🔧 Stanley 12 508 Replacement Cutter 12 331: Top-Quality Tool Upgrade Review

They are now made in China. The one that came with the plane was made in England. Of course there are big differences in quality. The Chinese version has tool marks on the bevel and needs sharpening, honing and flattening as the bevel is also slightly off right angle. The original UK iron was perfect and ready to use.

Stanley is a shadow of his former self. It's a relatively soft iron that's easy to sharpen. it is available There are better ones. However, for such a price you can sharpen 3-4, and one will be ready in an instant. We use LOTS of planes and build upgrade blades into our workhorses. But for chamfering, cleaning, aligning dowels in through mandrels, this blade is suitable.

Lucky for Stanley I bought this for an unusual project where I have yet to reshape the blade. If I had bought it to put in a planer I would have sent it back. The edge looked like it had fallen in the workshop. The seal on the box was intact so I'm guessing it left the factory that way rather than being returned by a dishonest buyer. I hope it was just a quality control oversight as other people seem to have had good experiences.