Block plane vs smoothing plane in this set
Updated: 23 October 2026
You are choosing a first plane, or a second one, and the smaller tool looks easier because you can close one hand around it. In this amazon.co.uk folder, block plane vs smoothing plane means two different cuts. The mini planes are a third size. Stanley against Stanley, and the kanna and the RALI listings, stay on the main table. The rows are on the [Dictum plane comparison](/hub/hand-tools/dictum-plane). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Peter F. wrote this from listings saved on 19 October 2026. We did not test a sole.
You are choosing a first plane, or a second one, and the smaller tool looks easier because you can close one hand around it. In this amazon.co.uk folder, block plane vs smoothing plane means two different cuts.
You are choosing a first plane, or a second one, and the smaller tool looks easier because you can close one hand around it. In this amazon.co.uk folder, block plane vs smoothing plane means two different cuts. The mini planes are a third size. Stanley against Stanley, and the kanna and the RALI listings, stay on the main table. The rows are on the Dictum plane comparison. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Peter F. wrote this from listings saved on 19 October 2026. We did not test a sole.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Hands | Plane type | Blade width | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Stanley Stanley 220 block plane | One, block plane | No. 220 block plane | 1 5/8 inch; 77 mm field clashes | 7.2 | about £29.43 | View offer |
 Amazon Basics Amazon Basics No. 4 | Two, front knob and rear grip | No. 4 bench plane | 51 mm (2 inch) | 9.0 | about £16.20 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 3 inch trimmer | One hand, from the size in reviews | 3 inch trimming plane | 25 mm (1 inch) | 7.9 | about £10.99 | View offer |
On this page
They are not two sizes of one tool
A smoothing plane in this folder is a No. 4 you push with two hands. The Amazon Basics plane is 24.9 cm, 1.21 kg, with a 51 mm iron, at about £16.20. The Spear & Jackson CSP4 is 1.8 kg with a 50 mm iron, at about £17.20. The iron sits bevel down. The Amazon Basics mouth is described as adjustable. The CSP4 file does not state a mouth adjustment.
A block plane is one-handed and bevel up, for the end of a board or a chamfer. Here that is the CBP95, the Stanley 220, the Stanley 1-12-020 and the Stanley sold with a pouch. Cherry Tree Tools, a UK seller, makes the same split: bench plane for the face, block plane for end grain. A short sole follows dips.
When the block plane is the one to buy
Buy a block plane when the cut is the end of a board, a corner, or a job you cannot brace with a second hand, including a ladder or a door edge.
The CBP95 states a 42 mm low-angle cutter and a fully adjustable mouth, at about £23.85, and the notes include sole flattening. The Stanley 220 states a 21 degree cutter, at about £29.43. The file does not say the mouth moves, and reviews repeat lapping. The 1-12-020 bullets name depth, mouth and angle. The pouch listing clashes on length. Which of the four you pick stays on the main comparison. On a tabletop the short sole follows the low spots, and the No. 4 is the better sole.
When the No. 4 is the one to buy
Buy a No. 4 when you are smoothing a face or truing an edge with both hands on a bench. The wider iron covers more of the board. The longer sole bridges small hollows that a block plane will copy.
The Amazon Basics plane is 4.4 from 4,007 reviews. Across the 50 UK reviews read, an unflat sole is not the theme. Some irons arrive blunt. The Spear & Jackson CSP4 is 4.3 from 1,310 reviews and 1.8 kg. Reviews say sharpen and check the sole. One arrival is described with corrosion and a damaged handle. If the work is end grain, the block plane is the tool that fits. The first shaving is on how to set up a hand plane.
The pair, and what is too small to be either
An Amazon Basics or Spear & Jackson No. 4 plus a Stanley 220 is under £50 at the prices from 19 October 2026. That is arithmetic on those stickers, not a test that either sole arrived flat. Buy the second when the first is the wrong length for the cut you keep making. Two blunt planes are not a kit.
The Jorgensen mini and the Spear & Jackson CTP3 are not the smoothing plane and they are not the 9½-size block plane. The Jorgensen is about 90 mm and 250 g, with a 1.25 inch width line. The CTP3 has a 25 mm cutter and weighs 220 g. They are too narrow for a face, and too narrow for a door bottom in one pass. There is no No. 5 in the folder. The order of decisions before any badge is the hand plane buying guide.
Common questions
Which should you buy first?
Buy the No. 4 first for faces and bench edges, if you will hone. Buy the block plane first for end grain, chamfers and one-handed trimming. On a ladder, the one-handed plane is the tool that fits. The recommendation follows the job you have this month.
Can a No. 4 do end grain?
It can, if the iron is sharp and the set is fine. It is heavier and longer than you want on a narrow end, and you need room for two hands. A block plane is the better fit for that cut. Keep the No. 4 for the face, where the longer sole is the advantage.
Why is a block plane harder for a beginner than it looks?
The body is small, so it feels controllable, and the sole is short, so it follows hollows instead of bridging them. The iron still arrives blunt on many of these listings, and a fixed mouth, as on the Stanley 220 file, gives you less room to close the cut. Ease of grip is not ease of a flat face.
What is the difference in hands and bevel?
You hold the No. 4 with a front knob and a rear grip, bevel down. You hold a block plane in one hand, bevel up. The No. 4 irons here are 50 mm and 51 mm. Clean block-plane widths are 42 mm on the CBP95 and 40 mm on two Stanley listings. The 220’s 77 mm field clashes with 1 5/8 inch, so shop the components line.
Are the Jorgensen and the CTP3 smoothing planes?
They are not. Both are mini edge tools, 250 g and 220 g. Reviews use them on small chamfers and narrow door edges. A smoothing plane in this set is one of the two No. 4s. Using the mini as a jointer is a common mistake, and the narrow iron is why.
Does this folder include a jack plane?
It does not include a No. 5 or a jointer. The bench planes are the two No. 4s. The RALI 220 Monobloc is 22.5 cm and uses a different blade, with no reviews in the file. A long edge that needs a longer sole is outside this comparison.
Related pages
Sources
Sources for this comparison. Listing prices and stars are the amazon.co.uk figures captured on 19 October 2026.
- Dictum plane range (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Dictum low-angle jack plane No. 62 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Cherry Tree Tools, block plane or bench plane (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- RALI 105 Evolution N (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Stanley 220 adjustable block plane (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Find My Tool, Stanley 220 mouth note (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, General Product Safety Regulations 2005: Great Britain (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 19 October 2026)