Luban Block Plane Review – Low-Angle Block Plane

I bought a Luban plane for $69 recently, and I thought I would share what I think about it here. While I try to describe as much as possible in this Luban block plane review, I recommend that you do your own research before deciding to get one.

Luban planes (sometimes referred to as Quangsheng Luban) are made in China and gained a reputation for being a “lookalike” of Lie Nielsen planes while costing about 1/3 the price. Quangsheng Luban is a renowned brand in the woodworking industry, known for producing high-quality hand tools.

With a recent surge in popularity among DIYers and woodworking enthusiasts, Quangsheng Luban has become a go-to choice for those seeking reliable and durable tools. Their commitment to craftsmanship and attention to detail has made them a trusted name in the industry. Luban makes block planes, smoothing planes, jack planes, and jointer planes. They do not, however, have a low-angle jack plane.

The plane I bought is the low-angle block plane, which means that it has a bed angle of 12 degrees and a bevel-up blade with a 25-degree edge, giving it an effective 37-degree cutting angle.

By looking at pictures online, it’s hard to differentiate between the regular and low-angle planes, so read the description carefully.

Luban Block Plane Review – Out of The Box Setup

For whatever reason, the seller decided to open up the original Luban box and use it as padding for the larger box they shipped, which also contained a fret saw I had bought. I find this extremely dumb.

They didn’t understand the box’s value to a weekend hobbyist woodworker like me. The plane was packed in bubble wrap instead, and there was no damage from shipping.

At first glance, it looked exactly like the Lie Nielsen low-angle block plane, except for the Luban brand, of course. All the brass parts had some patina on them, and all the iron parts were covered with oil.

There were no sharp burrs on any edge, and machining was far superior to the Stanley low-angle block plane I own. The cap had some very small dings and could have been smoother.

Luban Block Plane Review – Improving Performance

The blade was thick and appeared to be sharp. After taking a few passes on soft white pine, however, I realized that the factory grind just wasn’t good enough to get the job done.

Using my simple sharpening jig, I quickly lapped the bottom of the blade, then sharpened the edge using a 400 grit diamond plate.

I honed the edge on the 1,000 grit side and stopped the blade about 10-15 times on the leather strop. This gave the blade a really sharp, shiny edge.

To test how flat the sole really was, I scribbled all over it with a sharpie and sanded it with a sheet of 320 grit sandpaper.

While it was not perfectly flat, it was flat enough. I switched to 240 grit, then worked my way up to 600 grit, and was satisfied with the results. I spent about 10-15 mins total tuning up the Luban low-angle block plane, and the difference was incredible!

On a piece of scrap Southern Yellow Pine, leftover from my small workbench build, I got a glass finish even on the knotty areas. It cuts softwood like a hot knife through butter.

Here’s a size comparison with my cheap Stanley block plane. In terms of ergonomics, the thumb nob is set closer to the front edge of the plane on the Luban hand plane. I have become so comfortable with the Stanley, that holding the Luban plane one-handed feels awkward.

Final Thoughts on The Luban Plane

For $69, the plane is a keeper. There are not many alternatives you can buy at the price range that matches the Luban low angle block plane.

The build quality is great, but don’t expect to be as impressed as you might expect when you take it out of the box. Unlike a Lie Nielsen plane that is hand-finished prior to shipping, a Luban plane has probably been sitting in the box for months or years. Patina would have set it, making the brass parts look dull.

My Stanley plane, which I have tuned up a few times, performs just as good as the Luban plane for most types of wood. However, the thickness of the Luban’s blade does make a difference in highly figured wood, although just a little.

You can buy Luban planes on AliExpress. Luban also makes spokeshaves, chisels, and other woodworking tools at affordable prices.