Thread: Shapton Pro grit progressions

JimmyHAD graciously loaned me his entire set of Shapton Pros to play with several years ago. I liked the set a lot but did not prefer it overall in comparison to the Naniwa SuperStones. However, I very much preferred the "deep cutting ability" of the Shapton Pro 1k and chose it as my goto bevel setter. I very much liked the aggressive nature of that hone in comparison to the SuperStone 1k, which I felt was too soft for a bevel setter. For that reason, my normal routine for a few years was to use the Shapton Pro 1k as a bevel setter, followed by the SuperStone 1k to "prep" the blade for progression up the rest of the SuperStone line. Because I was so happy with the Shapton Pro 1k, I put off buying the Chosera 1k for several years despite so many people praising it. I frequently used the Chosera 400, 600, and 800 for repair work but felt no need for the 1k because I was so happy with the Shapton Pro 1k. I eventually got the Chosera 1k simple to understand what everybody else was talking about, and it works great; but I'm still happy with my Shapton Pro 1k, and 1.5k, and 2k. They all make for a great bevel set.

To the OP , just to put it out there. All the top honers have given their advise. What you want is repeatability and reproducibility in results consistently.
Your purchase does that.

You dont want to start out doing a bunch of work around coat hanger and duct tape solutions to a great edge.

Your purchase and application of the characteristics of this system will suit you very well.
Remember there is a learning curve, and you just greatly reduced it with your question here.
You may want to bookmark this and refer to it often as you hone. There are words and explanations, and then there is the depth of pro honers use that you have just received.
Tems such as deep scratches, light touch are all subjective based on comparing to other hone systems. So test , hone and test, unlock your new hones and enjoy.
Honing is supposed to be enjoyable. The members who have given their advise have helped me get the most from my set-up and I look forward to their advise in the future on how to maximise results. Good for you. OP.

Thank you all for the information, there's been a lot more of it than I expected! Ultrasoundguy I've definitely marked this thread, lots of great info in here.

I think my next purchase will be a good loupe, I've got a 10x but I think I'm going to need better to see the scratch patterns from the higher grit stones.

Originally Posted by Blank

I think my next purchase will be a good loupe, I've got a 10x but I think I'm going to need better to see the scratch patterns from the higher grit stones.

If it's quality optics all you need is 8-10x & a suitable light source. Sunlight is the best.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

If it's quality optics all you need is 8-10x & a suitable light source. Sunlight is the best.

Yeah I honed on the porch today. Great optics. I had to stop when the sun sat.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

If it's quality optics all you need is 8-10x & a suitable light source. Sunlight is the best.

Cheers Onimaru, will hold off on the loupe then and see how things go with my current one first.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Why the Pro's ???

They honestly don't have that good of a reputation with SR's

Why is that? Do people like the Naniwa Super Stones better? I am looking at a 2k, 5k and 8k in either brand so looking for some comments.

One can learn how to make use of either line, but the SuperStones, now called Specialty, seem to be a little more forgiving and therefore easier to use.