Thread: Zulu grey

I love to add my 2 cents but I'm still waiting on mine. I ordered it during the holiday sale. He must have received a lot of orders b/c mine still hasn't shipped.
It seems to have a gained a very good reputation here and I can't wait to try it out myself.

Originally Posted by WadePatton

You can buy 4 PHIG's for a hundred USD, why not try out four?

Have heard/read nothing about inconsistencies with ZG's. I suspect they get roughly 10x the QC than any PHIG.

I have heard from a few people who got meh results, quite a few that found it okay, but nothing really special. Many are very enthusiastic, but you tend to hear those more than people who are not 100% satisfied or impressed in general anyway, and not just for razor finishing hones. I haven't tried, so I won't pass judgement on the stone's properties, apart from that 'apparently they tend to vary a bit'.

From what I've heard they are finishers only, being already quite slow at that.

Originally Posted by Bordee

For the Zulu owners out there -- how would you compare the Zulu to a Chinese 12k? I've been using a Chinese 12k as a finishing stone for awhile with good results, but I have thinking about moving up to something else that is not crazy pricy (e.g., a Zulu, "Welsh Thurigian", or Arkansas translucent).

Chinese "PHIG" = junk. I've had 5
Zulu = quality finisher
Arkansas = great for knives
Welsh Thuringian = no such a thing. There is a Welsh slate I have heard about, but very mixed reviews.

Originally Posted by Bamasamson

So this is a question to you guys who have used zulus. Are they worth it? Where would they go in the honing process?

You have gotten a LOT of responses by now. Do you have a Naniwa 12k? THis is typically recommended by most as a first finisher as your 12K would be the same as mine. This isn't the case with natural stones, they are all a bit different. Kind of like comparing two white/black, red/brown/purple guys as the color of the skin is the same, but that's it. Each has their own personality. They are all finishers...they just behave differently and if you don't have experience you may not be able to get the most out of them. This is why most of us who try to teach folks to hone to start out with synthetics all the way from 1K - 3/4K - 8K and then lastly 12/16K. Once you have that proper honing foundation of synthetics, you are ready to start with naturals. Some don't follow this road to success and they will find a few more potholes and dead ends, but those who do typically have a smoother journey (not without frustrations I must add).

Originally Posted by RezDog

One of the things about the ZG is they are all hand cut and hand lapped. Being a bit of a rock hound I can tell you for sure that if your eyes are open you can see a lot in the hones as they take shape and there is plenty of opportunity to cull your product. I think the ZG is definitely a quality product, and with all else in the market you have to pay for that.

And I can tell you they come with a very nice surface. Michael finishes the stones with 1500 grit sandpaper which makes for a smooth finish.

Originally Posted by PFunkDaddy

I love to add my 2 cents but I'm still waiting on mine. I ordered it during the holiday sale. He must have received a lot of orders b/c mine still hasn't shipped.
It seems to have a gained a very good reputation here and I can't wait to try it out myself.

I did too and I have gotten mine.

Originally Posted by Bordee

You guys are correct to point out that it is hard to put a grit rating on a Chinese (as well as other naturals) due to possible large variations. I have no real idea if my Chinese PHIG hits a 12k grit, but my PHIG certainly enhances the edge off of a Norton 8k.

Along these lines, are Zulus known to be consistent (i.e., not having to buy 4 to get one good one?)

That line right there says it all IMHO.. I look for any "Finisher" to enhance the edge off the Norton 8k (or any polisher) after that it comes down to personal opinion whether it agrees with your face and steel

Originally Posted by gssixgun

...I look for any "Finisher" to enhance the edge off the Norton 8k (or any polisher) after that it comes down to personal opinion whether it agrees with your face and steel

+1 ...

I had the opportunity to try a Zulu this past weekend. I got together with a couple of other SRP folks and we had a honing session. I compared the Zulu to a very fine and hard Coticule, a blue green Escher, and a very nice Nakayama JNAT. We finished several blades that had been taken to the Naniwa 8-12K level. The Zulu seemed to be a very nice hard stone, not very porous and not what I would call a soft finisher, compared to the other hones. The feel of it with water only was very crisp much like a 'very nice PHIG' (One out of Three: I got Lucky!) that I have. My impression was that it will put a very sharp edge on a blade, one that would be softened nicely with paste and a good stropping.

As Glen says, it really comes down to preference, your particular blade (steel), your face and beard. It will certainly 'crisp up/sharpen the edge' off an 8K polisher. Popping hairs is no problem...it then comes down to whether you prefer a 'softer, keener feel' or a 'crisper feel' for your face, as to whether you want to soften or polish the edge with a post hone paste before stropping with linen and leather.

If it was the only 'Finisher' that I had, I could live with it quite nicely...and as I've said before in other posts, Glen puts it quite succinctly: "No amount of money spent on a Stone can ever replace the value of the time it takes learning to use it properly"


Just one man's HO...YMMV!



WP34

I really didn't like my PHIG. It was scratchy (sandy) and really slow, a terrible combination. I guess I could have bought a half dozen to get a good one.

I generally don't like naturals compared to the consistency of synthetics, but I an very happy with the Zulu. I am using it after Naniwa 10k with a very light, fine slurry.