Thread: Escher skills

Originally Posted by JOB15

The Escher grits seem to be 10k-12k.
How could i go from a shapton 30k to finish on a Escher 10k.
dosnt make sense to me.
excuse my ignorance plz

I'm no expert, but my impression is that rating grit on a natural seems to be an imperfect science from what I've read on these forums over the years. The characteristic smoothness found on razors honed with eschers and some coticules is more a result of the shape of the abrasive than the grit level AFAIK. I've had and sold the 30k, have the Suehiro Gomyko 20k and found myself going back to my yellow/green escher because I just like the feeling of that edge better. OTOH, as in all facets of this hobby YMMV.

Your Harts can handle a 30K, but your shave will not be from a "smooth" blade, but from a very sharp/crisp feeling blade. My routine is the same as DoubleO's: Shapton GS's to 16K then to Escher or Zulu Grey. Yes, it's going backwards a little in "grit" so to say, but at those levels it's all about custom tuning a blade to what you like. I keep my 16K in the bathroom for my "barber stone" & touch up on the fly. Once you learn your stones, you will know what each razor needs. I recommend leaving all powders & pastes alone until you obtain the edges you need from the stones.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

You don't. most people would shift to the Escher at either the 8k or even the 16k level, it depends on your abilities and face,, If you can get a close comfortable shave off the 8k Shapton then you could shift there, if not then you might need to go to the 16k and shift or even perhaps practice at the 8k level more...

Ahh I see now, ill stand by my shappy 30k for the time being , seen as it cost me so much.
Plus im still learning, a few more years and ill be a quality honer...
I think natural stones might be in my future, but not immediate future..
many thanks , everyone.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

Your Harts can handle a 30K, but your shave will not be from a "smooth" blade, but from a very sharp/crisp feeling blade. My routine is the same as DoubleO's: Shapton GS's to 16K then to Escher or Zulu Grey. Yes, it's going backwards a little in "grit" so to say, but at those levels it's all about custom tuning a blade to what you like. I keep my 16K in the bathroom for my "barber stone" & touch up on the fly. Once you learn your stones, you will know what each razor needs. I recommend leaving all powders & pastes alone until you obtain the edges you need from the stones.

Wise words, i should leave off the optical powder.. Thanks.

Hello Job15,

I believe everyone could use a good natural finishing stone. The edges that comes off natural stone are going to differ from person to person because skill comes into play. I would go as far to says skills are just as important as the stone itself. You have to find what works for you. Many people are going to have advise, but it comes down to practice and the right touch on each stone. You'll only figure this out by trail and error. So, get a quality natural stone, 10K or higher, and have fun with the it.

Tall Guy

My Escher is the end game for me. I find the edges to be silky smooth and proper sharp. I have the Shapton 30K and it seems no matter how I use it I always wind up with a slightly harsh edge and no increase in perceived sharpness over the escher.

Does this equal the Escher's?

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Originally Posted by JOB15

Does this equal the Escher's?

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Thuringian stone
10" x 3" x 3/4" WITH slurry stone and wooden box
$199.00

Original Escher Stone - Sharpening Stone from Germany

Escher is a brand, not the name of stone. Eschers are Thuringians, but Thuringians are not necessarily Eschers. To be an Escher the Thuringian would have been graded by Escher and accepted only if it met their quality standards. That's why labeled Eschers command the high prices.....you know what you're getting.

With Thuringian you just, supposedly, know that the stone came from the same area and may or may not be suitable as a hone.

They may have sourced rock from the area, or a quarry, but that does not make it an Escher.

Howard