Thread: Decisions... Decisions... In need of a finisher hone...

Originally Posted by pipeguy

It was about $48 US dollars..the seller is: aj_101 He gets the stones right from the quarry himself, and laps them too. They are great stones and he offers better ones. He has many shapes and sizes. Look for the ones with free shipping, they end up being a couple bucks cheaper. The stones are priced cheap it's the shipping that kills you. Mine was like $26 for the stone but $22 in shipping! He has a 100% satisfaction as a seller and he's sold like a few thousand! That alone says a lot!

Wow. Thats not a bad price at all! Sounds like a great stone and a heck of a bargain. I am happy with my Guangxi and don't see myself ever getting another stone (yeah right. Lol.) but I was just curious. Thanks for the info Pipeguy

Originally Posted by Wayne1963

I use the 12k like a barbers hone, about every 2 weeks I give my razor about 6 laps on the stone, which I have applied lather to.

Lather is unnecessary on the SuperStone.

Steel, Take a look at this guy on Ebay (aj_1001) he has a great selection and dollar for dollar you can't beat it. I'm planning on picking up another,(,shhhh wife is in the next room) that's rated around 18-20k it's 8 1/2"x 3"x 1 1/4' for $117.
I am sold after using this last stone since November,

Originally Posted by pipeguy

Steel, Take a look at this guy on Ebay (aj_1001) he has a great selection and dollar for dollar you can't beat it. I'm planning on picking up another,(,shhhh wife is in the next room) that's rated around 18-20k it's 8 1/2"x 3"x 1 1/4' for $117.
I am sold after using this last stone since November,

Hahaha. I won't tell My Guangxi stone they say is 12k but as most know since it's a natural stone you really don't know. Like yours you thought to be in the 4k range. I think mine is up toward 20k based on the edge I get and what I read here. Of course I may just be fooling myself too. THAT wouldn't be the first time

That guy on ebay has some excellent stones! I like the three natural welsh stones for $48.00 ranging from 10k to over 15k. That would be fun to have and pretty cheap too.

Originally Posted by Steel

Hahaha. I won't tell My Guangxi stone they say is 12k but as most know since it's a natural stone you really don't know. Like yours you thought to be in the 4k range. I think mine is up toward 20k based on the edge I get and what I read here. Of course I may just be fooling myself too. THAT wouldn't be the first time

That guy on ebay has some excellent stones! I like the three natural welsh stones for $48.00 ranging from 10k to over 15k. That would be fun to have and pretty cheap too.

Just to diverge slightly, i have the two lower grit slates and i think they are ok based on my limited experience, but os wasnt over impressed.
How are you getting the 20k, do you have anything to compare it to?

Originally Posted by edhewitt

Just to diverge slightly, i have the two lower grit slates and i think they are ok based on my limited experience, but os wasnt over impressed.
How are you getting the 20k, do you have anything to compare it to?

Nope not a thing. Just a guess as any grit rating of a natural stone is. I think it was woodcraft that said they were 12k so my guess is as good as theirs. Hahaha. I read about edges off synthetic 20k stones and it sounds a lot like mine. Plus it is very hard to raise a slurry and the razors are very sharp off the stone. Many times don't need a paste afterwards. But again it is a blind guess as is anyone's who tries to rate.a natural stone. What I do know for sure is that I really like mine and I think my Guangxi stone really like me too Ed. It was love at first stroke and we have a rock solid relationship. Ok. You get the idea.

Originally Posted by UAcowboy

I have used this a couple of times. You use a felt tip marker to color the bevel and then when you use the hone you can see where you are not getting good contact between the blade and stone.

I couldn't have explained it better myself, lots of times when a razor has been honed on leather with Chromium Oxide for instance, the bevel gets rounded over time, if you put it on a stone afterwards, you will remove steel, but not at the edge. Collering the bevel before a few swipes over a hone will reveil where the honing takes place, at my trouble razor, this turned out to be ~1 mm away from the edge on one side, couldn't have seen this without the marker.

+1 on the Welsch Slate stone sold by aj_1001, they are great stones even without considering the low price

What hones do you have. Whats the highest other than the phig. Maybe try borrow a 12k synthetic and compare the edges. I have various types now and different ratings and used paste a lot when I started now I can get a sharp smooth edge right off the 8k that will pass all tests no worries. Of course the 12k edge is better but till you get the different hones and practice it is hard to tell.

Amazing to me that Natural stones have been found over the last 7 years that are higher and higher grits...

50k J-nats
20k Chinese
20k Welsh Slates

Wow they must be awesome rocks



You don't think this could be "Gilding the Lilly do ya" I am sure these are all well documented claims...


Yes that was sarcasm

My hones are all better than everyone one else's. Mine all go to eleven.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xgx4k83zzc