David Weaver
.what's the real cost exposure?

I don't use premium planes much, but I don't mind keeping one on hand as it's just money in suspense.

It's hard to get an idea of a plane's fit for someone (vs. mine or bill's or anyone else's) without getting it on the shop for a month or two.

If it's undesirable, stanley planes go used for about the same as their cost (adding on replacement cap irons and irons is a loser money wise unless they're sold separately from the plane when unloading), and LN planes will easily bring 80-90% of new without being forced to go to auction sites to sell.

For something that may become a go-to tool, trying one of each for a while is worthwhile and will settle a lot of potential future questions.

I forgot why I have a bronze LN 4, but remember now - when you make an infill, the feel of those planes and their performance on tiny shavings is a good bar to aim for. There are a lot of older infill planes that don't really come close without a good deal of experienced refitting and flattening.