I bought this Shione Swedish steel plane, as well as a 48mm Tsunesaburo with Super Blue steel and a 50mm Tsunesaburo plane with powder HSS for use with oak and other hardwoods. I was skeptical about HSS, thinking it would be difficult to sharpen properly and that it perform poorly compared to blue steel blades. However, I can produce a glass-smooth surface on American red oak with all three of these planes and it is difficult for me to tell the difference between them. It remains to be seen which one holds its edge the longest, but for initial use all three are excellent. They make my western planes look like junk toys.