Stanley 1-12-137 62-Low Angle Sweetheart Jack Plane

I've seen some reviews that this isn't always the case. I'm sure it does happen that there are duds, but as someone who has always bought old planes and fixed them up because that's what the experts say to do (I those old planes ARE great, and you learn a lot of really important things fitting them)... this is the best plane I've used. Keep in mind I've never tried a Veritas or Lie Nielsen though.For the price it seems top quality, this thing is HEAVY which helps on a jack plane. Do keep in mind this is a JACK PLANE - and a low angle one at that - tearout is an issue but far less than you would think and for me was due to my own mistakes more than anything.Mine came with a a dead flat sole, and a pretty dang flat blade, sharpened well enough to use right out of the box. When I sharpened the blade a couple low spots and a high corner were apparent but the back along the edge was totally flat (on a bevel up plane you don't need to worry about anything more than right at the edge because there's no chipbreaker), and the iron is SUPER thick which helps create a big bevel to register your angle on. The manual says to do a 25 degree primary and 30 degree secondary bevel but honestly I've just been continuing whatever bevel it came with and it works fantastic.Add a little wax and this thing just glides across the board and cleaves the shaving off like Moses parting the Red Sea.I'm very pleased with it.

I received the Stanley #62 low-angle jack plane in good shape. I carefully sanded down the sharp edge at the very front of the machined base to avoid getting cut when adjusting the mouth opening. Not a problem. The Cherry wood handle was slightly loose and needed tightening - it tends to loosen in use - need to figure out how to keep it tight. The edges were perfectly square and the sole flat. The blade was sharp enough to use right out of the box.I had a Lie-Nielsen #62 low-angle jack plane and I like this Stanley version better. It is heavier (6.29 lbs vs 4.55 lbs) and has a thicker blade (0.187" vs 0.175") then the Lie-Nielsen plane. It has a better blade adjustment feature using a unique depth adjusting screw which is attached to the blade via a peg and hole arrangement. It makes for fine adjusting. The price is less then half of the Lie-Nielsen unit. It produced some fine shavings on the edge of a 2" thick maple block.Highly recommend it.

Received this #62 Stanley Sweetheart plane Friday and got to use it on Saturday. Very easy set up, was flat and square out of the box. The iron was fairly sharp. I hit it briefly on my finest stone then stropped it and it was ready. Probably less than 10 minutes from out of the box to cutting the first curls. It's worked wonderfully on oak and poplar, makes very thin curls that you can see through .This is my first low angle plane so the adjuster is going to take a little to get used to but I think I'm going to really like this plane overall. Very solid and a bit heavier than I expected. This is definitely a better plane than my skills but I'm going to have a good time learning it.Edit April 2nd, 2019 - I've had some time to use this and its working fantastic. Started using it on my shooting board and I will never use the block plane there again, this seems like it is designed for shooting boards. The extra weight makes a huge difference. Much better results far easier.

Unfortunately my plane was still marked as made in Mexico. I did find that it was not as flat as I’d like so I had to spend about an hour flattening it with sandpaper on a flat surface and a Diamond sharpener. Overall I have been very happy with the performance for the price I paid.

Nice clean cuts

I purchased this plane out of brand loyalty despite mixed reviews. The plane arrived carefully boxed, razor sharp, and ready to use. The plane sole was dead flat on arrival, every part precisely fit, and the iron was sharp enough out of the box to cut paper shavings from white oak stock without any tuning up. I have no doubt this plane will move to the front of the line on my bench.

This is a great tool. The craftsmanship is excellent for a product on way higher price. It works great and cuts very smooth out of the box. It is heavy and feels good cutting across end grain hardwoods. I am very happy with it and I am glad I did not spend the high price of other models. It does not look that it was made in Gina(China) neither.

Great plane. This plane came very sharp right out of the box, making super thin shavings effortlessly. It is a nice heavy plane, stays well adjusted and the adjustable through the provides great control. The blade is very thick, far better than the blades you find on most of the Bailey and. Stanley general line planes.. the jack plane length is perfect for the cabinetry work that I do.