Stanley Bailey problems

Just bought a replacement smoother no. 4.1/2, but can't help thinking it's fake because the quality is near non existent. sure, they have always needed fettling to get the best out of them but the current one's are so bad I won't be buying Stanley again, or Stanley Black and Decker as they have been since 2010. The Stanley bailey 4.1/2 has no "made in" on it anywhere, the box says Stanley Works USA, but the date stamp on the box is Mexican.
The roughness and hollows in the sole fit well with the frog not seating properly, due to the adjuster plate needing reforming, the tote handle spindle threading is terrible because of sizing mismatch and neither of the brass nuts sit flush, mainly a cosmetic thing on the tote but irritatingly uncomfortable on the front knob.
In the Stanley museum they say they at least one of everything they have ever made, well surely if they line their planes up in order, they should see how downhill they are going. I just cannot believe the quality difference between my older no 4 and this bad quality no 4.1/2. If I ever do buy another Bailey, it will have to be one of the vintage ones, a time when quality came before fat profit. that's it! rant over.. anyone got a plane recently? would like to hear how yours is, the more brands the better.

 

kiab, wish I still had my old Marples chisels, they were some of the Sheffield steel ones. since they got nicked my replacements have got the Irwin name in bold and it's not clear as to the carbon content, quality carbon! hmm, how much of it?. Got my last no. 5.1/2 jack plane from a bootsale for £15, but that was nicked along with the rest of my kit, so having to buy everything again. Such a disappointment to see how prices are soaring and quality is slipping. Does anyone own a sweetheart plane? and are they worth the outlay? Cant bring myself to fork out for a Clifton or a Lie Nielsen, as good as they look, I just want function, which brings me back round to the Stanley Bailey. As it sits, it can be used for roughing or smoothing timber wider than the sole, using it to prepare timber of a narrower dimension would get a convex shape at the ends. Much fettling to do, in hind sight I should have put a straight edge over the base to check for distortion, then sent it back, but I had already permanent inked the base and run it across some 80 grit, now run out of that and still a long ways from home. it will turn into a good plane, just didn't expect it to be a part self manufacture item with an Epoxy paint job that seems to have dropped the E.

 

Amazon sent it out from their own depot, so must be legit, just disheartening to think the manufacturers that make the equipment we need to demonstrate our skills, just don't seem to give a stuff about us anymore, they just want our hard earned wages in their bank accounts.

 

this link has been on my favourites tab for a while, when I feel like drooling I click on it