Thread: eBay hones have you tired these

That post is in no way meant to denigrate naturals, the the ILR hones mind you. Just pointing out something that comes up quite often, Naturals can't be grit rated as they are not made in a uniform and controlled environment. And often times the grit rating is inflated. Bigger numbers look better there's no 2 ways about it.

I was also pointing out that grit rating is irrelevant anyway. Shapton makes a 30k stone, but most razors can't handle an edge that fine. And even if the razor can handle it, most people will not find the edge comfortable - and at the end of the day that is what matters - the comfort of the shave. Same reason we generally only use diamond hones for repairs, then set the bevel on a norton/naniwa/shapton/king and progress from there. Sure they make things sharp. They even have 8k diamond hones. You aren't going to like shaving off them though. Too harsh, much razor burn, no bueno.

That said, it seems like an unknown quantity. I haven't seen anything about them in my usual hang outs. It'll be interesting to see what people make of them. Hopefully they turn our as good as the maker claims.

Originally Posted by SirMike

The ILR as seen or should I say shown by a guy that knows honing shows magnified photo's to compare the edge from that to edges of other stones with actual ratings you can tell that the edge is better than the grit rating they state! That is how he states it looks like a much better/finer edge than the 12-15k. I do understand what you are saying about natural stones and tend to agree that the rating is just a ball park but it can be a low or high ball park at that!

OK so Dr. Matt's ILR is a very fine stone. Still can't quantify a grit of a natural no matter how that edge looks. As much as I like and respect Dr. Matt.. one "test" isn't enough to confirm all ILR are as fine as his.

Originally Posted by Utopian

We'll see how you feel after you have honed on a dozen of them!

And lapped a dozen....

Originally Posted by SirMike

Not sure what you exactly mean but the ILR as seen by a guy that knows honing shows magnified photo's to compare the edge from that to edges of other stones with actual ratings you can tell that the edge is better than the grit rating they state! If you mean that he doesn't disclose where he gets them from, that is not really a concern of a buyer!

Really ? I'd like to know if I was paying Xx the price for a Chinese slate with an Italian name.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...ml#post1441053

First, you really don't actually emphasize the point more by posting the same thing twice in two sequential posts.

Second, regarding the provenance, it is a concern when the vendor A) repeatedly changed the story about the origin of the hone and B) went on a long binge of anonymously reviewing his own product here without disclosing that he was the vendor.

Basically, it goes to a matter of character. No, that does not have an impact on the quality of the hone, but if the guy is calling a rock The Traverse City Hone, would it bother you if he was actually buying it from China? Would it bother you if he joined the forum and started asking a lot of questions about the hone, started multiple threads about the hone, and pretended simply that he was a random user of that hone while never disclosing that he was in fact the vendor of that hone?

Well, it bothered me.

It also makes me distrust any claim that he makes about the hone and that includes any useless claim that he may make about the grit rating of his hone.

No wonder I'd never heard of these. Seems like the vendor caused quite a ruckus with his antics and put a bad taste in people's mouth regarding his product.

I saw Dr Matt's video. I've also seen Keith V. Johnson's. 2 experienced honers, 2 different rocks, 2 (very) different results. I've also read reports of them being everywhere between. Highlights the fact that naturals aren't made in a controlled environment. Each hone will be an entity unto itself with it's own quirks and foibles.

Originally Posted by Marshal

No wonder I'd never heard of these. Seems like the vendor caused quite a ruckus with his antics and put a bad taste in people's mouth regarding his product.

I saw Dr Matt's video. I've also seen Keith V. Johnson's. 2 experienced honers, 2 different rocks, 2 (very) different results. I've also read reports of them being everywhere between. Highlights the fact that naturals aren't made in a controlled environment. Each hone will be an entity unto itself with it's own quirks and foibles.

I completely agree that no two naturals are the same and that grit rating on them is only a guess at best but hopefully based on the seller's experience.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Really ? I'd like to know if I was paying Xx the price for a Chinese slate with an Italian name.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...ml#post1441053

Originally Posted by Utopian

First, you really don't actually emphasize the point more by posting the same thing twice in two sequential posts.

Second, regarding the provenance, it is a concern when the vendor A) repeatedly changed the story about the origin of the hone and B) went on a long binge of anonymously reviewing his own product here without disclosing that he was the vendor.

Basically, it goes to a matter of character. No, that does not have an impact on the quality of the hone, but if the guy is calling a rock The Traverse City Hone, would it bother you if he was actually buying it from China? Would it bother you if he joined the forum and started asking a lot of questions about the hone, started multiple threads about the hone, and pretended simply that he was a random user of that hone while never disclosing that he was in fact the vendor of that hone?

Well, it bothered me.

It also makes me distrust any claim that he makes about the hone and that includes any useless claim that he may make about the grit rating of his hone.

I can see what you are saying about the owner or owners or their business practice if that is the case based on the thread. I am only defending the rock itself as it is a very good rock at around $40.

Originally Posted by Utopian

First, you really don't actually emphasize the point more by posting the same thing twice in two sequential posts.

Second, regarding the provenance, it is a concern when the vendor A) repeatedly changed the story about the origin of the hone and B) went on a long binge of anonymously reviewing his own product here without disclosing that he was the vendor.

Basically, it goes to a matter of character. No, that does not have an impact on the quality of the hone, but if the guy is calling a rock The Traverse City Hone, would it bother you if he was actually buying it from China? Would it bother you if he joined the forum and started asking a lot of questions about the hone, started multiple threads about the hone, and pretended simply that he was a random user of that hone while never disclosing that he was in fact the vendor of that hone?

Well, it bothered me.

It also makes me distrust any claim that he makes about the hone and that includes any useless claim that he may make about the grit rating of his hone.

What a read. I wish he wasnt like that. Bigeasy or whatever his name was. Man. Bad reputation fer sure. Sorry to reopen that can of worms. Just was curious myself on the stones. I think I still will get one and try it out but this has been interesting.

Sent from my XT1096 using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by Jay123

What a read. I wish he wasnt like that. Bigeasy or whatever his name was. Man. Bad reputation fer sure. Sorry to reopen that can of worms. Just was curious myself on the stones. I think I still will get one and try it out but this has been interesting.

Sent from my XT1096 using Tapatalk

I have a lot of hones because I like to experiment/play with them, but I won't ever buy that hone because I'm not willing to reward that guy's behavior with even a single dollar.