Originally Posted by
dadsavage
Thanks for clearing this up. From what I've seen, having done some research, there is a ceramic M5 series and then the magnesia-ceramic stones (glass stones aside) but only the last stones - the pro series - are available for me at a seemly price. Only a little more than the Naniwa stones. That is at least up to 12k as I couldn't bring myself to shell out hundreds of dollars for a synthetic finishing stone (their 30k stone I mean) although that makes me wonder how their 12k stone rates as a finisher.
The M5 should be cheaper than the Pros as they are about a 5mm working thickness fused to a non usable base a bit like the glass stone in concept. Much the same stone as the Pro otherwise. I agree the 30k is a bit exe. I opted for the Suehiro 20k which has identical particle size but more affordable.
I can shave off the 12k Pro but a CrO pasted strop post honing makes the edge more comfortable.
I'm amateur enough to expect errors on my part though. This might be more likely with a faster stone as I'm used to cutting very slowly. Though at lower grits it might be a plus? (fast cutting I mean)
Yes, fast cutting at low grits is a good thing. At high grits it takes more attention.
Thanks for clearing things up though. I'm going to need to think about this; Shapton vs. Naniwa.