-snip-

go for it. hand tools are a joy to use...

Good quality, properly cared for and tuned hand tools are a joy to use.
I'm sure that many of us here have a story about their first paper-thin
shaving out of a freshly-sharpened plane. For me, anyway, it was something
like a religious experience.

On the other hand, low quality, beater or dull hand tools are awful, evil
and hateful.

I once heard a story from somebody that involved a poorly tuned $5 yard sale
plane, a maple bedside tabletop that was nearly perfect, but required maybe
one more pass. Poor technique and poor tuning on this fated last pass
caused the plane to chatter, leaving nicely spaced digs across the otherwise
perfect tabletop. The owner of said plane threw the plane at the benchtop.
Rather than cracking like you'd expect a cast-iron plane to do, the plane
took its revenge by taking a physics-defying bounce. It went almost
completely sideways, right through the shop window, landing softly in the
grass outside. That window was not replaced with glass - plexi seemed the
more prudent choice. Er, um, at least, that's what I heard...