I've posted here before about my general dismay at sharpening card scrapers, and while I recently had an epiphany and was able to sharpen them a bit more consistently, it's still a hit-or-miss prospect for me.
With my birthday coming up, I'm considering an upgrade to card scrapers and not sure which to go with. My main use for this new tool would be smoothing inlay in veneered and solid wood surfaces. It's something a well-tuned block or smoother can often handle, but tricky grain makes it risky and I do not like repairing veneer/inlay I've spent a great deal of time on!
I'm thinking the thicker blades and 45 degree bevels used in these tools will work better for me when it comes to honing and burnishing. Maybe that's a false assumption. I'm confident the ergonomics of these tools will be better/more pleasurable to use than cards.
Options...(veritas):
cabinet scraper (cheapest option...definitely a step up from cards?)
small scraping plane (might be the best bet for intended use?)
regular scraping plane (probably too large for the type of work I'm thinking...)
Recently saw a nifty post on another forum regarding the use of appropriately-sized carbide insert knives in the small scraping plane. Seems like that would be a killer combo if it works well.