JW,
Sure there IS a difference between the two brands. I can imagine a well known superior brand such as Lie-Nielson or Veritas works better than a Stanley. If I had the money, I would sure like to buy a better brand, since it will last a long time.
However, taken all things into consideration, I think tuning a Stanley would be best for me, and possibly also for Stefan. The reasons why I would opt for a Stanley after all, are:
- Stefan already has a Stanley spokeshave. Why buy a second one, if you can adjust the tool you already have? No need to invest more money a second tool, at the expense of the first one never being used anymore.
- How much frustration and time do you REALLY save on the long term with a Veritas spokeshave? Sure, I like to work with a high quality tool, but is the difference really that big?
- Myself, I use many different tools for all my bows. IF I had a spokeshave, I would use it for maybe 10% of the time per bow. It will not become my most used tool, since it has a small niche within bowyery. So it would, for me, not be worth the effort and money to buy a tool I won't use daily.