Hand Plane Review - Luban vs. WoodRiver 

If you like this video check out Rob's review of Block Planes: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MAAX1YuOb-w.html

My understanding is that these planes and a few others come from the same factory (Qiangsheng) and are sold under various names by various distributors around the world. They do have some differences, but some parts obviously come from the same places (yolk, lever cap, etc.) Maybe the Woodriver is different because Woodcraft has asked for some specific specs for their plane, as Rob seems to explain it. The manufacturer seems to have a specific "model" for woodcraft, as it is probably one of their largest clients. Maybe the Luban is a more "run of the mill" model, since Luban is the brand Qiangsheng uses themselves. It would be nice to test other planes that are suspected to come from the same factory (Juuma, Dictum, etc.)

Truly unbiase and honest .Appreciate a lot from someone who use Woodriver proudly and lovingly. 🙏🏼👍☘️

“鲁班” pronounced /lǔbān/, is where brand name Luban came from. He is considered as Chinese deity in engineering and carpentry. His given name is “Ban” from a kingdom called “Lu”. Mr Cosman never expressed that Woodriver and Luban planes are not from the same factory. He simply pointed out that one is not a rebrand of the other. If Ryobi and Ridgid drills are made in the same factory, do you call one a rebrand of the other? “Made in China? I’m not buying because it’s cheap, crap, shit and bad.” A lot of good things are made in China as well. The keyboard or the phone you typed that message is probably made in China. You still bought it. In NA, if you have no way to buy Luban or other similar planes for much cheaper than Woodriver, I think Woodriver is the way to go. You get local support and better literal lever. Last, Mr Cosman gave a very objective comparison with upfront disclosure on relationship with Woodriver. Both have the same performance and each has some imperfections, while Woodriver has 2 better design choices. I do not understand what the bias complaints are based on.

Rob your honesty is refreshing

Nice to have honest comparisons, I appreciate your work more every time!

By far the best planer comparison video I’ve come across RU-vid. Great job.

Probable the best product comparison I’ve watched…Ever! Well done.

Best review ever, I appreciate you were equally picky on each plane. Thanks and , keep on smiling.

Great review. I wish the media had your ability to admit a bias and still tell a clearly factual review. No one should ever question your quest for the best. Thank you!

The approach and methodology were spot on

Great video and you didn’t convince me to give up on my Wood River plane although I AM going to use this to retune my 5.5 asap! Thanks for all the great content!

Thank you Rob for this honest, in depth comparison of these two planes. This is one of those times when you want to get into the weeds and peer at the details which you did well. If I ever replace my old Stanley #6 a WoodRiver #5-1/2 or #6 will be my choice.

Thanks for this review. I just wanted to say that you are spot on with the lateral adjustment lever on the Luban. I had to return two jointing planes because the lever was just too flat to engage the blade. Other than that I am quite happy with the quality. I own a Luban smoothing plane that came alright and works well.

Thanks Rob, an good honest comparison.

Fantastic review. Detailed, concise, informative and very balanced.

Excellent evenhanded review. Even more, an outstanding tutorial on how a wood plane should work. Thank you!

This video is a masterclass on planes. I learned so much about the different parts that matter the most. I now know what to look for on any plane. I won’t have to worry about it because I will only buy a plane from you with the prep service. Have bought a 4 1/2 and block plane hoping to get a 5 1/2 or 6 soon with prep service for sure. Thanks you are the best!!!

I love his comparisons, and honesty about them. His comparison of the mortising chisels helped to keep me from buying a brand that would have caused me a lot of headaches.

Thank you Rob!!

I never thought to look in detail to how the totes/handles seat to the plane -- I generally just tightened them down a little more. I had tuned my planes to where I am absolutely satisfied, but I will be checking the totes now... Thanks for the insight. You remind me of boot camp inspections -- you know every place to look.

You’re a good teacher thank you for all of your knowledge and experience!😊

Hi, Rob. A huge fan of your channel here. I'm a Luban fan , but that's purely because these tools are readily available in Australia ( plus I haven't had the chance to use a Wood River plane either!) and they were my first choice over a used Stanley. Great review and demo of both tools. Thank you so much for your efforts here, they are really appreciated by all of us who watch and learn.

Thank you, Rob!

I have a Luban 4 and it is a piece of art.

My dear Rob , you made my day, bcz I m at a point to go for #7. So I m comparing 3 brands , Woodriver, Luban and Record. So thanks a lot and lots ,this made me absolute clear why and what to purchase. Tks again.🙏🏼☘️

Learned a lot about what to check, adjust and fix on any plane in this video, thanks Rob .

Wow. I never knew there was so much to check on a plane. Great review. Thanks.

Good and detailed comparison.. Thanks Mr.Cosman👍🏼

Damn, that would have to be the most honest review of 2 products I have ever seen, especially considering that Rob sells Wood River. Have to agree with the assessment that the let down of the Luban is that crappy lateral adjuster, not on par with the rest of the plane, corner cut where it shouldn't have been.

Two impressive hand planes. Thanks for the entertaining informative video.

HI rob always learn so much from u. weldone. my old workbench is coming back to me and I can't wait to use my plane and eat to make a dove tail box. always remember u.

A really great evaluation...thanks

Now that was a solid review. Really very even handed, given the fact that Mr. Cosman has helped develop the Wood River planes and would naturally have an affinity for them. I bet that anyone who knows hand planes half as well as Rob would arrive at the same conclusion. Thanks for the review. P.S. I can't believe you didn't take the opportunity to mention the Adjustar when you compared the adjustment knobs ; )

Well done Rob as I feel this has needed to be addressed for a long time now as many believe they are the same plane under different names, which, you have conclusively shown they are not. That being said, what I personally think we are dealing with here is the possibility that the Luban is the prototype of the Woodriver plane before your suggestions were implemented, that and possibly Copyright law. Either way, you have addressed this admirably. Thanks mate :)

They are Quansheng planes, in Germany you can also buy em as Dictum and as Juuma. The Juuma looks best! Grettings from Deutschland

Good solid comparison you were willing the Woodriver to win but was honest, much respect. In the the UK priced the same.

People, the man is a Canadian treasure... Rob, appreciate the objective review, but would expect no less from an east coaster. That part near the end where you took a wispy shaving and threw it to the side reminding me of seeing you back in Ottawa at the woodworking shows. Hard to believe thats around 20 years ago.

Hi Rob, thank you for your presentation , I'm already looking forward to my new WoodRiver plane! Best regards from Vienna.

Yeah, got to hand it to him: He was fair. He also declared his skin in the game up front, and, grudging though some of it may have been, absolutely gave credit where due. And I dunno about y'all, but personally? I WANT the guy that co-designed one of the competitors to be doing the comparison. I KNOW what his preference is likely to be. That's fair. I prefer the tools I engineer over our competitors too. Or. I. Would. Have. Changed. The. Design. I want his ANALYSIS. So long as THAT was objective (and I challenge anyone to deny it was), I can draw my OWN conclusions/come to my own decisions. What I need is an acknowledged master/renowned expert because he _knows what to look AT/FOR_ in minute, nuanced detail born of decades of experience. ...Assuming he's got enough integrity to be honest with his findings. Mr. Cosman clearly does.

Очень полезная информация, спасибо Вам и удачи.

Nice comparison Rob. I've been wanting to see a comparison involving a Luban plane for quite a while. I think you did a nice job all things considered.

Thanks for the RU-vid education. worth the time invested in detail presentation

Love your videos. Keep them coming. I’m hoping one day I’ll be able to cut dovetails like you.

Thanks for sharing that!

Rob, I very much appreciate your honest and insightful review here. I watch more woodworking videos than I’d care to admit and this one goes into the Favorites, partly because of the specific plane comparison but even more, how to analyze and or touch up any new plane. Really really helpful. Wood River are great planes but you’re willing to show anything that may still be imperfect. This really helps us evaluate which planes to buy and to realize that the differences in all these things is in the finer details. My takeaway here is definitely not that I don’t like, or wouldn’t purchase the Wood River, certainly over the other one. The lack of squareness does look like a major concern and ironically the WR was more out of square than the other. I’m looking for something that could also serve as a shooting plane so this gives me pause.

Nice job. Besides the comparison, there were actually some good tips on how and what to check for in plane.

Very detailed/nit-picky review, but extremely fair! After watching this, Rob is now the authoritative "A vs. B" comparison source for me!

Great video, was a good, fair comparison

This is a worthwhile review, Rob. There are folks trying to get into hand tool woodworking to whom a $50 price difference can be the difference between owning a decent plane or not. A guy wanting a No. 4, a No. 5-1/2, a No. 8, and a block plane could save $200 on his total expenditure and still get decent working planes. This is the kind of tool review that matters to real people with tight budgets.

got myself a #5 jack plane from Luban very recently. This review gives me confidence that I was well advised by the local hardware/woodworking specialist shop here. Lateral adjustment on mine is done with a burred screw through which you fix the blade in position. Fits into the blade with a neat, round pin. Does not look flimsy at all. Still sitting in its box though, next to a pile of reclaimed stock I obtained recently that is in bad need of flattening. Next project in: learning how to plane properly....

just got around to watching this and, as usual, VERY WELL DONE! The results are as one would expect from two products made by the same company (Qiangsheng Tool Company). I personally use Woodriver planes because I tend to look to Rob for opinions vs other on-line woodworkers and I don't want to pay for LN. In addition, I don't have any idea where to get the Lubans here in Colorado and my Woodcraft is only three miles away. Thanks again for the superb review...who knows, I now would feel OK in picking up a Luban if I see one on ebay for a good price. Thanks again!

Fantastic review, thanks!!!!! In Australia a Woodriver 5 1/2 is $230 AUD ($170 USD) more expensive than the Luban! The Luban retails for $299 AUD ($530 for the Woodriver) and it’s hard to imagine that the nicer lateral adjuster really adds that much value to the plane.

thanks

I still love my Record ss no6 it moves across the wood like a God 🤠💯

So basically, if you live in North America, go with woodriver. If you live in Europe, go Luban. This basically saves on shipping costs since both planes are relatively equal, minus the ball-bearing. Great, honest review Rob. And yes, I was looking fkr your bias to come out, but I can honestly say I did not see any. Thanks for that.

Which to buy is an easy decision as a Canadian. Rob only tunes up one of them! Waiting for my #5 to arrive.

Interesting and valuable. Thanks. A stamped adjusting lever reeks. I won't have one in my shop. 50 years ago Asia was full of guys scurrying from one backyard factory to another. Regardless whether that is still true, the Luban certainly is assembled from many identical parts.

Hi Rob, very fair review and comparison. I stand to be corrected but I think the Wood River is built to North American spec and the Luban/ Quansheng is built to European spec, but all made in the same factory. I myself own a Quansheng no 6 and it's terrific, but as you rightly said both excellent planes. Regards Jim UK.

Having purchased a Woodriver 62 and a Luban 5 1/2, I gave it the Rob Cosman once over. Very similar results. Both Lever caps needed work, more than either of Robs. The sole where the frog sits are equally nice on both. Both planes had sides that were not square with the sole. The Woodriver is out .008, the Luban is out 010. (what a pain in the butt to use on the Shooting board) The killer though is that the Luban blade is slightly concave to the sole. I beat to death, both sides flat at the edge of the blade so as to use it for the moment but will have to exchange or buy replacement. (it took forever to do.) Cautionary tale. I started fine tuning parts without looking at the whole as Rob does in the video. So when things weren't getting better quickly, that is when the concave issue was found. which also impacted the work on the chip breaker... :-( If I had more experience, I probably would have discovered the issues faster. The sides out of square got me for a while because sometimes the 62 would give good results on the shooting board, sometimes not depending on how I held it. I kept blaming myself for the problems. The Woodriver had an issue with the opening and closing of the throat. Quick call to Woodcraft and they exchanged it. (Luckily they had one in stock) So I bought the Luban from overseas, saved a little money over the Woodriver but really bought it because it was available. Would have gone Woodriver otherwise. I've written them to see if something can be done about replacing the blade but I am not holding out hope. I'll update this when they respond. All in all, I'm happy with the unit but resolving issues becomes more involved owing to the distances. (By the way, they packed the Luban really well and it arrived before they promised.) Would I do it again? Thinking about ordering a Luban #7. Yeah, I have big plans. Still struggling with straight, flat and square though. :-)

This is a truly excellent video. Not only informative about the brand but I actually learned some bits about timing the plane, really good work.

This video is amazing and i learned a lot about plans, so thank you very much. And i would likr to see how would you make the plane perfectly square and ready for work with shooting board

I agree.

i would say you made an excellent job holding your bias

Good honest review Rob. I have one Veritas bench plane and a couple Luban planes. I'm very happy with my Luban's, can't fault them. I do hate my Veritas though (it's the norris adjuster, I hate it so much!) 😂👍

thanks for a nice honest and fair comparison, although you are involved in WR.

Hi Rob, I don't like to flatter people. However, if I were in Canada, I'd buy this WoodRiver just because of your integrity and this very honest review. This is a stuff that the world, in general, is lacking. Semper Fi, Sir.

Good to see there is a reasonable option for people who can't afford to ship a wood river to them!

Quangsheng offer a #6 which has the adjustment lever & depth knob off the WoodRiver on the Luban body, with the only obvious difference is no name milled into the lever cap. It's pretty clear they all originate from the same manufacturer.

Interesting

Nicely done! It would have been nice to have included a Lie-Nielsen #6 in the comparison but currently, they seem to be made of the exotic material called unobtainium.

I may be wrong but I think they are both manufacture by qiangsheng in Zhejiang province. I used the Luban's plane every days (I'm in China) and I'm happy with them

I’m 100% with ya Rob Woodriver all the way especially for the money. And it is night and day difference between the lateral adjustment lever on the woodriver vs Luban. You definitely helped woodcraft work the bugs out of their planes. Thank you so much for this in-depth no bull review

I agree fully with those commenting on the review being factual, nit-picky etc. Regarding the flatness and 90deg angle: Back in the day, before the accountants ran the company, Stanley, and other manufacturers used to age their casting by putting the outside for a long time. This relieved the internal stresses before they were machined. Sure they got rusty, but it was only surface rust and was machined away or otherwise removed. This meant that after machining the casting did not move due to the internal stresses (which now weren't there). 90 deg stayed at 90 deg, flat stayed flat. Why don't they do that nowadays. Well, it means tying-up money, whilst competitors don't. Also, I believe, back in the day the end user was far removed from the capabilities to correct any inaccuracies whereas nowadays these facilities are always 'just around the corner' if not in your own garage (and there is always RU-vid to tell you how to do it!).

Great video, thanks for the comparison. I've got a Woodriver 5 1/2 which cuts beautifully but every time I retract the blade the lever cap comes with it, any ideas how to fix this? Thanks.

The extra mass of the Luban is something I appreciate for fine wood working. The woodrivers lateral adjustment is somewhat loosey goosey as far as I'm concerned. These planes could work for 99.99999% of regular workers. Buy the luban and $80 of wood to make stuff, perhaps too much time is spent dissecting which is best.

Thank you Rob. I wonder if the frogs are interchangeable

i bet these luban guys got their sales up after that video.Mr. Cosman is a great teacher but also a good salesman. I am considering buying a luban if woodriver doesn't release a 5 1/2 in a month

good video

Really interesting, Rob. In the UK we can get Woodriver from Woodworkers Workshop, Quangsheng from Workshop Heaven and Qianngsheng Laban from Rutlands. I have a Woodriver low angle block plane , a couple of Luban block planes, a Veritas shooting plane and L-N 5 and 4 1/2. What is obvious to me is that the Chinese planes are all built to a certain price point and there are small variations between them. The L-N and Veritas on the other hand are just a level above and beautifully finished. However they are significantly more expensive. Having spent a bit of time honing the blades on all of them, they all work well but the North American planes just feel that bit nicer. I guess you get what you pay for…….as someone once said!

Thanks for this video! I was 'taught' that these Woodriver planes are the same as some other brands, such as Luban, Quangsheng, Dictum, Peaktools. Thanks for pointing out the minor details that are actually different! For the other people reading this, my Dictum #5 (don't have a 6 or others to check) has the same lever as the Luban, so not the fancy one of the Woodriver.

Small bumps on the frog or on the seat make an immense amount of difference between a plane that's usable and one that's not. I have a Record that had two high spots on the seat. The plane had a terrible chatter. Fifteen seconds with a file and the chatter disappeared completely. Another thing I check is if the blade is straight front to back - toe to heel. If it isn't, no matter how flat the frog surface is, there will be a potential for chatter.

I was informed by the Australian distributor of Luban planes that WoodRiver and Luban come from the same factory. Of course that doesn't mean they are the same. As far as I can tell from other Luban planes, Quangsheng is the brand name used in the UK.

A quick online search for the planes as sold in Australia and the #6 Luban is $AUD339, the #6 WoodRiver is $AUD530. Much bigger price difference. BTW a Veritas #6 $AUD524 (nil stock)

Great video, yes the lever is a big issue. A shame that such a small attention to detail can 'spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar'. Both a lot better than the old Stanley's.

Thanks Rob. I’ve watched practically all of your planing videos, even though I haven’t bought a single plane yet. As a beginner the luban sounds like the pick for me, in Australia it’s $299 whereas the wood river is $560 for a 5 and a half.

I own both WoodRiver and Luban but of different sizes. It's pretty clear to me they came from the same factory with tiny differences. Lateral adjustment on Luban is identical to WoodRiver. Maybe it depends on the batch or export destination. I live on the equator and I'm close friends with Luban marketing representatives and maybe they sent me a 'better" version. I have many Luban tools and I'm very impressed. I'm an old grumpy white man living in Asia and of course I do have bias for German or Swedish tools. But I have to give credit to Luban as they never disappointed me

They aren’t the same plane but are made by the Quangshen company.That is where the mix up occurs.Enjoyed the review 🤙

I know you have a bias, but that was a fair review. I agree that the only real difference is the lateral adjust - the Luban lateral adjust was pretty cheesy. The out of square is something I’d chalk up to individual variation and would need to see a lot more samples before drawing any conclusions. Luban appears to be a decent plane though, and if it were a lot less money, it could be a decent choice. Wish they’d upgrade the lateral adjust though.

No 62 Low Angle Jack Plane - WoodRiver $519, Lie Nielsen Low Angle Jack Plane No 62 $465, Luban Low Angle Jack Plane No 62 $299, Veritas Low-Angle Jack Plane with PM-V11 Blade $493 in Australia just for information. Currently buying old Stanley Planes.

Thanks for a great and fair review, just what I would expect from a man with your ethics. In the UK it seems to be difficult if not impossible to get a WoodRiver and shipping from Canada makes it really expensive. What is available is a Quansheng which in the 5 1/2 Jack has the same lateral adjucter as the WoodRiver. Have you had an oportunity to look at a Quansheng?

Love your video's and your presentation style. In this video the sides were slightly out of square on both planes. With this amount of out-of-square, how does that affect the square of a board when used on a shooting board.

There are two retailers that supply the Quangsheng Luban planes in the UK. I suspect he got that no.6 from Rutlands. I believe the other retailer (Workshop Heaven) specify the same build and features as the Woodriver. The Luban planes have the bearing on the lateral adjuster and the soles are supposed to be machined to +/-1.5 thou (British Standard).

G'day from AUS. Thoroughly enjoyed this review. Gave me excellent tips for my renovation of an old Stanley 4 1/2. Blade is rocking slightly on the frog. How would you correct? Use a flat file on the frog?

Excellent and solid comparison! Any possibility to have one as well with Lie Nielsen or Veritas or ..?

Hi Rob when will the woodriver 5 1/2 be back in your store? , great vid by the way I'm now convinced , also I received your plane magic wax and it's fantastic! 👍

This was an excellent review.i own a quang sheng luban 4 1/2and you might be interested to know the lateral lever is exactly the same as the woodriver in this review. Strange that ones different.

The Woodriver could be a brilliant plane but my experience is they don't care less about the quality of the squareness or flatness of the sides to the sole so pretty much hit and miss if you get a good one or not. Probably the same as the Luban. So from my personal experience with Woodriver I would rather spend the extra and get a Lie Nielsen, Veritas or Clifton plane or in my case a high quality Aussie Henry Eckert No 62 as a do it all plane and a Veritas No 5 1/4 for a smoother.... never had any problems with either and high quality out of the box and be buggered if the soles and sides were dead square to each other.... as should be expected in the 21st century lol. Anyway good honest video Rob :)

Like to see a comparison of a Clifton 51/2 v Woodriver 51/2

How thick was that steel ruler your behind the blade during sharpening