My loathing of Christmas-colored planes

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Call me a grinch if you like, but if Kunz were to come out with the most awesome, truest, sharpest, finest plane ever created, I probably would pass it up just because of the awful choice of color. They look like they should have jingle bells hanging from them.

http://www.woodenboatstore.com/category/kunz

[george wilson]

You should avoid buying them no matter whatever color they are painted. They are horrible quality.

[Sean Hughto]

But the olives are the best part of the martini ....

[Bruce Page]

LOL, that’s how I feel about Woodworker’s Supply in-house Woodtek brand machinery. It hurts my eyes.

[steven c newman]

Have seen go THROUGH my rehab shop: Shipleigh's #4 in Brown, a Worth #4 in a record like Blue. An Ohio Tool Co. 05c in Crimson/red, and a Corsair C-5 ( currently my go-to scrub jack) in OSU Scarlet. Of course, there are a few in a Beechwood flavour, too....

Have seen a few Millers Falls light gray, too. Currently have a #1455 Low Angle ( NIB) in the shop. I have seen ONE coloured a "teal" colour, but it was by parplus. Have also seen a white bodied one float by.....

[Tom Stenzel]

Besides the color the prices scared the dickens out of me. Add $10 to the price of the #5 jack and you can have a Veritas low angle jack. No sand blasting required.

-Tom

[Chris Fournier]

I bought one little Kunz palm plane, messed and messed with it. Recycled it with my other scrap metal. Lesson learned I like the green though... Now where is my vermouth? Oh no I only have Kalamata olives, perhaps I'll ring Sean up.

[Cody Kemble]

Besides the color the prices scared the dickens out of me. Add $10 to the price of the #5 jack and you can have a Veritas low angle jack. No sand blasting required.

-Tom

+1 I had no idea their planes were that expensive. I can't imagine they sell that many 4's or 5's, yet they stay in business. Someone must be buying them. They look to be more of a mint green...exciting!

[David Weaver]

No clue about the "premium" planes, but would buy US or canadian for that premium price.

I had three pieces of the standard east german fare (all made after that label was gone) and all of it was *horribly* made. One was a scraper that had a finger screw that you couldn't actually turn with a finger, especially if you replaced the iron in it to something a little higher on the spring steel scale. Another was a spokeshave where the pattern must've been wrong or something, the adjustment knobs barely touched the iron - it was just on the edge of being completely inoperable. I can't remember what the last thing was, but I don't have any of it now.

It costs as much as decent vintage tools.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I was trying not to bash them on quality, but let's just say I was being very sarcastic when I said "IF" they were to make a really good plane...

[george wilson]

A few years ago,you could actually buy spokeshaves made in China from Wholesale Tool for $1.25,which were better than those Kunz ones. Even if you might change their blades,you still had a decent casting for $1.25!!!!

At Pleasant's Hardware in Richmond,for some reason,they have several Russian tools in a display window. A wooden plane with baby blue plastic fittings is among them. I have never seen cheaper looking,ghastly bad tools in my life. They were more like toys than real tools,but too big to be toys.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Kunz does not make tools. They make tool shaped objects and that pretty much sums it up.

[bridger berdel]

I have a kunz #12 adjustable angle scraper. while not the pinnacle of toolmaking, with a bit of fettling it has turned out to be an adequate worker. I'd have never payed new prices for it, but at IIRC around $20 I don't feel put upon by it.

I have never had one of their premium line planes in my hands. I do hope that they can dredge their product line up from the dismal level at which they have been operating for so long- Lie Nielsen and Lee Valley need some competition.