E. C. EMMERICH GMBH + CO. KG 104 S Plaster Planer, Width 48 mm, Length 220 mm ECE

Very well made. Lightweight. A joy to use.

G. Conner has already posted a very complete review, so I won't reiterate, other than to say that this plane exceeded my expectations. Out of the box, a couple taps and it produced the shavings I wanted. I think that is remarkable for a plane that costs less than a hundred.

The finish is a little rough at the rear grip, needed a little sanding to take care of it. Only took about 5 minutes to adjust the plane first timeAfter a year of using, I love this plane. It is my go to jack plane.

A handsome plane that is well made with a blade that comes sharp and properly ground. If you want a wood plane, I highly recommend this jack plane.

I like wooden planes and have dozens of them because they have numerous advantages: The body cannot rust. They are lightweight, & easy to repair or fettle. They cost less to produce and are therefore less expensive to buy. They do not shatter if dropped like some iron-body planes. True, a plane made of ductile iron probably won't shatter if dropped either. However, any metal plane can be damaged if dropped and restoring damaged metal is more work than fixing a wood plane.The sad truth is, i just don't have the money to buy all the beautiful planes i'd love to own, and I'm probably too cheap to buy them even if I had the dough.Since i grew up in a violin shop where my father made most of his own tools, I have been using and making planes similar to this one for almost five decades. From that perspective I can say what the crucial features of this model are.This model (and any other ECE like it) has the advantage of a unique cross-pin with an integral clamping mechanism that holds the blade / chip-breaker VERY securely. Although I do not think a regular small cross-pin is bad, nor have I ever seen them weaken the body substantially, ECE claims this system maintains structural strength. OK... maybe. The real reason I love it is because it is so sturdy and easy to adjust. Adjust once, it stays that way for a long time. It only take seconds and is virtually idiot-proof. (At our woodworking club, I have seen evidence! ;-)For a four-thousandth depth-of-cut, just put a dollar bill under both ends of the plane as it sits on some flat surface: granite block, glass table top etc. Loosen the wedge, let the blade assembly float down and touch the surface, lightly tap the wedge. Voila! The blade is set perfectly square to the sole, to a consistent four-thou. Need a two-thou cut? Use paper from a phone book.Likewise for even finer cuts, except I use graduated shim stock instead of paper or money. If you have good feeler gauges, like those made by Starrett or Veritas, you can quickly adjust any wooden plane like this to .0005". By "quickly" I mean about 30 or 40 seconds... no guess work, no tedious sighting or repetitive test cuts. Just set it and go to work.If cost is the issue, it is an easy matter to make your own planes if you have the tools and knowhow. I highly recommend that experience for any woodworker. If you lack some of the tools and want a great homemade plane that performs well and is inexpensive, Hock tools sells a plane-kit that is affordable. Hock blades are superb! Those kits range around $100 or so, depending on where you buy them. I've made two planes from those kits and modified hem for special tasks, so i will attest they are excellent!But here's the thing... If you buy that Hock plane kit, the only thing better about it is the superb Hock blade & cap-iron. The stock blades in these ECE planes are very good too, just not as thick and the grain structure might be a little less fine than the best "boutique" blades like Hock, Veritas, LN, Hitachi or IBC.Still, these are very good blades made of fine German steel. They take a .5 micron edge and hold it quite well. They are thinner than a Hock, Lie-Nielsen, Veritas or IBC blade. Thicker blades are an advantage in regular metal planes since they cut down on chatter. Metal planes require precision manufacturing to avoid chatter. Wooden planes get less chatter without such precision because the wooden wedge compresses slightly when tapped into place. And, in a good wooden plane with this unique cross-pin, there is no chatter at all, so the thicker blade is just more expensive & heavy, not functionally better in most cases.A subtlety often overlooked, even by famous plane-making 'experts': thick blades can withstand more pressure without distortion. That is the real reason most people think "thicker is better." All things being equal, thicker IS better.Except... A metal body plane can withstand that greater pressure which it exerts. Remember: every force operates in equal and opposite directions. A metal plane should have thicker blades and chip-breakers. Since it CAN produce more pressure, the blade must be able to withstand that force. And even metal planes distort measurably when the cap-iron is tightened. That why we must tight the blade-iron assembly in place when we fettle metal planes.A wooden body plane will bend more with the thicker blades if too much pressure is applied. That's why a thinner blade is OK and usually preferable to the thicker blade. ( I said "usually" not "always." Obviously there are exceptions... ) Adjusting the wedge on this wooden plane is even easier and more forgiving because of the two pressure-plates that spread force evenly across the width of the wedge. It really is a better system that improves on an ancient simple design.Now, it's true that it is EASIER to make a good plane with a great blade and a thick chip-breaker... but it may not be a lot better. Thick blades & breakers help resist chatter because of their mass and rigidity. This type of plane gets it rigidity from precise manufacturing, the evenness of pressure on the wedge against that unique cross pin... and the natural vibration-dampening of the thick wooden wedge.Buying VS making:When you've made as many planes as i have, you'll discover that sometimes, no matter how careful you are, the plane just doesn't work right. It might be some hidden grain structure in the wood, some imperceptible imperfection in the manufacture or some other mysterious detail. When a company like ECE makes thousands of these, they test each one, then destroy & discard any malfunctioning planes. You are guaranteed to get one that works.I have four ECE wooden planes. They are all perfect. Between my friends and I over the years, I have used several dozen ECE planes and never found a single bad one. Teutonic toolmakers take their business seriously.Here are the costs of making your own plane: Good blade --- $40 to $60.Add a chip-breaker, about another $30 bucks.Good hard wood... varies with species and quality, but minimum of $10 bucks for store-bought stuff, probably closer to $40 or so dollars for exotic iron-wood, Ebony or Lignum Vitae.You can easily see, even if you have the tools and time to make your own wooden plane, it will not be much less than buying a good kit from Ron Hock or just buying this brand and type of plane. Making your own plane can easily cost more than these mass-produced ECE planes.BTW... much has been written about the famous ECE adjustment mechanism in their primus series. Those really are the smoothest and easiest to adjust of the mechanical planes. They exhibit almost zero lash-back. But mechanical adjustment is only necessary when you want to intentionally skew a blade for special operations. Most of the time, we want the blade to project evenly from the body, parallel to the sole. That's why I prefer the simple wedge system. It works. It's easy and fast. If you need to, you can always skew the blade in this type of plane too.If you have ever seen an expert Japanese woodworker use those beautifully simple kanna (planes) you will realize that fancy mechanical adjusters are usually not needed.What you MUST have is a flat "true sole," a sharp blade, & a rigid assembly to thwart chatter. This plane gives me all that simply, easily and at an unbeatable price.Even with a shop full of precise power-tools and a scrap box full of exotic species, I can't make a plane for much less than this plane costs. Unless you make your own planes, there is no way I know to get a better plane for this price.When you add up the advantages and compare costs, then consider the value of your time, these "budget" model ECE planes with simple wooden wedges make sense. Even a good "kit" plane costs as much.For simplicity, usefulness and value these are the best wooden-planes I know... best bargain too.

Added this to my collection of handtools.

My ECE plane had its finish completely disintingrate and the heel and body fell apart after storage in a bin for 2 years.

Pialla di ottima finitura e grande qualità.

Es macht echt viel Spaß mit den Putzhobel zu arbeiten. Die Lieferung war sogar noch früher da wie geplant.

Arbeite seit vielen Jahren mit Hobeln von ECE, bin zufrieden. Leider keine härtere Sohle mehr erhältlich. Hobel ist nie gebrauchsfertig, das soll man wissen.

Attrezzo professionale, fatto molto bene. Lama affilata pronta all’uso.