Thread: Chinese 12K/Naniwa 12000/SPYDERCO UF

I've played a the UF for quite a while, and in it's original state, I'm not sure if it's a 14K hone, but once I lapped mine I got a hone which improves the edge of the Shapton GS 16K. So in my opinion it's hone which take some time to learn to use to it's fullest potential.

Originally Posted by bjorn

I've played a the UF for quite a while, and in it's original state, I'm not sure if it's a 14K hone, but once I lapped mine I got a hone which improves the edge of the Shapton GS 16K. So in my opinion it's hone which take some time to learn to use to it's fullest potential.

Your post intrigued me and I just had to test out the Naniwa 12k then UF progression tonight.

Testing:
I was highly skeptical as the shaves off the Naniwa 12k were generally better than what I was getting from just the UF. But I'm a stickler for experimenting; plus I could always just retouch the edge on the Nani if I messed it up.

Ok, HHT off the spyderco: No dice. I was highly skeptical at this point as the razor was popping hairs previously. I was feeling kind of sad at this point. But I stuck with it and tested some spot hairs ATG. They popped, so I figured, well...I went this far, might as well shave with it.

Results: WOW!!! I thought the shave off the Naniwa was great. I was wrong, the shave off the Naniwa touched up with the UF for 20 laps was better. Maybe not that much better, but definitely better. I got 90% BBS on my chin in one pass ATG. And I'm pretty sure the other 10% was because I didn't get the angle right. WTG was all DFS only requiring a slight swipe ATG or XTG to get to BBS. Initial results are quite impressive. I'm going to have to keep testing this progression.

My 16k should be here soon too, so I'll have even more combinations to play with!

The GS16K gives me very nice edges and IME it generates a distinct "suction" between the razor and the hone when it's time to move to the shave test or pasted strops unlike the UF which has no such feedback and relies more on the honer and his testing.
The UF is a hone with the potential to make a great edge, but it has some disadvantages, Lynn said he got inconsistent results from the UF when he tested it and the lack of feedback from the stone are the should be mentioned.
drmoss_ca has a few good posts over at shavemyface about the Spyderco UF, and how he uses it. He seems to like to use lather on a DGLP lapped UF as his last stone in his finishing sequence, I haven't experimented enough with lather on my UF to have a opinion on it, but I'll do some testing with lather later.

Enjoy your experimenting with the Naniwa, the 16K and the UF.

What is the total number of strokes your performing on the finishing hones? About 100?

What texture does the combnation leave on the edge/bevel? Could that texture be achieved with a different order of hones? UF/Naniwa/C12?


Just some random thoughts,

FWIW I not only hone my razors but also knives made out of really hard metals similiar to straights and the chinese 12k I think is waaaay underrated when it comes to grit size the funny part is it doesn't seem to get a straight real sharp but gives a really fine scratch pattern as can be seen on the photos posted in tim zowadas site. My opinion on the matter of the ch12k is that the edge it provides isn't the best for beards, I myself have found that to my liking the best edges come from a dubl duck hone I just got but thats just me in terms of comfort and when it comes to natural hones it is also important to note that the cutting material breaks down and becomes finer. A trick my sushi chef taught me is to use a nagura (I use a diamond plate mini ) and work the mud for a good while and that should break down the particles this happens also with artificial hones and is more noticeable on stones similiar to naniwas. Sorry for the long boring post. BTW this is most notable on non other than natural japanese hones (I think this was the chef blowing his own horn though but who knows)