Thread: Shapton Pro grit progressions

Hello all, I've been looking around for a good set of stones to take a razor from needing a new bevel to shave ready and have found a place with reasonable prices for the Shapton Pro series of stones. I've found a combo deal where I can get either of the following options for the same price:

1. 1000, 5000, 8000 Grit
2. 1000, 5000, 12000 Grit
3. 2000, 5000, 8000 Grit
4. 2000, 5000, 12000 Grit

The simplest progression I've seen is a 1K for setting bevels, then 4K and 8K for honing, which indicates the first option would be the best, or at least closest. But then my research also indicates that the Shaptons are rather aggressive, that 2K or 1K5 would be a better choice than 1K for rebevelling.

Then to compound matters, on the other end of the scale, is it possible to jump from the 5K straight to the 12K without spending an absurd amount of time on the 12K? Cost is somewhat a concern here and I'd prefer to stick to just one of those options for now.

Any opinions on which set to choose would be greatly appreciated!

I'd probably do 2,5, and 8. I've also read that these are quite fast hones, and the 2k is perfect for setting a bevel. If you want to be able to move rapidly from hone to hone, you don't want too large a gap in grit, and you should be able to shave off the 8k comfortably. If you can't that's a sign your razor needs more work before moving on.

I would get that set, and worry about something beyond 8k later, when I'm getting smooth shaves off that.

Ideally, "combo 5" would be best.

1k, 2k, 5k, 12k.

You CAN set a bevel on the 2k, but for some razors you really are going to want the greater speed of the 1k with its grit that is twice as large as the 2k.

What are you planning to do with razors, complete restoration or maintenance?

The difference between 1k and 2k is not much, but if you plan on doing restoration work where you will be setting a bevel from a bread-knife edge, the 1k, or even lower will come in handy.

The preferred progression is 1,4,8 & 12K, but any of the combinations you described will work, and if you add some Chrome Oxide stropping, the end results will be about the same.

If you are new to honing a smaller jump progression will make your learning curve a bit easier. 95 percent of honing is setting the bevel, then the largest hurdle becomes removing the deep bevel set stria, with the transition stone, were you transition from grinding to polishing. The rest is just polishing.

I would go with the 1, 5, 8k and add the 12 or 16k later. That would give you the largest range.

Shapton’s are aggressive as are quality synthetic stones. If you are starting out and money is the issue look at the Naniwa or Norton stones.

I have the 2000, 5000, and 8000 thpugh the 8k is a HC Glass Stone. I follow it up with a JNat.

The 2k is a fine bevel setter and my default. It's fast and produces a similar scratch pattern to other brands 1k.

I do not know by trial but suspect 5k to 12k with Shaptons is very doable, the stones cut very well even with light pressure.

Cheers, Steve

I'll tell you my experience, as I had a full set of those at one time. The 1k I had was very rough/aggressive. I bought a 2k to go to afterwards to smooth it out, and felt it would have been a better option to begin with, even if it took a bit longer to set the bevel.

The Japanese grit chart is different than the USA. So according to their micron measure a 5k is like a USA 8k and an 8k like a USA 10 or 12k. I don't know how relevant this is, Euclid or Utopian, being more scientific/mathematically minded, could probably comment on it.

Grit chart PDF ............ http://straightrazorpalace.com/advan...tml#post446896

Anyway, I'd probably go with the 2-5-8 since Shapton pros don't have a 4 last time I looked.

The 1k FEELS rough and aggressive, but it does not cut steel in that manner. Yes the 2k feels much smoother but it is also proportionately a much slower bevel setter in comparison to the 1k.

Shapton recommends a doubling of each grit number in a progression. We follow that in the higher grits but blindly ignore it in the lower and more critical lower grits. Norton made a 1k, 4k, 8k so that is what we recite too often on the forum. It works, but I still believe the 1k, 2k,...progression is a better start.

Thanks all for the advice so far!

Euclid, I'm probably going to be doing more maintenance than anything else, but I'm also looking at eventually making a couple of razors myself, but that won't be for a while. Thanks for the pointers on the other options, unfortunately when I last checked, international shipping meant that a set of Naniwas from SRD ended up costing the same as an equivalent set of Shaptons, and the Norton 3 piece set (220/1K and 4K/8K) was the same price as the set I described above!

Jimmy, greatly appreciate the link, makes for some very interesting reading.

Why the Pro's ???

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

Yup, a lot depend on what you plan to do, and how aggressive a bevel setter you will need.

Shapton grit rating is a bit different than other synthetics, but as long as you stay with a Shapton line up, you will be fine. The difference is in the Micron to Grit conversion.

Shapton are maybe a little more aggressive that other synthetics, but really not enough to make a large difference in performance. Certainly nothing a few extra laps on other stones won’t remedy.

All those bundle sets are for tools/knives and always a bit lacking for razors.

Here is a good Shapton lineup chart, from Jende, for the Glass series, but the grits still apply. The razor recommendation is for Japanese carbon steel razors only. I have attached a link for easier reading, here. There is another good chart of the Pro series as well as the Japanese not for export versions, but I can’t find it at the moment, I will post it if I find it.

Here is also a good write up from the Jende site on the Shapton stones for the WEPS and below another good chart on grit rating between Edge Pro, Chosera and Shapton and the link.

Really you could go either way and add stones as needed, either, 1k or 12 or 16K. I the price is right, the discount would offset the cost of the extra stone.

I use a variety of stones from different manufactures in my progressions and don’t go so much for grit rating, as much as performance on the steel.

For me, the Bevel setter, the Transition stone and the Finisher are the key stones, the rest don’t matter much.