If you had to do it all over again — would you still have gotten an Escher?

If I had to start over again? Well, I would sit down with Bart, let him show me how to use a hone, then buy a hone, and that would be that. And I honestly could not care less which one it was, as long as it was vintage. Call me OCD'ed, but honing a vintage razor with a synthetic hone, or one not from the region (ie Belgium, or Germany) feels wrong.

Oh, and yes, one hone. Not two, or fifteen (that was the most I ever owned). One. It is enough, and it should be enough for anyone who does not hone professionally, in which case consistence, speed, and ease of use play a more important role than nostalgia.

I'd rather save up for a 5 x 3. I really like that size. I might be persuaded by a 6 x 1,5, but a 5 x 3 just hits the spot, for me.

I wonder, if anyone has a black or translucent ark, how the edges compare.

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Originally Posted by RobinK

Oh, and yes, one hone. Not two, or fifteen (that was the most I ever owned). One. It is enough, and it should be enough for anyone who does not hone professionally, in which case consistence, speed, and ease of use play a more important role than nostalgia.

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Yes, this is very true. But you're assuming only a pragmatic purpose/shaver's perspective. For me at least, I like hones as much or more than razors. I'd rather have one razor I liked and 20 hones to experiment with. I've got two more coming in the mail right now. lol.

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Originally Posted by J743

I'd rather save up for a 5 x 3. I really like that size. I might be persuaded by a 6 x 1,5, but a 5 x 3 just hits the spot, for me.

I wonder, if anyone has a black or translucent ark, how the edges compare.

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Your best bet is a 5 x 2.5. That is the size I have and it is really a nice size. I started on the 5 x 1 and it worked great too actually teaches you a good technique since it is small. Did they make a 5 x 3? They are not cheap though. Everyone that has sold lately went for 2 to 5 times what I paid.

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Originally Posted by Frankenstein

Yes, this is very true. But you're assuming only a pragmatic purpose/shaver's perspective. For me at least, I like hones as much or more than razors. I'd rather have one razor I liked and 20 hones to experiment with. And I've got two more coming in the mail right now. lol.

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And that is the beauty of this hobby: something for everyone. I hate honing more than ironing shirts. But if I have to do it, I want to do it in style. And get it over with, as fast as humanly possible. I know people who find honing relaxing, or even a replacement for meditation. And that is great.

Eschers/Thuringians are by far my favorite/go to finisher. Super easy to use and always give an amazing edge. I've owned them in every color. I recently sold my last labeled "Escher" brand thuri this week but still have several others. I have a boxed/labeled Fassbinder & Co in dark Blue/Blue-green range (believe to be blue green but just says Dunkel so could be either), a LG bout I bought from Peter that I love, and now a boxed Genuine that was lucky to find in Yellow-Green (most are Blue with some rare greens mixed in) that I use all the time. Frankly I HATE selling any of my stones but since I just made a huge purchase reasoning dictated that I needed to clear house to say my bank account lol. If I could I would have keep every Thuri i've ever owned. They are great stones. Of course getting a deal on one is always amazing if possible.

I also have a Thuringian bout that equals my Escher in every way. So yes, the Escher is well worth the money performance-wise, but I probably would not bite at today's prices.

Only one regret is getting my light yg transition 7" thuri, he conned me into giving a 1000$(now) razor for a 200$(or less rock). I love the rock but it still hurts to get burned that bad. If he made it right that would be great and no hard feelings.

I own 20 including slurry stones probably, some of my favorites.

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Originally Posted by DireStraights

Only one regret is getting my light yg transition 7" thuri, he conned me into giving a 1000$(now) razor for a 200$(or less rock). I love the rock but it still hurts to get burned that bad. If he made it right that would be great and no hard feelings.

I own 20 including slurry stones probably, some of my favorites.

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Ouch! If it helps any, being duped/separated from your money somehow is part of the process. I'm sure I've spent close to a grand on the silly 'global shipping program' alone. And all I get from that is extended delivery times, and a box that is usually 10 times bigger than whatever is inside it! lol. And then there are the razors that have been beautifully photographed but mediocre at best in the hand, and the vintage hones which have been described as 'finishers/great condition' which in reality were just normal or had a crack or line going through them.

But a boxed/labelled Escher is a boxed/labelled Escher. There's nothing to argue about there. And a boxed and labelled 5x2.5 went yesterday on the bay for $270. (I bid $265, lol).

No Eschers. A Boker Barber's Delight.
Absolutely no regrets.The price was right, and the edges just seem to get better and better the more you hone with it.
Cotis and Arks seem to have a steeper learning curve, this just worked straight out of the box.
Thankfully it wasn't immaculate with a label intact, so I actually use it.