I totally agree. I didn't really mean to sound negative at all towards it as I like it and am keeping mine. Just wanted to point out all of the uses and possible non uses if you have a block plane... Thanks for the comment and for watching....
I bought the 102 and the 65 1/2 over the course of the last year. I noticed something that could be a factor in why they aren't amazing. I think it comes down to the milling process. These planes were milled pretty decent, but because they were milled, there's no finesse to them. As the user, I think we need to take them that extra step further. Round the edges, file the adjuster screw a little as well as the receiver groove in the iron. And use the heck out of them. I bet that the No. 4 model suffers from this more, because it is the largest plane. Everything needs to be eased and finished so it feels like you've been using it for 20 years before it actually feels right. I've done some magic with my 102 and 65 1/2 and they do feel a lot nicer than when I bought them. They adjust easier and feel better in the hand. Just my observations. Something else I forgot to mention: The 102 would be great as a luthier's plane. Buy 2-3 of them and put cambered edges on them so they work well to carve instrument bodies. They're cheap enough that you wont break the bank, even if you bought several and did some adjustment on each one to do a specific task.
Thanks for the detailed response. I agree 100%. I am happy with all of them but am most impressed with the 60 1/2. Thanks for the reply and for watching.
If you just want a very nice besoke pencil sharpener the small plane is a beauty - It is also a nice plane for the tool pouch just for breaking edges - it is very handy
