david weaver
I guess it depends on how you're using it and what you use, it seems like a good angle to me.

I see a lot of back and forth around here (not from you, your message is pretty consistent). One day, higher angles are there for a lack of skill. The next day, thicker irons are around for a lack of skill. Then it's adjusters. And during the cap iron discussion, it was brought up or implied that double irons or beds higher than an 8/10 bu japanese smoother are there to cover up a lack of skill or lack of ability to sharpen. My mind boggles.

And today the higher angle is the better smoother.

I guess at this point, I haven't seen a plane that any user shouldn't be able to work, it's just what you have to do with it. (throw out defective planes with soft irons). There's not a lot of "ghee, I could probably figure out how to make this work as well as anything, regardless of what it is and regardless of what it's against" lately....

.. as evidenced by the "marples chisels are hard to use" thread.

I guess that's what we do, niggle little bits around here without really getting into "does it actually make any difference at all to a familiar user".

(And, btw, my response was a bit over the top, but I hate to be one of those people who goes back and edits posts (or denies that it was), I'd rather own up to it. My apologies)