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

For the record, after many many years of looking, I finally got myself a yellowgreen escher. Would I buy one again? At the price I paid, sure! Would I look for one actively for my personal use.... No!

It's nice, it puts a great edge on my razors, but to me, personally, not good enough to justify the prices asked for these things.

I still have mine, but it will likely go on the "for sale" block in due course as I just don't see enough of a difference to the other hones I have to justify the cost. Don't get me wrong, it's a superb hone, but to me it's just not an "OMG it's the greatest hone ever" kind of hone. It might very well be me.... I tried it ONCE, and that was it! Perhaps I could eak out some more goodness out of it, but honestly, I just wasn't up to the task.

Regards

Kaptain "Jaded" Zero

Originally Posted by Disburden

I know call me crazy! but I get great edges from the stones I have now and if I need a little more UMPF I can just add some pastes at the ending of my honing and get an amazing shave. Natural stones have a romance to them and sometimes we get caught up in the romance.

Give someone who lusts over their genuine Escher or J-cup a rivalling edge using a barber hone and some paste, and the romance is quickly ruined.

Originally Posted by CrownCork

I have never really had a preference. I feel once you hone the edge to shaveable the quality of your stropping takes it to the next level. YMMV and all that. I use natural hones but would never pay what Eschers are going for now. You can get as just a comfortable and keen edge with coticules, JNats, PHIGS, Apaches, Vermont slates etc. followed by a good proper stropping

No matter how expensive and exotic the finishing stone, the last treatment the razor gets is on plain leather.

Originally Posted by Badgister

Give someone who lusts over their genuine Escher or J-cup a rivalling edge using a barber hone and some paste, and the romance is quickly ruined.



No matter how expensive and exotic the finishing stone, the last treatment the razor gets is on plain leather.

You know, in the end, of course, the stropping is absolutely fundamental to the quality of the edge, and thorough stropping is key to a comfortable, smooth shave. Quite a few times I've not stropped a razor enough after a refresh, and I always remark that the first shave after tends to be "sharp" and "harsh", and I know the second shave is always much smoother, and of course it's most likely due to the thorough stropping it gets after the shave and before the next one...sheesh...the obvious once again smashing into harsh articulation...thanks....

This is just my point of view, honing on an escher for me, is like shaving with a W&B or the equivalent, made in the 1850s or so. Like shooting a Colt single action, or a Winchester high wall single shot. A good buddy of mine who loves ARs cannot get over my bringing a single shot rifle to the range. I'm not into dressing up in a cowboy outfit, though there is nothing wrong with that, but I get enjoyment out of using the same tools our forefathers used.

To me honing on an escher, or a vintage coticule is like that. I guess it is nostalgia. BTW, I've always noted that the prices of eschers rise and fall. Right now, on ebay, they are going cheap compared to what they were going for a year or two ago. I had to really restrain myself from buying an 8x2 labelled blue green last week. Guy had it up for $500 BIN and when it didn't go in a few days came down to $450. Still not a great deal. But when he dropped to $350 ....... I had to resist ...... and did.

I've got a 5x2 yellow green, and a 7x1&1/2 blue green. So I didn't need the 8x2 but it is a nice size to have. Anyway, different strokes for different folks.

I agree Jimmy....I personally just find the Escher Water Hones as interesting and fascinating as many of the vintage and antique razors themselves.

I was and am captivated by them, so much so I purchased that NOS B/G Escher Water Hone in the original wooden box for no other reason than it was such a unique item, untouched and kept perfectly for all those decades, and as long as I'm the temporary owner of it for hopefully a few more decades, it will remain so....

Forums like this are what have driven the prices up. The market is not that large. I've watched them double and triple and I would bet that the large majority of buyers read this forum. For that reason, despite being a great stone, I doubt that you will see many posts heaping anything but praise on the stones.

I have 3 Escher and always looking for more at the right price. I also have a large thuringian that I do most of my finishing on. The thing about Escher are they have been sought after since they started mining them. Like it or not they are what all other finishers are compared to. And they ain't making anymore of them.

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[QUOTE=JimmyHAD;1645930]Lots of good stones nowadays, hundred years ago there were many good natural stones too, but not always easily accessible, or even known. At that time, among barbers, it seems these two were the top contenders. This article from Moler's Barber Manual, circa 1926, describes the pros/cons of each of them, along with a couple of early synthetic examples.

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Is the statement about the German hone not over honing true? Does an Escher/Thuringian allow one to make an infinite number of strokes, or just significant more strokes than other hones before the edge deteriorates?

Originally Posted by Leatherstockiings

Is the statement about the German hone not over honing true? Does an Escher/Thuringian allow one to make an infinite number of strokes, or just significant more strokes than other hones before the edge deteriorates?

Well I've never over honed a razor on a thuringan. I remember Randydance attempted to over hone a razor deliberately. I cannot recall if it was on a coticule, or what it was, but IIRC he didn't succeed in over honing. Utopian might remember the occasion.

I think, by power of suggestion if nothing else, I recall someone doing over 500 laps but I'm not certain of any specifics at all regarding the hone or honer.

I have done long honing sessions with coticules and thuringians to do this same sort of test for myself but I did not keep count. I just mindlessly honed away while watching a TV show. Under the microscope and with a shave test, I found no degradation to the edge.