Thread: Which Jnat will give me the sharpest edge?

I wonder what is going to happen when someone prospecting in Antarctica finds a deposit of honing material that puts every other hone to shame. Everyone will HAVE to get an Aunt Arty Stone and all the talk about Coticules and Jnats will just disappear. Folks will be using their Jnats and coticules as paving stones in their back yards.

Originally Posted by Laurens

...money is a big factor for me. So the main question: can I get that desired very sharp and smooth edge from a Jnat below, say, €150...

Sorry to be a downer but if you're trying to get into the J-Nat game on a budget, good luck.

Stones from the same strata can differ so the name of the mine is no guarantee.
As my friend So (Japan-Tool) says "There are inferior Nakayama stones and superb Bajiyamas, You never really know until you try the stone."

It's not just the stone but how capable you are of using it.
The irony is that one or 2 years down the track , a stone you dislike or can't use right now may become your favourite.
I would think your budget is borderline for a good Jnat unless you buy the smaller stones on offer by some sellers.

hehe - that happened to me Oz. Remember that unknown-origin suita I had with toxic su? Well, I did keep lapping away at that and eventually found me a layer that works. Not a great finisher like my Nakayama, but capable nevertheless.

Here's a thought. There are guys who do the full-nagura progression around here. Now, I may be wrong about this but my understanding is that the base rock upon which they do it doesn't really add much into the mix until perhaps the very end (the lower grit softer nagura doing most of the work). Perhaps it might be possible to grab a nagura progression and a piece of marble or something on your budget and try the Jnat thing that way?

Just thinking aloud, never done a nagura progression myself. It may well be that the base stone is vital and marble just won't do. Could be worth checking out though.

James.

I do remember that James. I have one also that became very intimate with the concrete path. Finally became a very good knife finisher.
I really think the base stone does play a part but it would be an interesting experiment. Problem is what level of polish should the marble be ? If mirror polished would the nagura slurry up ? Would you need a pasted strop after the final nagura ? I've used Nagura on my pre polishers with some success but never as good as going to the finisher afterwards or using it in the first place.

Originally Posted by Laurens

though I hope there are properties such as strata and hardness that indicate what sort of edge a hone will produce.

Nope, you gotta try one to know one, no common denominator. Buy from a vendor that tests on razors. JNS sell quality stones.

There is no best Jnat in the same sense as you would talk about synthetic stones, where there is also no best one, except may be the Gkumyo 20k for now.

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

Stefan tells me that the person using it and their ability to hone really dictates the outcome. But having read a lot of the mysticism surrounding Jnats I was prepared for disappointment and struggle. I didn't have that problem. .

It does mater, some guys just have no motor skills to be good at honing, and then the Jnat quality matters. Some previous experience in honing also helps, because it helps to understand when to stop honing and how the stone works for best results.
In the end I will blame some sellers on trying to up sales by introducing the so called mysticism to Jnats, nothing mystic about them, they have their own quirks as hones but so do coticules and various other naturals. The only mystery really is if a particular Jnat will work for razors or not.

Thank you all for your help, this is becoming a very interesting thread. I've just received an offer of a fellow Dutchman to try three of his stones, which I think is an excellent start. I will let you know how that works out

Originally Posted by Laurens

And of course, still a smooth one.

I've been looking at and reading about Jnats and have had the luck of getting two of my razors honed on an Oozuku and Nakayama. This is what the honer said about them:



I have the feeling I still know very little about them, but JNS has some pretty cheap ones that might give me just what I want: a very sharp and yet comfy edge. The Oozuku edge amazes me every time and beats the Nakayama edge for me.

I would like to hear some suggestions and experiences from you guys. I've got a very hard/tough beard and the Jnat sharpness adds pleasure and comfort to my shaves, I want to reach that level of sharpness myself. I do consider the Gokumyo 20K, but money is a big factor for me.

So the main question: can I get that desired very sharp and smooth edge from a Jnat below, say, €150 and what stone do you suggest?

Thank you guys in advance!

Well, I'm the mysterious honer that honed the blades for Laurens - happy to see you like the result !

A lot of good advice has been given in this thread and I have to agree that with these Japanes natural stones it's hard (impossible?) to give recommendations that will work for everyone (and every stone).

There are great stones out there but you have to be willing to try and learn ...

Cheers
Jörg

P.S. Btw., I bought the oozuku several years back for 30 EUR ...
P.P.S. I also bought a Gokumyo 20K before Xmas but while it is a great stone I like my Japanese naturals better...

Originally Posted by jollo74

P.S. Btw., I bought the oozuku several years back for 30 EUR ...
P.P.S. I also bought a Gokumyo 20K before Xmas but while it is a great stone I like my Japanese naturals better...

Only €30? That's fantastic! The seller doesn't happen to have another one of those lying around, now, does he?

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Here's a thought. There are guys who do the full-nagura progression around here. Now, I may be wrong about this but my understanding is that the base rock upon which they do it doesn't really add much into the mix until perhaps the very end (the lower grit softer nagura doing most of the work). Perhaps it might be possible to grab a nagura progression and a piece of marble or something on your budget and try the Jnat thing that way?

Just thinking aloud, never done a nagura progression myself. It may well be that the base stone is vital and marble just won't do. Could be worth checking out though.

James.

Hmm, this is interesting and could be a money saver. I have an unknown Jnat from Dictum that may serve as a base stone, I would just need a proper nagura. It will force me to learn my Jnat better before moving on to a more expensive one. Also got a Roszutec, super hard stone that I used my botan (or at least mid grit) nagura on, which left the nagura finish on the bevel, making the Roszutec another potential base stone.

There are many naguras available, including reasonably cheap ones on eBay. If I'm looking for a finish nagura only, would any of the eBay naguras do? If not, could you point me in the right direction? I have a synthetic progression to Shapton 16K, so I suspect (or hope) that just a finisher may do the job.