The old (pre WWII) Stanley's are great, but you couldn't pay me to take a new one. I have several (and some older other brands). Usually pick them up cheap at yard sales and such. Most require some rework/restoration, or small part replacement. Kinda like buying old guns as projects and bringing them back to life. There's also a huge assortment of custom wood body planes that are made for specific cuts for moldings, etc. Those are usually made by the woodworker as needed. Good ones are a real joy to use. I like hand tools much more than power tools like routers & power planers, mostly because they are quiet and you have more control over the cut, but I do have both. Power tools are good for rough cuts, but handtools are best for high quality precision work.
Power tools just make it easier to really screw up fancy (and expensive) wood faster.
Here's some of my plane, etc. collection (all are workers).