It comes nicely machined and with full instruction.
I am a sucker for knurled brass.
The straightedge shows a minute hollow behind the mouth. The blade showed dead flat.
Out of the box it would cut a shaving in curly maple, but not without tearout.
I honed the iron, but I didn't work the face. The Veritas blade is advertised as being factory lapped, and I wanted to see how it would perform in stock condition.
The results were excellent.
I really like this plane, it fits my hand well. The indentations encourage a commanding grip. The brass front knob, lever cap wheel, and thumbscrew are pleasing. It's heavy, but that's a help as much as a hindrance. This is a substantial plane that I will enjoy for a long time.