Hi Legume;

My planes are all fixed throat except for the Record 12-1/2 Deg that I bought for this project - My old block plane is 20 Deg, bevel up. It cuts end grain and mixed grain better than my bench planes (bevel down), but not quite good enough for a mixed grain stripper. The newer Record (and all planes like it I'm sure) is a much better tool for 3 reasons that I can see.

It cuts at a shallower angle than my 20 Deg block plane (Both bevel up)

The adjustable throat really eliminates blade chatter.

The low profile and thumb/finger grooves lend it to one-hand operation.

The Stanley and the Record low angle planes are absolutely identical right down to the last detail, save for the name. They both use the same lever throat adjustment, thumb grooves, etc. I've seen them both, and they're either the same plane or someone did a dead copy of the other. At $39 I think either one represents a bargain.

Best Regards, Spidey