My first hand plane was an English - made Stanley 4, which I bought when I was 15 and with which I was well pleased...until I bought a 4 - 1/2 some years later. Most people assume that the main difference between a 4 and 4 - 1/2 is simply the advantage of the extra cutting width of the 4 - 1/2, but its really a lot more than that: its the balance and controllability of the plane that makes it excel. Sadly, Ive noticed that the Stanley and Record 4 - 112 planes have disappeared from the pages of mail - order catalogs, and I knew that without them people would never experience the true advantages of using a wider plane. So when I saw that Clifton now offered a 4 - 1/2,1 ordered one straight out of the catalog . This was not done completely on impulse. Having seen the quality of other tools and planes offered by Clifton, I often hoped that they would make a 4 - 1/2 and told myself that if they did I would buy one. For most, the hefty price of $310 may seem a little daunting, but unwrapping the plane from its multi - layered, well - designed packaging gave me a pretty good idea that what was inside would be an heirloom - quality tool.