Thread: the 8k shave

Why does everyone advocate for noobs to learn how to get a good shave off an 8k synthetic before moving onto a finishing stone?

I just read something like this... again: As always, newbies should learn to achieve a good 8k shave before proceeding to any finisher.

Now I am not running anyone down. Not trying to be insightful or deep... heck, I might have said that once back in the day as well. It seems as though we all say it! But today, well today it makes no sense.

I started out with a 1k,5k,8k and 12k Naniwa set. To me, the real measure of success in honing, is what happens at the 1k level. Not that I'd want to shave off of it.

it because an 8k gives a nice shave by itself, if you cant achieve a nice shave from an 8k there would be no benefit in moving up to anything higher. It would be a waste.

Once you have mastered the 8k, then you can get some benefit from a higher grit stone

I think because the 8k is the first grit up the ladder where you can have a real nice shave. So if your using a 1,4,8 progression or just a 4/8, and you can get great shaves you have learned the basics. I stayed at that level for a year. Why? Because I could. I was real happy with my razors and didn't need a change. Now I have moved on, but, I am glad I spent that much time on the basics. Like anything else I have learned to do well, it's all in the basics :<0)

I have 4 razors,2 antiques and 2 new Dovos from Lynn.The Norton 4/8 and Lynn's modular paddle are all I've needed to copy and maintain his edge's.A 12k finisher would be nice,but not needed for a B.B.S. irritation free shave for me.March will be the end of my 2nd year shaving with a straight.Maybe for my 3rd year I will buy that 12k stone we'll see!

I have a Naniwa 12k, I rarely use it, after 8k I go to either coticule or escher, enough for me.

I stayed with the Norton 4/8 combo for over a year and am very happy that I did. It seemed that every time I honed I learned more about the hone and more about how to hone. It kept the variables down for me. Every time I thought I could not get a better edge off the 8k I got a better edge. Only when I was getting great edges consistently on all my razors did I get a Naniwa 1k and 12k.

Probably because you can get a nice shaving edge of a 12k to start but when you look back in a year once the AD's wear down a bit you realise that those 12k edges weren't great and you could do just as well now with the 8k. Its like using pastes it is almost like a false positive. The edge will be there but its a crap foundation because you moved to quick and didn't get the best from every level because put simply your still new and aren't there yet. That's why to stay with the 8 so you can be at the base level of sharp and get it right so when you do move up it is an improvement and not a bodge up.

The one thing I've begun to caution new guys about is that getting a good shaving edge from an 8k is not the same as one finished one or two steps beyond that. And your attempts to get the same edge from an 8k will be an exercise in frustration. A good shaving edge from an 8k should not be confused with one professionally finished.

We're overthinking it. The point is that if you can't get a good shaving edge finished on the 8K, the problem is not with the finisher. No finisher in the world will make up for a bad bevel. Well, I suppose we could set bevels on a 30K Shapton but we might need six months to do it.



rs,
Tack