If one plane ends up in every woodworker's apron, it is the low-angle adjustable mouth block plane, and Lie-Nielsen makes the finest version of it on the Maine coast, an hour north of our campus. Based on the old Stanley 60-1/2, at 6-1/4 in overall it fits one hand, trimming end grain, easing chamfers, and fitting parts all day.
A movable shoe closes the mouth tight for whisper shavings on tricky grain or opens it up for fast stock removal. The A2 blade is bedded at 12 degrees for end grain, adjusted with a captive nut so there is almost no backlash, and held by a big bronze cap tensioned with a brass spinwheel. Lie-Nielsen grinds the ductile iron body flat and square to a thousandth, so it works beautifully out of the box and for the rest of your life. Fine Woodworking has named it the best overall block plane year after year.