I was looking for some 2 3/8″ (60 mm) plane irons/blades to experiment with and came across Faithfull branded ones. At the time of writing, they are available for £7.50 from both Amazon and FFX in the UK with free postage.

The Faithfull website claims their irons are 60 mm or 2 5/16″ wide. The two irons I received were both 59 mm so closer to their 2 5/16″ (about 58.7 mm) claim.

It’s only a 1 mm difference, but that is enough for the cap iron/chip breaker to overlap the iron, which is not ideal.

For me, the reduced width is an advantage as I bought them to see how difficult it would be to reduce them down to 2 1/4″ (57 mm) for an older 5 1/2 plane.

Faithful don’t say what steel their irons are made from but due to how cheap they are, it’s unlikely to be O1. Whatever it is, it takes an edge fairly well and retains it for a reasonable amount of time.

I’d say these Faithfull irons are comparable to 1970s Stanley or Record irons, maybe even a little better, which is to say not great but usable. An O1 or PM-V11 iron may be nicer but if they are not within your budget, these Faithfull ones are not a bad option.

Ultimately, it’s the finished result that matters, and these irons leave just as good a finish as any and produce nice shavings too.

The only thing I’m wary about is that from what I know of Faithfull, quality control is not their strong point, so the quality of these irons may vary but based on the two I’ve tried, they’re good value.

If you’ve used one of these irons, let me know in the comments. I’d love to know if the quality varies.