Taytools 469584 Jointer Bench Hand Plane #7, 22 Inch Sole, Ductile Cast Body, Lapped Sides and Bottom, Blade RHC 55-60, Sapele Handle and Tote

For what you pay, this is a great tool. You may have to do some work when you get it, but that's the trade-off you get for paying less than half the price of the premium planes. My plane and iron (blade) were about flawless. I probably should try flattening the sole, but it looks perfect up against a good straight edge, so I didn't bother (at least yet). The frog surface was clean and flat. The blade was almost perfectly flat and fairly sharp, and I had it hair-popping sharp with very little time with my stones and strop. The chip breaker was a different story. It had some strange tip geometry like it was accidentally double sheared during manufacturing. I contacted Taylor Tools, and the president of the company emailed me back. He told me to grind the chip breaker as I saw fit and that if I wasn't happy, he'd take care of me. I was afraid to touch it figuring it might void any warranty. Well, I worked on it and got it right enough. I attached one photo showing the thin shavings I was taking right away once I did all this work and assembled the plane. I am no pro at this--I'm still very new with hand planes. This thing is a big, heavy beast (see attached photo comparing to my Stanley No.5 Jack plane); but it sure excels at getting wood FLAT. I made a full trash bag of shavings planing two faces of four poplar table legs flat and perpendicular. Then I ripped the other two sides on the table saw to dimension and finished with one or two more swipes with the plane once again for surface finish reasons (the plane leaves an amazing surface). Through all this, I did not perceive any blade dulling. I wouldn't say four poplar table legs represent a grueling test, but the blade steel is definitely not garbage. Highly recommended.

Good quality and much better priced than other options. Blade was sharp. It's a little heavy but it is a large item made of metal. Long length helps make even cuts. Very smooth.

Made with imperfect japanning and requires extensive blade tuning. It is perfectly square ans flat, however. Handles are nicely made.

Good value for the money.

Solid body and overall construction. Honestly about what I expected given that this is a third of the price of Nielsen or Veritas or Wood River. Blade took some work flattening and getting an edge as I expected but the chip breaker was just all around terrible. Took a long time hand grinding that down on the stones so it will make contact at the nose of the blade. Works great now but just know, it will not perform out of the box. If you are cheap like me and would rather put time into something than money, this is not a bad option.

It's a beast. It's heavy enough to plow through any surface including hard knots in old growth pine. Makes flattening a table top a pleasant task if you enjoy handwork. It also is accurate enough to make good edge joints that should satisfy every woodworker. I find the handle a little narrow for my tastes and you have to get in a good planing posture to take advantage of its bulk. Blade needed some lapping prior to use audits corners eased slightly.

If you are expecting a Lee Nielsen quality plane out of the box you will be disappointed. If you are looking for a solid collection of parts that can be turned into a plane that works as well then this is a good buy. Sole needed a small amount of flattening, the cap had a terrible burr, the blade was fine but improved with sharpening, the frog needed adjusting, and so on. After a few hours of tuning I now have a good working plane that won’t win any beauty awards but can hold its own with ones costing twice as much.

Sole was flat out of the box. Blade is on the thin side, but adequate. Easily sharpened and honed and, after planing a lot of southern yellow pine for a workbench build, seems to hold an edge really well. The handle is a little on the small side and doesn't fill the hand so can lead to discomfort after long usage. I may make a beefier handle for it after I finish a few projects. Overall, I am very satisfied with my Taytools #7 Jointer Plane. At half the price of a very similar plane from Woodcraft or Rockler, it is a superb value. I will definitely buy Taytools again.