Jay Pique wrote:
I've been extremely pleased with my block and rabbet planes from
Veritas, and I'm now in the market for a big bench plane - a 6 or a
7. I'm not so much interested in looks and resale value as I am
usability. snip

Anyone have any strong opinions either way?

They're very comparable. You should be able to find lots of opinions in
the archives of this newsgroup.

One thing to consider is that the shape of the tote is somewhat
different between the two brands, so you might find that one is more
comfortable than the other.

The other thing you might think about would be to look at the bevel-up
series. I have the Veritas low-angle jack, so it would be natural for
me to look at their bevel-up jointer so that I can swap blades between them.

Chris