Thread: Differents naniwa hones

Hi SRP,

since long time, i wish to buy one of these naniwa hones to make razors' bevels better and easier. actually i'm using the synthetic hones tiny sizes, they are ok but not more. well while i'm looking about naniwa hone, i see there is some categories as professionnal, speciality and combos.

for combos, i see what they are. but for other two categories i don't know the difference. i'm looking for 1000 grit and i found two differents as speciality and profess.

do you have any idea what's the difference between these two catego?

The Professional line is what is formerly known as Chosera. Those are great bevel setters, they have speed good feedback, do not dish easy and are very consistent.
The specialty stones are a new line, to get more info on performance those shoot an email to Straight Razor Designs and ask.

The former SuperStones, now called Specialty, are great for razors. That is, EXCEPT for the 1k. The Specialty 1k is a little too soft for bevel setting. It works, but it loads up quickly and is not very fast. However, the former Chosera 1k, now called Professional, is a fantastic bevel setter. If you want a great 1k bevel setter, go with that one.

thanks for your responses.

Originally Posted by Utopian

The former SuperStones, now called Specialty, are great for razors. That is, EXCEPT for the 1k. The Specialty 1k is a little too soft for bevel setting. It works, but it loads up quickly and is not very fast. However, the former Chosera 1k, now called Professional, is a fantastic bevel setter. If you want a great 1k bevel setter, go with that one.

if i understood well, the speciality ones (for 1K) is too slow to set the razor bevel. right?

because, in this case, i will chose a combo with 1000/3000 i think this one is professionnal.

I should clarify that. "Too slow" is a relative term. If you are honing a couple razors a week, then it is okay. If you are honing a few razors per day, then you might want something that will get the job done faster and with less surface refreshing needed. The Specialty 1k WILL work to set a bevel, but the Professional will work faster. It will cost more but I believe it is worth it giving its ability to save you time.

Originally Posted by Utopian

I should clarify that. "Too slow" is a relative term. If you are honing a couple razors a week, then it is okay. If you are honing a few razors per day, then you might want something that will get the job done faster and with less surface refreshing needed. The Specialty 1k WILL work to set a bevel, but the Professional will work faster. It will cost more but I believe it is worth it giving its ability to save you time.

Thanks. It's more clear now. I think I will go with a combo of 1000/3000 of professional. That's why I was not sure about the difference. Now it's ok.

In my opinion, the Specialty 1K works fine. I normally work on a dozen razors at a time and this stone never fails to do a reliable and consistent job on setting bevels. I normally clean it with a Trend 300 plate after the dozen razors are done. It is a resin bound stone though so it feels softer than it's magnesium bound brother the Professional 1K which is my preference because of the little firmer feeling it gives me on bevel setting. In terms of speed so to speak, I find little difference. Both are good cutters without the abrasive qualities of a stone like the Norton 1K. I think the reason I have liked Naniwa Selective's over all is that that softer feeling provides wonderful feedback when honing razors along with them being so effective. YMMV as always.

Have fun.

Originally Posted by Utopian

I should clarify that. "Too slow" is a relative term. If you are honing a couple razors a week, then it is okay. If you are honing a few razors per day, then you might want something that will get the job done faster and with less surface refreshing needed. The Specialty 1k WILL work to set a bevel, but the Professional will work faster. It will cost more but I believe it is worth it giving its ability to save you time.

Well I don't agree with you all. Of cause there's a difference between SS and Professional hones, but the professionals are made for pros...

I'm having the SS hones myself, and hone perhaps one or two razors a day. Agree that you needs to clean the hones often, but that's hardly a problem.

Many people have come by my shop to learn to hone, and I have showed them how well the Naniwas behave. Some believe that to learn to hone, you need the best hones possibly, but that's really not the case.

It's like learning to drive. A Ferrari might be the best car, but it won't be a good car to learn to drive.

The point is, that you don't really need the best equipment, or most expensive hones to start this hobby.

I have a Vosgienne natural hone for finishing and it's probably the best finisher in the world. But I can finish a razor on every hone over 8k and so can all the hone masters here. You don't need to pay the extra money for a Naniwa Pro.

It's really important to get a good 1000K bevel setter. There's many out there. You could also go after the 1000k King. It's also a very nice hone. But both the Naniwa SS or Pro will work just fine for you.

Originally Posted by Kristian

Well I don't agree with you all. Of cause there's a difference between SS and Professional hones, but the professionals are made for pros...

That is just not true. They've only been called Professionals for a year or two at most. Before that they were called Choseras. Who were they made for then? The Specialty hones, are they only for special occasions?

Yes, of course there is a difference between the hones, and yes, both hones will do the job; but there is a good reason why the Professional is so highly recommended.

I've never tried the professional but have a set of the SS in 1, 5 and 10k. I find them to be excellent and have never had a problem bevel setting with the 1k, but then I only do 1 or 2 a month. Don't forget you'll also need to lap these stones, so consider the cost of a lapping plate or stone too. I have the DMT D8C which works brilliantly.