Rob, I have a Clifton Nº5 Jack from over 20 years ago, made under Clico. It is the best tool I own and doesn't suffer from any of the problems you highlighted. It does have a few quirky things - back then Clico thought it was a really good idea to have a two part cap-iron (chip-breaker to you guys still living in caves), presumably to allow sharpening "on the hoof" without adjusting the plane settings...of course it doesn't work and is just an irritation. My plane has Bubinga for the tote and knob which could be lovely but that Clifton decided to dip them in some sort of lacquer which is now all cracked and crazed, at some point I will strip them down and maybe Tung oil them. There are a few things worth mentioning: All of the exposed edges on the toe, wings and heel of the plane are polished like a mirror, so no dinks to any paintwork (It's something I do now to all of my restored ancient planes). The plane iron is fantastic, not cryo treated but hand forged and takes an edge to almost perfection - at least for a short period. It is just about perfectly balanced, don't know whether by design or chance, but it is. It worked perfectly out of the box (they've obviously dumbed down on the box looking at what they sent to you). As an Englishman, I'm slightly disappointed that the version you have isn't as good as the one I have because I know they are some of the best tool makers there are, but I guess everything is run by accountants now.

Hey Rob, the way you nitpick hand planes always puts a smile on my face. 😁

I have all the original Clifton's and they are absolutely brilliant plane's, i have all the Stanley sweethearts and many types 11s and Sargent 's and all the Record SS plane's some Norris Preston's and Slater are Matheson Holland's of London and many many more, my Clifton's work beautifully.

Thanks Rob for the honest review on the Clifton. We can always depend on you to get to the guts of a review,. I've got a friend that bought that same plane and was thumping his chest about how awesome it was. I asked him to bring it to my shop and let's have a chest thumping contest. It didn't take him long after he checked out my Lie Nielson 5 1/2 jack that I would win the chest thumping contest. I found the Clifton to be clunky and uncomfortable in my hand. He went home and ordered himself a Lie Nielson. He also tried out my Wood River No 7 and decided to order him one of those also. I have nothing what so ever against different brand hand planes. To me, it's all about how it fits my hand and how easy it is to maintain one and the job I need it to do on a board. Thanks again for your honest review.

CAN'T WAIT for a Cosman Plane!!

Wow! I just started woodworking. If I knew 10% of what you know, I'd be happy. Great video. I subscribed.

I have the Clifton #5 1/2 and the #4 and love them both. In the UK the Lie Nielsen is £492 whereas the Clifton is £349, £143 cheaper. That can make up for the IMO very minor finishing issues and, for me, this makes the Clifton the best choice (plus I like to buy british). I guess due to import costs the prices are much closer over the pond and it becomes a tougher sell.

Hi, I'm writing from Italy. I have a NO 6 Clifton which I also reviewed. I believe it is the best you can find in our market. I haven't been able to try Lie Nielsen yet because they are difficult to find in Italy. I have Veritas planes whose quality is very similar to Clifton. I really like the massive cast iron casting. In my example it is very well finished.

Can't wait to see the new Rob Cosman premium hand plane. I am sure it is going to be 5-1/2 size.

I just take your word for it, the level at which you work is unbelievable, this is why I bought the wood river 5 1/2

Outstanding review and information Rob. I learned some key points about checking tolerances which I’m sure are crucial especially for eliminating plane tracks. None of the other legends that I’ve researched have shared this information. Gratefully appreciate this video

My mentor had older (green) Cliftons #3 and #5 and they both had the two piece chip breaker. At the time, they were about 20% cheaper than the LN. They had beautiful metal work and rosewood for the knob and tote. Once they were set up, they were awesome, but the LN are usually good to go straight out of the box.

WOW ! I can wait until the "Rob Cosman" plane comes out. It would take someone, like yourself, with over 50 years of experience to pick out the details you itemized.

Eager to get the Cosman Plane. Great analysis for the plane.

Thanks for that, very honest opinion.

It's interesting because in the UK the Clifton is £100 or so cheaper than the LN which rather tips the scales in the other direction. Of course importing the Clifton puts on extra that makes it the same as the LN.

I love the clifton block plane.

So, about Wood River quality? For the price, Lie-Nielsen for sure.

Well, I tried my thumb on the plane, LIe Nielson, and it felt funny. Not the same leverage point as when my hand is on the front handle/tote or what ever it is called.... I do need to experiment some more.

Great video as always, Rob! I look forward to seeing/using your plane if you decide to make your own!

Hi Rob. I have one of these as Im from Yorkshire originally and as this is where they’re made I had to !! Do any of your adjustars fit as i reckon that would be a great mod. I have lots of your tools They are all exceptional ,Especially the dovetail saw and I love your attention to detail and care. Im a surgeon by profession and appreciate your attitude and teaching All the best from Wales

I agree with you on the pricing. The Clifton at Woodcraft is actually more than the Lie-Nielsen purchased direct from LN. Given that, I would definitely choose the LN. As it is, I’m quite pleased with my WoodRiver 5 1/2. I just got your new shooting handle and it’s a big improvement.

When I got in to wood working I got a no.5 from grizzlie ( made by ? ) and later on a no.4 faithful the castings look the same along with the fit and finishes, my point is other than a diffrent tote and bedrock style frog the cost will be the deal breaker for me. An honest review Rob and team.

Nice review. I'm American and really proud of Lie Nielsen and the work they do to make nearly flawless planes. Most of us in the US that know woodworking will pay the price to support them and make sure we never lose such a great company. That said I've been looking at this plane due to the huge casting. Some of it's looks because the weight is really the same as Lie Nielsen. I think the plane is beautiful and don't mind some of the minor details however I'd be more inclined if those details were the result of refinement by hand. Since these are like this off the machine that's a bit different. Still I can't buy because I'm compelled to buy Lie Nielsen as a sense of duty and in this case as usual I'd be buying the superior product.

I have an almost complete set of the older green clifton planes and they are all beautifully made . they are very different to the new flinn planes you see today, I think the saw factory had alot of problems trying to make planes rather than saws. The old used green Clifton planes seem to be selling for more on ebay than their new ones. I don't agree with you on the lateral adjuster , the clifton is a traditional plane , so putting screws in as with the LN is abit naff IMO just like the chinese would do.

I own bench planes by Lie Nielson, Clifton, Clico and Veritas. A few old Stanley and record ones too. In the UK, clifton are priced more competitively than Lie Nielson. My 5 1/2 came perfect out the box. I did swap out the chip breaker, older two piece one, with one from Ron Hock, (that need a tickle to flatten the back too)but that is personal preference and have done the same on all the clifton I have. It is my go to bench plane. Real workhorse. I own a no. 4 and no. 6 by nielson, both needed work to get them working well, especially around the castings in front of the iron. Suppose as with most things mass produced, they don't all arrive as perfect as we would like.

Looks like the yellow cedar from Exotic Woods in Burlington Ontario!

yessss I've been hoping for this!

Took a tour of the Starrett factory in Athol, Massachusetts. Quite the experience !

Greetings from the BIG SKY. I have one in my wood shop.

that's nuts, I was literally just thinking about getting one.

Thomas Flynn bought over the Clifton name and production in 2014, they were made by Clico before then. They were much better made, a little lighter. They can be spotted by their green japanning.

As a Brit I'm disappointed that the Clifton let themselves down. Quality control should be everything to a premium brand. For me, that casting is too thick on the side walls. I'm looking forward to seeing your plane Rob and can't imagine being disappointed as I was here. Thanks for a forensic review

Some cosmetic problems. Seems to work well enough. Price would be the deciding factor.🙂🙂

I got a Clifton blade for my Stanley number 3 bc I filed the mouth too big after getting a hock iron.. it was flat but the machine marks were deep and hard to get out… that was my only complaint

Great video, I'd love to see the lie nielsen review. Cheers

I don't normaly agree with you in your plane reviews. Hower in the case of the Clifton 5½ I found my self agreeing. I must say that knowing your preference for bedrock style bevel down planes I was expecting a an excelent review and you did not disapoint. My only concern was placing it in the premium plane category. However a look at the tool supplier websites here in the UK put that to rest. It is definatly in the premium price range so with the exception of the peening rather than screws on the lateral I fully agree with your review. If the plane was even £50 ($63) lower in price point it may have been acceptable with those niggles here in the UK however not as it is fully into the premium price bracket.

Thank you for the review I purchased a no. 4 Clifton a year or so ago.you are correct about the tote it doesn’t feel as a good as a Stanley or lie Nielsen and they should update that you suppose a Stanley tote might fit on the Clifton?

Im gonna experiment with some finer pieces of sandpaper on a glass plate, a flat one, see whether I can get rid of the spaghetti that way. Before buying another DMT

Pretty glad I purchased the Lie Nielsen after watching this. Every part of it appears to be just a bit less quality than the Lie Nielsen.

That's about the nicest shaving I can remember coming from a plane you've reviewed. Looked as nice as your daily driver 5-1/2. If I was buying tho, I'd get one of yours. Thanks for the honest review. Of course I never expected anything else. 😉 I have to go back and watch the live stream from last night. I fell asleep. Gettin' old is a bummer. As always, thanks for posting.

I just finished flattening an 8' hard maple roubo with a Clifton #7. I also had issues with the chip breaker and the tote. After a few hours of initial setup and sharpening it performed wonderfully. The extra weight was both a blessing and a curse! Thanks for another great video Rob! Can't wait to see your new planes

Do you know why they abandoned the two piece chip breaker? A quick google search didn't turn up anything useful.

So who did the damage to the tote and knob? Was it the person at manufacturer or one of your workers. I would probably buy this from T. Flinn rather than the vendors in the U.S. When you opened the box I noticed that the wrapping was not to their standard practice.Can’t understand why you would let anyone else touch the plane prior to your assessment.

I truly appreciate your honest reviews. For a plane in that price range I would definitely expect high quality on every part.

Pity they threw out the tool and just kept the name when they acquired them from Clico. Now it's not a trad drop forged blade, ductile iron, no stayset, no racing green... my bench planes are all Clico, but if I ever wanted to replace my (pilfered) No 6 I'd go LN.

Could the marks on the totes be due to Rob's son taking it apart?

One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that, Rob doesn’t like anything that isn’t made in north America, such a shame 🤷‍♂️

so you are in the proces of making your own line pf planes? or just a no 5 1/2. ether or nice to hear, would love to see it with the ajustar and bearing and the hex screws and all that stuf

The comfort of the tote is a big deal - I like their heavy casting but think they should refine their tote. Ergonomics are so important when it comes to handle tools. I also agree that the front knob nut should be flush, the inset nut seems bizarre.

Better tools always makes a better product.

Hello Rob, I actually am ending up with spaghetti-like shavings when I go thin enough. And at first I was thinking ''that's probably the grain structure of oak'' but now that I've done some pieces of pine, and still ending up with spaghetti. I started questioning whether my edge might be too rough. I only have a diamond medium coarse stone of DMT and that's actually the only thing I really trust to be accurate regarding grit contamination. But could this be the reason why I get the spaghetti or do you think something else is more likely?

I just purchased my first hand plane (5 1/2 jUUMA) and the adjuster knob does not spin so freely like on any Rob's videos I've seen. I have taken it apart and loosen everything up, to a point the blade stays in place but it does not help. Any ideas?

It’s my understanding that Clifton Planes are grey cast iron and WoodRiver and Lie Nielsen are ductile iron. If I am being fuzzy…haha I prefer ductile iron.

Where did you get the granite, and is there an equally accurate way to measure flat?

Rob is your plane being manufactured in Canada?

1st!!! Never came across one those in the wild but heard decent things

How was this the first I've heard of you making a plane! YOU'RE known for planing and dt's so I'm sure you would make a beautiful machine with very tight tolerances!

Nice review Rob, it quickly became apparent that the Clifton is an okay plane at a premium price. Sure, the machining is accurate, the fit is solid, the appearance is blocky. Nice to hear you're making your own. I have a hunch it will be premium on both counts, price and quality, but at least we'll get what we pay for, a rare thing these days.

Thanx for the review! Is it worth going with a Lie Nielson or the Woodriver you use could be a good choice too? Between the 3 ? Thanx

Nitpicking or not i am with you 100%. The amount of money these planes cost it should be picked over. I can't wait until the super 5-1/2 comes out

And another thing I started using Shapton glass stones bc of your reviews but only had up to 8000 grit.. well I keep hearing that the shapton rockstar stone is the same as the glass just 10 mm of stone instead of 5mm glass and 5 mm stone.. but anyway the shapton rockstar 16000 is selling for $ 60 on Amazon so I just had to try one because they are 120 plus everywhere… have you ever tried one?

Dear sir, How dare you espouse such scorn for the artifacts of our finest craftsmen? Have you gone mad? I will be having tea and crumpets with the King and will relay this vulgar display of unbridled ingratitude and disdain for our glorious industries. I shall also see to it that you are properly punished by denying you entry into our dearest mother England. Perhaps, it will instill a proper reverence for our magnificent and noble history as your former colonizer.

Да че уж тут базарить Клифтон он лучший

Just a observation For thousands of years mankind worked wood and created some of the most amazing forms of art out of wood with the most rudimentary tools and now days every review on KZfaq, not only yours, is dissecting the tool and talking about how things should have being done. How about sharpening the iron, put it to work and then say if it works for you or not, no need to make it so ambiguous, it's a tool for wood working, not a model on a fashion show, Just saying

Holy shit it's like $470

Is your new intro made using AI? The cartoon plane there is a horrible mess and I don't see how anyone would have drawn that and thought "yeah that looks good"

Honestly I think you’re just too picky about things 99% of woodworkers wouldn’t notice. Does it shave wood well ? Yes it does . Importing heavy stuff is expensive and every pair of hands that touch it has to make money.

I'm told Clifton has always been a meh product, not the best but not the worst. Think it was a pride product so Bristol could have its own toolmaking back inthe day!

Luv the video, but please stop with the inches en pounds it doesnt make sense start using the metric system for everybody sake. Keep up the good content

I have the 5 and 5 1/2 clifton here in the UK as well as two LN planes. The Lie Nielsen are far superior and I wouldn't by anything from Thomas flynn including there badly set saws again

Suspect the casting is made in India or China, and everything else is made in UK

Thank you for the review I purchased a no. 4 Clifton a year or so ago.you are correct about the tote it doesn’t feel as a good as a Stanley or lie Nielsen and they should update that you suppose a Stanley tote might fit on the Clifton?