Quote Originally Posted by edhewitt View Post
So based on these prices and what was said earlier about getting through 2 or 3 to get a good one a naniwa 12k 10mm thick os sounding like a good deal. And lapping takes about 5 mins
Well, in all fairness naturals are a gamble to start with. And his first was cracked. It's replacement was stolen by someone he sent it to for surface preparation (my guess would be that means it was a good rock). And the one he bought to replace that still hasn't been prepped and tested properly. So either of the two he already had could be great finishers (if you like slow naturals).

I've only bought one of these. It took about an hour to lap the rougher side. I had the advantage of a DMT 325 this time. The Norton lapping stone doesn't do a #@%$ thing to these stones, and sand paper is hardly better. If I were going to use it as a finisher I'd probably still have an hour of DMT scratch removal, polishing, and burnishing to do, but this is going to be the rough/slurry side so the DMT scratches will be advantageous.

The Naniwa still wins on 2 fronts - easier/faster to lap, and gets the job done faster. Cost...I would say the jury is out. There's still the ever present possibility of getting a 'bad' hone - or just one that differs from mine (which requires prep like an Arkansas stone to function properly).