Thread: Naniwa Super Stones

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I was going to suggest the Chosera 1k rather than the superstone. IME it is really worth the extra cost. If I was going to buy a set of hones knowing what I know now, having used most of the 'usual suspects', I would go for the Chosera 1k, single grit Norton 4k, single grit Norton 8k, naniwa superstone 12k, and if I was really going to gild the lilly, the gokomyo 20k.

Though I tend to want to use as small of jumps between grits as possible, and I confess that I actually never have tried it, I strongly suspect that the cutting capacity of the Gokumyo 20k could handle a jump from the Norton 8k. This would allow skipping the SS12k. Now the SS12k is a great hone and produces a very good edge so it is a perfectly viable final finishing hone, but if someone ultimately plans on getting the 20k then I'm not sure that they need to bother with the SS12k.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Though I tend to want to use as small of jumps between grits as possible, and I confess that I actually never have tried it, I strongly suspect that the cutting capacity of the Gokumyo 20k could handle a jump from the Norton 8k. This would allow skipping the SS12k. Now the SS12k is a great hone and produces a very good edge so it is a perfectly viable final finishing hone, but if someone ultimately plans on getting the 20k then I'm not sure that they need to bother with the SS12k.

I don't know that it is carved in stone, (no pun) but I recall reading an interview with Harellson Stanley, the Shapton USA rep, who said that the glasstones were set up to double the grit size with each step through the series. So 1-2-4-8-16. The 30k shapton was double the 15k pro. At the time the only series that was similar was the norton 4/8 so it seemed to make sense. Not sure whether it is anything more than a guideline, if it is even that.

But along the lines of your post, I've gone from 8k to Escher, or a fine coticule , a lot of times, and it worked well for me.

Agreed, and that is why I prefer going from a 1k to a 2k which is still a jump to a grit that is half as small. The reason that I believe that the Gokumyo 20k can handle the jump is that it is quite a fast cutter so I don't think it would take many more strokes on it to remove 8k scratch marks. This even despite the Nortons using a different grit scale. I don't remember, is the US scaled 8k grit size smaller or larger than the Japanese 8k grit size? I never can find that conversion table when I want it.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Agreed, and that is why I prefer going from a 1k to a 2k which is still a jump to a grit that is half as small. The reason that I believe that the Gokumyo 20k can handle the jump is that it is quite a fast cutter so I don't think it would take many more strokes on it to remove 8k scratch marks. This even despite the Nortons using a different grit scale. I don't remember, is the US scaled 8k grit size smaller or larger than the Japanese 8k grit size? I never can find that conversion table when I want it.

I think I can kind of confirm your thinking.

My progression goes from Naniwa SS 1K > 3K or 5K > 8K > 12K to Suehiro Gokumyo 20K. The feedback feels to me like through 8K, the stones are working hard, good through the progression. At 12K, feedback seems to disappear and the stone seems to be doing very little work. Once I hit the SG20K, the sensation of feedback from the stone returns. I'll skip the NSS12K on the next straight I hone and see if I can add another data point.