build a good, functioning plane. Starting with either an old used plane or all new parts. Maybe have a contest with Rex Krueger and others to see who can make the best Frankenstein/hot rod planes.

Informative video, but could you jazz it up next time it was a little plane...

This is not a snide comment, but perhaps it is side comment. James, along with everyone else, I sincerely appreciate your doing this in depth, well-thought-out, labor intensive review. Thank you for this.

You and rex convinced me to buy a cheap plane, and put in the work to get it working, i ended up buying the irwin record out of a lack of options at the time, it took some doing but i got it set up and taking fairly good shaving last night! Seeing this video finally come out the day after, im assured i made at least an acceptable purchase and it is worth a little more tinkering to get the most out of this first plane. Thanks for the great videos!

“This one’s not even a plane…” Best quote of all time, James.

You hit the nail on the head with your comments on inconsistency with these planes. The Grizzley is my daily driver, and I had nothing but problems with my chip breaker and lateral adjuster. The stock iron I got with it was garbage, and I had to clean the cosmoline out of everything to get it to adjust right. I even had to trim a couple threads off to get the tote to stay tight. I've figured it out, but it took a while. My dad bought the same one this last year and had me do the setup on it. His plane was immaculate compared to mine. 😂

I am probably not qualified to comment on this video, but I loved it nonetheless. I saw your short and have been waiting for this video to drop. I don't really have any professional woodworking skills, but I do general handyman stuff. I've built a workbench, shelves, boxes, etc.. I want to slowly expand my tools and i feel that there have been a few times where a plane could have been a godsend. Glad to have a comprehensive comparison 😊