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Best smoothing plane UK

Updated: 24 October 2026

You searched for the best smoothing plane UK and the listings answer with 4.2 to 4.5 stars. That band will not sort a door, a first bench, or a plane you mean to keep. This page names who each of the six amazon.co.uk planes is for, and who should leave it. The prices and review counts are the listing lines in the [smoothing plane comparison](/hub/hand-tools/smoothing-plane) on 22 October 2026. Peter F. did not run a lab test. A qualifying purchase through those links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The checks that sit under the prices are on the [smoothing plane buying guide](/hub/hand-tools/smoothing-plane/sub/smoothing-plane-buying-guide).

You searched for the best smoothing plane UK and the listings answer with 4.2 to 4.5 stars. That band will not sort a door, a first bench, or a plane you mean to keep.

Our top picks

Amazon Basics Amazon Basics No. 4, grey/black

Best overall

Amazon Basics Amazon Basics No. 4, grey/black
8.1/10about £16.20
View offer
Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson CSP4 No. 4

Best value

Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson CSP4 No. 4
7.0/10about £17.20
View offer
Stanley Stanley No. 4 Bailey

Alternative

Stanley Stanley No. 4 Bailey
6.1/10about £59.95
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Best is a job, not a star
  2. 2.For a catching door
  3. 3.For a plane you will keep
  4. 4.Who should skip each

Best is a job, not a star

The Jorgensen is 4.5 from 307 and the heaviest single plane at 2.24 kg, but only eight of the first 50 reviews are marked United Kingdom. A tenth of a star is not a reason to spend £59.95 instead of £16.20. The comparison score names the grey Amazon Basics as the top pick and the Spear & Jackson as best value. Maker UK's September 2026 table calls a Stanley the overall pick and puts beech on it. Stanley's UK page for the 1-12-004 says polypropylene.

For a catching door

If the job is one sticking internal door or a swollen gate, and you can look at the edge first, the grey Amazon Basics at £16.20 is the plane the UK reviews describe. Some irons arrived sharp. At least one arrived blunt and chipped. The Spear & Jackson at £17.20 is the door plane if you already own a stone: a 50 mm iron, a brass screw, then a hone and a sole that reviews describe as hollow behind the mouth. It is best value only if you will sharpen it. Leave the brown Amazon Basics at £21.95 unless you can return a soft clamp screw that lets the iron creep. How much to take off, and when the door is a fire door, is the hand plane for a sticking door page.
Amazon Basics Amazon Basics No. 4, grey/black

Testsieger

Amazon Basics Amazon Basics No. 4, grey/black
8.1/10about £16.20
View offer

For a plane you will keep

The Stanley at £59.95 is the buy if you want the 1-12-004 name and you will measure the iron. The model line is 1-12-004. The title also prints 1-12-2004. Stanley's UK page states 50 mm, 250 mm, about 2 kg and polypropylene. The amazon bullet says 245 mm and a 45 mm cutter, and the base-material line says Wood against a grey-iron bullet. It is not the beech-handled Stanley some round-ups describe. The Jorgensen at £56.99 is the heavier No. 4, 58 mm in 9CrWMn on ductile iron with a beech handle, if you can ignore a 10 inch cutting-width line. The Faithfull at £47.95 is the better spend only when you wanted a No. 4 and a No. 6012. A Clifton No. 4 at Classic Hand Tools is listed at £335 including VAT.

Who should skip each

Skip the grey Amazon Basics for wide boards, or if you will trust the 5 cm depth line. Skip the Spear & Jackson if you have no stone. Skip the brown Amazon Basics if you will not notice the iron creeping back. Skip the Faithfull set if you are pricing a single smoother. Skip the Jorgensen if you need 4.5 to be a UK figure, or if you will treat 10 inches as the iron width. Skip the Stanley if you want wooden handles, or if you will treat the 45 mm bullet as confirmed.

Common questions

Which of these is the best No. 4?
None of them is the best No. 4 for every job. For a one-off catching door, the grey Amazon Basics at £16.20 matches the UK reviews, if you check the edge. For a first plane you will hone, the Spear & Jackson at £17.20 is best value in this set. For the 1-12-004 name, the Stanley at £59.95 is the catalogue buy, with the 45 mm bullet and plastic handles still unresolved. The Jorgensen's 4.5 does not make it the winner.
Is the Stanley worth more than the Amazon Basics?
Only if you want the 1-12-004 and you will check the iron width and the handles. The price gap is £59.95 against £16.20 or £21.95. Stanley's UK page says polypropylene and 50 mm. The amazon bullet says 45 mm, and reviews describe plastic handles and a sole that may need lapping. The grey Amazon Basics is the lighter door plane. It is not a substitute for a plane you meant to keep for years, and the Stanley is not automatically the better door tool.
Why is the Jorgensen star rating higher?
The listing line is 4.5 from 307, against 4.2 to 4.4 on the others. Only eight of the first 50 reviews are marked United Kingdom, so you cannot read 4.5 as a UK workshop vote. The same file mixes shavings out of the box with soles called banana-shaped, and the cutting-width line says 10 inches against a 58 mm highlight. The extra tenth of a star does not clear that clash.
Is the Faithfull set better value than a single plane?
Not if you only need a No. 4. £47.95 buys the No. 4 and a No. 6012, plus two bags. A single Spear & Jackson is £17.20 and a single grey Amazon Basics is £16.20. The set is the relevant price when you meant to own both a smoother and a block plane and you will check each sole. The item-type line says Block Plane, so do not compare it as if it were one smoother.
Can 4.4 from 4,007 reviews be wrong for my unit?
Yes. The grey Amazon Basics is 4.4 from 4,007, and the file still contains an iron that arrived blunt and chipped, plus adjusters that reviewers found awkward. A large sample tells you the door job is common. It does not guarantee the edge on your plane. Check it before you rely on it, and use the return route if the iron is damaged rather than merely blunt.

Related pages

Smoothing plane vs block plane

Smoothing plane

Smoothing plane buying guide: which line is the iron

Hand plane for a sticking door: mark, shave, then seal

How to use a smoothing plane and get one thin shaving

Sources

Public UK sources and amazon.co.uk listing files. Checked on 22 October 2026.

  1. Stanley Tools UK, No. 4 smoothing bench plane 1-12-004 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Consumer Rights Act 2015, sections 9 and 19 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. HSE, Wood dust: controlling the risks (WIS23) (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. MyToolShed, smoothing planes (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. MyToolShed, Faithfull No. 4 smoothing plane (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Tooled-Up, smoothing planes (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Cherry Tree Tools, hand planes explained (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  9. amazon.co.uk listings for the six planes in this comparison (retrieved 22 October 2026)