Facebook ads kept teasing me with a beautiful image of this plough plane, and without much research I purchased it. Hey, I could have an occasional need to create grooves! Well, despite the larger freedom of an electric router, it would be too noisy and dusty in an apartment. I have to admit I don't have a proper workbench, so my experiences are limited.
I only learned afterwards that although designed in the UK, the Luban is made in China. But I'll make it very clear this is not some kind of Temu disappointment story. It's not a cheap carbon copy of an existing design. (For example, I've seen a lot of cheap Woodpeckers look-a-likes.)
Apparently, it's a re-invention of an old British Record No. 43, a plane people still keep buying from second hand sellers. This can turn out to be an expensive process if you need 2-3 in order to get all the necessary parts! So why not offer something similar.
How it works is the chosen blade is set to a suitable take, the depth limiter is set, the fence is set and then, pressing the plane fence against the piece, start planing. The pushes are initially made towards and over the end of the piece. Then, working backwards the groove is completed when the depth limit has been reached for the whole length.
As usual, I get critical at first. The kerfing blade mounting piece came with incorrect size bolts. Which is just as well as I didn't get any kerfing saw blades. They were not promised in this set, so I can't complain in that sense. It could be that only when the planes are packaged in the UK, the blades are included. I'll eventually try to find the blades.
Eyeballing the tool, it looks sturdy enough but the finish of some parts did raise questions. What in the images is a finely lacquered/oiled wood, isn't quite as pretty and the finish is uneven. Well, it could be replaced or improved by, you know, a woodworker.
It's a good idea to loosen the two screws that keep the sled rails in place. Adjusting and wiggling the rails to a better position made the sled slide smoother for me. Fine-tuning like this is to be expected, of course it's not perfectly adjusted out of the box. After fiddling with it I began to feel positive about the plane.
Luban 043 is a small plane with a sense of weight that gives it credibility. I find the overall ergonomics sound for my not so large hands. There are thoughtful details, like a rounded out space where you'd expect to put your finger to, and so on. The blade is really quick to readjust.
I've seen a commenter suggest the blades need sharpening out of the box, or that they should be changed altogether to Veritas blades. Then again there have been claims they are just fine as they are. Obviously, the more narrow the blade, the easier it is to work with. The first strokes are quite precarious as it is easy to make a mess of the groove.
It's too long since I have tried a plane, so I don't have a firm opinion on the quality or the condition of the blades, but they seemed to do their job. Planing always requires some skill, and the choice and use of material is an ability in itself. At times, what begins as working along the grain, may turn into working against the grain. Wood's like that sometimes. A special attitude and sharp, well-adjusted blade is needed.
