Hock HCS (O1) Bench Plane Blades

The O1 steel took an edge that lasted through a full afternoon of planing figured maple without a single tear-out. Sharpening was quick and predictable, and it seated perfectly in my #4 with zero adjustment fuss.

Fiddled with these in my #5 for a weekend of dovetails, and the O1 steel took a scary-sharp edge right off the stone—it held up through the whole session without a single refresh. The high-carbon composition feels noticeably more rigid than the stock blade, so chatter just isn't a thing anymore.

Swapped these into my #5 and the O1 steel holds an edge noticeably longer than the stock iron did—I can plane a full board of figured maple before it starts to tug.