Which smoothing plane do I buy?

Hello Paul

My name is Satjapon, I live in Thailand. I begin to do woodcraft for 3 years. I need your comment about planes. I am looking for premium plane and I have seen your review about JUUMA planes. What do you recommend between buy Lie-Nielsen (more expensive) or buy JUUMA as I am a beginner. Exactly my budget is limited however I love to do woodcraft, is it worth to invest hi-end planes such as Veritas /Lie-Nielsen ?

Best Regards
Satjapon

Having used both extensively, I could find no difference in quality between the two planes I tested, but I only tested one plane from each maker so it could be that one was the best they ever made and the other the worst. The important thing for me is to try where possible to buy domestic products. All countries need employment and employers have a remendous burden to provide not just a well made product at competitive prices but also employment local to their production facility. In the western world we tend to pursue cheaper prices and so we buy cheaper products and before too long the local providers are out of business. Most manufacturers failed to see local loyalty as a moral position. They sold out to the cheapest provider and jobs have been lost on every continent.The monstrous companies like Irwin (really Rubbermaid, Nicholson files and dozens more have sold out the birthright of young people to work in their own country on products people once had high regard for. So, whereas I see and will give an honest review on products regardless of where they are made, I don't necessarily want to endorse products that lead to unemployment and so on. I highly respect domestic companies on any continent that sets a standard, doesn't compromise and at the same time takes on the responsibility for providing apprenticeship training (an expensive risk), supports a local workforce by employment and keeps a local industry moving, especially in hard times such as we face in the western world today. Lie Nielsen makes excellent products as do Veritas and Clico of their UK. I just wish that one of them wood lighten up and give me a lightweight alternative to heavy planes with their engineering standards. When someone does that I will be right behind them. Companies like Woodcraft USA copied Lie Nielsen for some reason. Perhaps it was price, perhaps it was supplies and delivery scheduling I dont know, but there are two planemakers competing for the same dollar and their planes are the same product. At least, not having tested the Woodriver planes too much, I think they are. Abandoning the Bailey-pattern plane was a big mistake in my practical opinion. There was nothing wrong with it, which brings me to my answer to you, Satjapon. Probably in Thailand the standard Stanley is not readily available. That said, if you will pay the eBay cost and shipping, I will buy a # 4 for you, sharpen and tune it and ship it to you with no charge for my work.