Mid priced hand plane comparison (Quangsheng Luban and Axminster Rider).
Mid priced hand plane comparison (Quangsheng Luban and Axminster Rider).
In this video, I compare the Axminster Rider hand planes with the Quangsheng Luban hand planes to show the real differences between mid-priced hand planes. All of the planes were purchased with my own money and I have no affiliation with any company. Let me know your thoughts in the comments and if your experience differs.
Excellent review.i have 4 Lubans which I love.and had wondered if the riders were as good for a bit less money.now I know to stick to quang sheng luban in future .thanks
Great videos Matt, I’ve taken on all my Dads plane but it’s also nice to know what is available current day. And whats good and whats not. Ta
I hate the backlash on plane adjuster knobs. The Qiangshengs / Lubans are a lot better than most. I have a second hand Rider block plane. It is large and heavy but I’ve got used to that and rather like it. The blade stays sharp and both adjusters work well.
thoughts on new baileys?
Excellent advice. Just about to buy 2 planes. Many thanks. Will go with the Lubans.
Hi Matthew
I totally agree with your review. I made the mistake of buying an Axminster Rider No 4 plane and got rid of it soon after as the quality was so low. I also purchase a Rider No 80 scraper which was so bad, but it was very cheap. I spent a couple of hours flattening the sole and dressing all the rough edges and in the end it did perform reasonably but no where near as good as my old Stanley No 80.
I have studied the Quangsheng Luban planes and they are well engineered and far superior quality. The only thing that puts me off buying more of their range is after a particularly bad winter and in an unheated workshop my Luban No 3 rusted very badly even though I kept it in it’s box. None of my Record or Stanley planes suffered with rust at that time which made me wonder if the cast iron on the Luban was not as good. All of the planes were in the same cupboard but the difference was unbelievable. I was very disappointed to find that when I cleaned off the rust it had left pits which are quite deep and spoil the surface finish. I must say that the Luban still planes beautifully and better than my Stanleys but a lot of that is due to the thickness of the blade. I have since replaced some of my Record and Stanley plane blades with thicker after market blades and the performance is so much improved.
I cannot fault the Luban planes as they are beautifully finished with totally flat soles and a great Bedrock frog, all the edges are broken and smoothed right out of the box, but I do worry about the casting material. I keep dressing my planes with oil between uses so the problem hasn’t got any worse but it is a shame.
Excellent video, saved me money
Have you noticed the rider planes have been reduced a fair bit recently maybe standards have dropped so they’ve reduced them I found it strange as everything else in the catalog has gone up
Hello, given that a No 4 smoother is about £75 for the Rider and £150 for the QS with their current prices. Would you say the QS is worth double the price? Thanks, I appreciate your time and effort.
My experience with them is limited, and yet so different to yours. I have just recieved a Low Rider 62 from Axminster. Both irons are flat, the sole is flat, the machining is fine and so is the japanning. I honed the irons and tried them both. I couldn’t be more pleased. It works straight out of the box.
Excellent video thank you. Interesting stuff, let’s hope Axminster see this video and take action
Thank you even so much for your comparison after I can put my opinion to choose my first plane!
Thank you for sharing your experience with these planes!
I have only recently heard the name Luban when I visited my local tool shop – Bill’s Tool Store, in Glasgow – I was looking for a new, low angle block plane, and the assistant suggested the Luban, which he said was very similar to the Lee Nielson. I have to say, it did look and feel amazing compared to my 30-year-old Stanley, but as it was only £55 pounds, I have to admit to being rather sceptical.
Your review, among others, of the Luban products has convinced me to take the plunge and make the purchase.
The old Stanley has never let me down. It did, however, take hours to get up and running, and is a real pain to adjust. Once you get the hang of it, though, it does everything you want. However, the idea of using a tool that works straight out of the box, and is easy to adjust sounds like heaven.
I sent my Axminster rider plane back. Really wasn’t happy with it for the money. The casting was misaligned, the threads half stripped, and both blades were cupped. The pressed steel components are just naff. It’s a cheap plane with a midrange price tag.
I bought a couple Axminster plane Irons I liked the thickness ,they needed a lot of work to get them flat and sharp but I like the o2 steel its a bit more durable , im disappointed with Axminster though I was going to buy a forstner bit set it was 40 quid but they put the price up to 60 pounds too much of a jump for me , when I asked why the price shot up so much they didnt have an answer .
Excellent review. I would be interested to see how you test for level and grind the soles.
About 4 years ago, without knowing anything about either Axminster or Luban brands, I considered both "mid-priced" options. I took much time to consider both and eventually decided on Luban, mostly because of the Bedrock frog, the steels it used, as well as the thicker blades. My initial choice was probably a little lucky, but since then, I’ve acquired many Luban planes: which includes: 3 shoulder planes, #4, #4.5, #5, #5.5, #6, #7, #8, a scraper plane, a LA Jack, the 2 bronze spokeshaves, a LA block plane, a regular block plane and the triple set of 101-102-103 bronze block planes. I’ve also acquired complete and multiple spare parts for each item for the future. I’ve probably forgotten a few, but yeah, they’ve been fun to collect. My Luban experiences match yours basically.
I’m of the belief currently, that these planes are actually better than the LN or Veritas brands. Luban shouldn’t be expected to be the best, but for one simple reason, I’m convinced that they are: they use regular high carbon steel for their blades, instead of the gimmick known as A2 steel/cryogenic treatments. A2 steel is reasonably sharp, but to be the ultimate plane, well, the sharpest blade is what matters most and that’s not A2! Luban plane bodies are stressed relieved, the handles are immaculately crafted and the blades are the best you can get – I can go on about other critical reasons too. Luban is a no nonsense version of the LN/Veritas premium brands essentially. The look of the planes is beautiful/immaculate, and also presented conservatively. They’re not trying to impress with flashy frilly looks, or sponsored (but not disclosed) high profile YouTube posters, or fake/fraud marketing about cryogenic treatments, or hyping duller A2 steel (which is essentially another name for CrV). I got lucky and bought my Luban inventory years ago, when their quality was not known and their prices were crazy/ridiculously cheap. Since then, their prices have increased considerably, but they’re still, even now, great value. I think for the years to come, Luban’s price increases will continue unfortunately; they’re just too good!
I’ve never seen, nor tried an Axminster plane and it was informative to learn about your experiences – this video answers questions about the option years ago, that I never took. A great review and I’ll be looking to see what other videos you’ve uploaded after this. Thank you and take care.
Here’s the thing, I have both brands, both are machined well flat! But I see how you are pressings on each plane. This tells me a lot. One you struggle to sharpen a blade properly, two your technique is wrong how you stand and put pressure on plane with fore arms. The sound the planes make as they run over wood, a vey dead sound. Too much down ward pressure. I don’t know if this was how you were taught or habit from early times.
I must have been lucky. I got an Axminster #4 ~18 months ago (before I knew about workshop heaven) and I can only just get a 0.15mm feeler gauge under the rear right and front left corners
Thanks for your excellent vid! Really helpful. Do you have any feel for how Axminster and Stanley compare please. Thanks