Hi Spidey,

They are not exactly the same. I find that currently made Record planes are better than Stanley ones. The bottom is flatter. There are small design differences. The key for a good plane is a thick iron and good support. Both Record and Stanley don't have the thick iron. The cap iron on the Record plane is slightly longer = better support = less vibration.

We missed one good plane. Vertias makes a new block plane which is supposed to be good.

Andreas
: 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