Thread: 20K water stones

Originally Posted by TimS

So if you're getting a comfortable shave BEFORE the 20K, what does the 20K give you? Please pardon my ignorance, as I'm still new at this honing thing. Thanks!

When I read someone talk about comfortable shaves when testing a stone, that tells me the shaves are not that great but good enough to not have to rehone.
With the 20k Suehiro we are talking about another level of how the edge feels and performs.

Like with many other things you use a product and it does it's job and you are satisfied and then you try an upgrade and only then do you realize how much better it can be.I have the Suehiro and it beats my Escher and I don't say that lightly. it's that good of a hone and it's worth every penny.

Thanks for the info!

Try a crox strop after the 12 k .. I think u will b quite surprised..

Originally Posted by rhensley

I guess I was hoping there was another company out there that had one the same or close to the Gokumyo. looks like i'll have to save my penny's and get one.

Originally Posted by TimS

So if you're getting a comfortable shave BEFORE the 20K, what does the 20K give you? Please pardon my ignorance, as I'm still new at this honing thing. Thanks!

Real creamy icing on the cake. As of now it is in a class by itself so save them pennies. You'll be glad you did once you've got it.

Originally Posted by Airportcopper

Try a crox strop after the 12 k .. I think u will b quite surprised..

Ditto. 10 stropping strokes on balsa with CrOx and you are good to go.

Maybe think about Jnats?
Since using a jnat i am rapidly going off synthetic stones and pastes are a thing of the past for me.

Originally Posted by JOB15

Maybe think about Jnats?
Since using a jnat i am rapidly going off synthetic stones and pastes are a thing of the past for me.

One of these days I will be able to visit or go to a meet where there is all different kinds of stones to look at. some of these I here about on the place are completely new to me.

Originally Posted by rhensley

One of these days I will be able to visit or go to a meet where there is all different kinds of stones to look at. some of these I here about on the place are completely new to me.

Sorry. A jnat is short for Japanese natural stone..

Originally Posted by JOB15

Maybe think about Jnats?
Since using a jnat i am rapidly going off synthetic stones and pastes are a thing of the past for me.

Find a good true silk finish NOS vintage strop to go with the jnat, and you'll be pretty much set up forever - as long as your leather that goes along with it is hard, slick and shiny. I've cast off my pastes, hone less than once every 3 months, and put the razor to the vintage linen once per week. It took making my own strops (call me a little cheap) to get away from the myriad of $40 strops out there that really don't arrive ready for a razor. Broken in horse butt strip is super hard and slick and doesn't degrade the edge as it comes off of a vintage linen.

Needless to say, no pastes, powders or diamonds for me. The hone on a vintage japanese barber hone every 3-6 months lasts about 5 minutes and that's it. It's a great ratio of shave time to upkeep time, and no less sharp than 0.5 crox was, though right after the hone, and before linen treatment, the razor is a bit less sharp. I believe a razor can last a lifetime (if not dinged off of a sink) with this routine, and without taking on much hone wear.

The total cost, for me, was less than the gok. $25 for a horse butt strip to make a strop, $45 for the unused horse butt strop that I found with the unused silk finish linen attached and $165 for a vintage ozaki mine barber hone. Ceasing honewear on my prized fried. dennert without giving up any keenness or smoothness - priceless.