Veritas spoke shave vs. Stanley 151

[Rob Young]

I'm contemplating getting a Veritas Flat Spokeshave w/ O1 blade (I like O1 vs. A2 vs. whatever -- just to get that out upfront).

Catalog page for reference: http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,50230&p=49142

Who has both or has done head-to-head?

FYI, my 151 (and 152) are tuned up and set up and work great. So it's not a matter of missing out on a good spokeshave. I'm just curious.

A few specific questions I have:

Is the fit-and finish up-to par? Some older reviews between its original release and later editions mention changes in the casting.

I've become accustom to the gull-wing design of the 151/152. How about the straight handles of the VFS?

I don't have any problems getting fine, chatter free shavings with a 151 so how useful are the VFS shims really?

Thanks.

[JustinTyson]

I have both, and I always reach for the Veritas shave first. Always. Yes, the fit and finish is excellent, and the handles are comfortable. The shims are useless. Or maybe I should say, I've never used them and never had a reason to. The Veritas shaves leave a polished surface even on curly grain. The Stanley shaves do not. But I use the Veritas for everything, not just for wild grain. They're just made better and nicer to use (and I say that as someone who uses vintage planes almost exclusively, so it's not a personal bias for new vs. old).

They aren't perfect, though. My biggest complaint is that the depth adjusters work themselves loose through vibration in use. My Stanley does the same thing, so it's not exclusive to the Veritas. Actually, that's my only complaint, now that I think about it.

[Rob Young]

JustinTyson said:

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I have both, and I always reach for the Veritas shave first. Always. Yes, the fit and finish is excellent, and the handles are comfortable. The shims are useless. Or maybe I should say, I've never used them and never had a reason to. The Veritas shaves leave a polished surface even on curly grain. The Stanley shaves do not. But I use the Veritas for everything, not just for wild grain. They're just made better and nicer to use (and I say that as someone who uses vintage planes almost exclusively, so it's not a personal bias for new vs. old).

They aren't perfect, though. My biggest complaint is that the depth adjusters work themselves loose through vibration in use. My Stanley does the same thing, so it's not exclusive to the Veritas. Actually, that's my only complaint, now that I think about it.

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Thanks, this is helpful.

Re: depth adjusters -- same experience on my vintage 151/152. As I get the plane set up, I have the cap set snug but not super-snug. Then once I'm happy I cinch it down good and tight with my fingers (assuming that isn't going to distort the casting). Once I've done that, the adjusters vibrating is simply an annoying sound, the blade doesn't seem to be moving.

I've been pleased with the quality of cut I get from the 151. I should have taken the time to play with the Veritas shave at the Woodworking Show but I got distracted with other things.

[Bill_Houghton]

Can't answer your question, since my only experience with the Veritas shaves is admiring their pictures in the catalogs.

So I'll digress into a pitch for the Stanley 51/52 with a Veritas replacement iron*. This yields a very narrow mouth - so much so, in fact, that I'm glad I own more than one Stanley 52, because I need the extra mouth opening given by the standard iron at times. I actually had to file the mouth on my Stanley 52 when I fitted the LV iron to it. Whether it's because the casting warped or because it got slowly bent over the years by use, I don't know; but the center of the mouth was particularly narrow.

I prefer the 51/52 over the 151/152 because the lack of adjusting nuts lets it tuck into tighter curves; I sold my 151 (a Record) because the nuts kept hitting the stock when I went around inside corners.

And, of the two, I prefer the 52 because the straight handles just work better in my hands.
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*Full disclosure: I suggested these replacement irons for the Stanley 51/52/151/152 and their counterparts from other makers to Rob Lee; but I'm not getting any royalties, only a glow of pride for having thought of the idea.

[AHill]

I don't have the Stanley but I have all the Veritas spokeshaves and they are all wonderful to use. Very comfortable in my hands. I've used them on spoons and other things. No issues at all with getting them set up. I use the flat most, the convex a lot less frequently, and the round one hardly at all.

[JustinTyson]

AHill said:

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I use the flat most, the convex a lot less frequently, and the round one hardly at all.

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Agreed, although I do use the convex one quite a bit. Definitely wouldn't want to be without it. The round one is just baggage. I shouldn't have bought it. I use it occasionally, but I wouldn't miss it if it were gone.

[JustinTyson]

Rob Young said:

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Re: depth adjusters -- same experience on my vintage 151/152. As I get the plane set up, I have the cap set snug but not super-snug. Then once I'm happy I cinch it down good and tight with my fingers (assuming that isn't going to distort the casting). Once I've done that, the adjusters vibrating is simply an annoying sound, the blade doesn't seem to be moving.

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Yep, that's definitely the way around it. It would be nice if the depth adjusters stayed in place, so the cap didn't have to be cinched so tight, but frankly that's a minor complaint. I had to come up with one criticism, though

[JimBelair]

Like Justin, I have both but reach for the Veritas every time.

But if the Stanley is working so well for you I'm not sure why you would consider the Veritas.

[Paul-in-Plymouth]

I have a Stanley 151 that I’ve used for almost 50 years. Within the past 10 years, I bought a Veritas Round Shave and an LN-Boggs Flat Shave. I still use the 151 for some rough work and thick shavings, but greatly prefer both of the modern shaves. They’re both feel much better in my hands, and I think I do better work with them.

I have never found a need for the shims that came with the Veritas shave.

I find the depth adjusters annoying on both the 151 and the Veritas, maybe a bit less so on the Veritas. On the LN-Boggs, no depth adjusters + secure blade clamping = complete happiness.

Both of the modern shaves are exceptionally fine tools. I like what I have, but could be happy with the flat version of either one.

[Gregory of Sherwood Forest]

Rob,
I thought I had a LV spokeshave when you were here last, but couldn't find it. Now, I've found it. If you want to come by and test drive it, let me know.

-G