My apiologies... it was late, I was tired, meds kickin in yadda yadda...
I neglected to mention...
two handed grip on the ummmm handles?? granted, there's no grub screws but then I've yet to see a finished edge that wasn't exactly square, no "near enough is good enough" with this tool..... having two handles lets you deliver so much power into the stroke that shooting wide panels is a breeze... the last thing this plane needs is a remedy for depression...precision milled or otherwise...
I guess that if you really wanted to there's nothing to stop you using it as a bench plane, but then, my instinct is to reach for my #62 for bench work...
As for the price.. with the amount of bronze in this thing, trust me, yer nae gettin ripped off here; like every other L-N tool I've had hands on experience with, this tool oozes accuracy, quality and longevity...
I'll readily recognize that that may not be to everyone's taste... but it suits mine...