I got real lucky and had the opportunity to try out a whole bunch of them at the Lie Nielsen hand tool event last week.The experience was indescribable the whole experience is boring a hole in my head like i am suffering from severe withdrawal symptoms and ready to rob the bank to buy one. I dont know how i am going to go back to picking up my own hand planes again.Bill S and other Neanders, this is a WARNING.... you dont blame me if you touch one of these somewhere and you leave a hole in your pocket i can fully understand those that have.
Konrad made a joke saying one of his customers called him his "crack dealer" and i had to agree. I could not leave the event, simply due to not getting enough of these planes.I would sheepishly approach Konrad and ask "errrr can i try "this" one out" to which he replied sure , he already had some hard wood set up in the vice for this purpose.
Then like a two year old at a candy store i asked "and this one" ......sure said the "crack plane dealer" come closer and fall into my trap. Just like a spider to the fly.The blades are thick and i mean real thick like i never ever seen before. I think they thicker than the sides of my stanley castings.They seated so solidly in the frog that there is no chance for any chatter. So even when the blade is dull it shaves better than my best tuned plane.The lever cap oh where do i start, its what it should be to apply a downward pressure at the right place and its width is not that of a piece of tin thickness. One i looked at where i noticed it, was i am gonna say at least 3/16 wide and perfectly mating with the blade across the entire area. No ways is that blade going anywhere. There aint no need for frog adjustment to compensate for all sorts. These planes work properly. The handles and heft man they make the process such a delight you really will give up power tools. Admitedly my opening comments to Kondrad at his "booth" were "so these i presume are for collectors because i consider them works of art". (you just gotta see the planes in the flesh they really are works of art and the wood used leaves you at a loss for words)He casually said "No most of my customers are users of them". 
Well that was the opening line to him asking me to try one. 
Now i cannot think of anything else. 
The feeling has claimed me like no other. If you wish to set yourself a motivating tool say something like I am gonna do x y z and when i accomplish it i will reward myself with (this) then these planes are the "IT" to use for the (this) here.So for me when i have this new addition to my existing business well and trully off the ground and meeting expectations, one of these babies is coming home with me as my bonus to self for all the effort. My fear then is that this will be a long chain in many more if it starts. The price tag is significant compared to the LV and Lie Nielsen plane ranges but not when you see the workmanship and understand what goes into making them. And all this manufacturing is taking place not that far from my doorstep.
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