2/3 of the way there.

I have owned the Veritas Bevel Up (BU) Jack and recently added the BU smoother (my Christmas present to myself). The most common thought I have had since is, “Why did I wait so long. and hurry up and get the jointer too.”

I think a lot of people struggle with “what hand planes do I need and which brand should I get?” The Bevel Up series from Lee Valley can solve a lot of this. First, the quality and design is top notch. This is not a slightly lower price alternative to Lie Nielsen, it is a peer line of planes with a different design approach. Second, the set of these three planes covers a huge chunk of all planing tasks. 80-90%? Third, they all use the same blades, so you can have a set of different angle blades available to be used in any of the planes at any time (you can also have a sharp on handy for any plane too). This is all very clever and already, with just two planes, I am taking advantage of this very thoughtful approach. Again, I can’t wait to have all three.

I also have a Lie Nielsen #4 and I love it and use it often. However, this new plane has just as much as a place for me. It is much larger, more like a 4 1/2. I can pop in the 38 degree blade if I have some tricky grain (I did just this the other day and it was very helpful). The larger surface is more suited to many work pieces and tasks. Also, with interchangeable blades between them all, I can have a cambered blade available to swap out any time, not just with the smoother, but with the jack too (actually I do want to do this once in a while). If I only had the Veritas, I would get by fine.

My goal is to never sand again and the finishes I am getting from this plane (and the LN too) is something to see. There is more depth to the grain than sanding and boy does it feel good. Of course there is more you can do with this plane. Others with far more experience in planes have written many reviews on this plane and its siblings, so please use them for true expertise and more detail. For the woodworker who wants to use hand tools, but not spend a lifetime collecting 50 planes, you should really look at these planes. They will last a lifetime and you will find yourself using them more and more.

Source: http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/1844

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