Thread: Which Jnat will give me the sharpest edge?

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.

You may have to wait for someone who knows a lot more about the nagura thing than I do. In the meantime, here's a thread I remember from a while ago that I think you'll find useful.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/advan...-tutorial.html

James.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

You may have to wait for someone who knows a lot more about the nagura thing than I do. In the meantime, here's a thread I remember from a while ago that I think you'll find useful.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/advan...-tutorial.html

James.

Thanks I'd seen it a couple of times, but lacking naguras, could never replicate it.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

You may have to wait for someone who knows a lot more about the nagura thing than I do. In the meantime, here's a thread I remember from a while ago that I think you'll find useful.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/advan...-tutorial.html

James.

That's exactly the procedure I've replicated and have had great edges from it.

Originally Posted by Laurens

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.

Easy choice.
After Shapton 16k all you need is one good fine, hard Jnat & some water.
Your synthetics can do the rest. You can experiment with Nagura as you go.

Originally Posted by Laurens

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

Sorry, no - I bought it in the marketplace of a German shaving forum...

Btw., on that forum I did a little test run for the Naniwa 12K: 5 experienced shavers sent me 2 of their razors which I honed one each with the Naniwa 12K and the oozuku (single-blinded trial, ie the shavers didn't know which razor was honed on which stone): all really liked both results but 2 or 3 slighty preferred the Naniwa 12K ...

That's why I said to Laurens back then that in my personal view everything above 12K is rather mystical...
Cheers
Jörg

Originally Posted by jollo74

Sorry, no - I bought it in the marketplace of a German shaving forum...

Btw., on that forum I did a little test run for the Naniwa 12K: 5 experienced shavers sent me 2 of their razors which I honed one each with the Naniwa 12K and the oozuku (single-blinded trial, ie the shavers didn't know which razor was honed on which stone): all really liked both results but 2 or 3 slighty preferred the Naniwa 12K ...

That's why I said to Laurens back then that in my personal view everything above 12K is rather mystical...
Cheers
Jörg

That's a great test. If you have two identical razors, such as Gold Dollars, you could try this on yourself too. Hone them together, strop together, mix them a few times, DON'T look at the edge to see which one is shiny and which is hazy and then shave. If I get the chance, I'll try this myself.

Originally Posted by Laurens

That's a great test. If you have two identical razors, such as Gold Dollars, you could try this on yourself too. Hone them together, strop together, mix them a few times, DON'T look at the edge to see which one is shiny and which is hazy and then shave. If I get the chance, I'll try this myself.

Not all Jnats leave a hazy edge.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Not all Jnats leave a hazy edge.

Well that uncomplicates it.