Thread: Zulu Grey

Bought a Zulu Grey last year, loved it, didn't love it, put it away for 8 months, took it out again, lapped the backside with loose grit and left it at that texture, now I can't stop using it.... great hone, great finisher/polisher and this particular stone is fast, compared to my other naturals.

Good natural hones are great, so are good synthetics. I revisited my Naniwa 12K as an experiment to see just how good an edge I can get off it now. It's really nice, not quite as nice as perhaps a couple of my favourite naturals, but plenty nice for shaving and much faster. One thing I have noticed though.... I always seem to get a synthetic hone right off the bat, naturals have this on again, off again sort of thing until I figure them out.

My advice.... When you just cannot improve on the edge from a good quality synthetic hone (with very little to no work on pasted strops), and you are starting to feel bored, that would be a good time to think about playing with naturals. They will not instantly improve your edges... they take time to learn, and if you have already figured out how to eke every last bit of sharpness/smoothness out of your synthetic, a natural can be fun to play with and you can always get a great edge off your synthetic if you are having some issues with your natural.

There is no *instant* gratification with natural hones (well... maybe with one of those thousand dollar+ Jnats), be prepared for a learning curve and possibly less than great edges... GSSixgun's tag line is accurate and true:

"No amount of money spent on a Stone can ever replace the value of the time it takes learning to use it properly"

Kaptain zero. You got me. Ordering my ZG now...

Thank you very much.

Originally Posted by kaptain_zero

There is no *instant* gratification with natural hones (well... maybe with one of those thousand dollar+ Jnats), be prepared for a learning curve and possibly less than great edges...

Even those will not magically hone a razor against the skill level of the honer. If the bevel is not set correctly even a 10 million dollar stone will not produce a shaving edge.

Originally Posted by mainaman

Even those will not magically hone a razor against the skill level of the honer. If the bevel is not set correctly even a 10 million dollar stone will not produce a shaving edge.

Well... to be picky now.... I didn't say a $1000+ Jnat would magically hone a razor, I said it *might* bring instant gratification, which *tongue in cheek* means holding a pretty looking $1000 rock in yer hands *might* bring instant gratification, all by itself, no razor required! <grin>

Originally Posted by Carlospppena

Kaptain zero. You got me. Ordering my ZG now...

Thank you very much.

But but but...... I thought I was trying to talk you out of it?!?!?!?

Just kidding.... ZG are nice rocks at a good price.

Originally Posted by kaptain_zero

But but but...... I thought I was trying to talk you out of it?!?!?!?

Just kidding.... ZG are nice rocks at a good price.

HILARIOUS...!!! Jajajaj...!!!

Btw, they are 50% off! >:-) buajajaja!!!

Originally Posted by kaptain_zero

Well... to be picky now.... I didn't say a $1000+ Jnat would magically hone a razor, I said it *might* bring instant gratification, which *tongue in cheek* means holding a pretty looking $1000 rock in yer hands *might* bring instant gratification, all by itself, no razor required! <grin>

There would be that moment (or a few) where you look down and realize 'I paid $1000 for a @#$% ROCK!'

Originally Posted by kelbro

There would be that moment (or a few) where you look down and realize 'I paid $1000 for a @#$% ROCK!'

Dear Kelbro;

We all have paid much more for a heartbreak...

And compared to other hobbies, this one is relatively cheap... compared to sailboat racing, casino gambling, art collecting and many others. And at the end of the day, we all have to shave... jeje.

So, a jnat its not expensive. It is costly, you are right. But not compared to the joy some people extract from it.

Best regards,

Pepe Peña




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've been using mine now for just about a year. Absolutely love it! And it's easier to use than you might suspect. Mine is extremely smooth, as most are that I've touched. It will deliever a very smooth shave. Basic honing skills should be acquired first. But don't be deterred.

This will blow your mind. Try this, or not: after you get comfortable with the stone, hone on it dry.

Originally Posted by kaptain_zero

Well... to be picky now.... I didn't say a $1000+ Jnat would magically hone a razor, I said it *might* bring instant gratification, which *tongue in cheek* means holding a pretty looking $1000 rock in yer hands *might* bring instant gratification, all by itself, no razor required! <grin>

I thought we are talking razors and hones which implies that they will be used together to produce desirable results. I do not see how an expensive rock will make someone feel better just because of the price tag if the function is is not there.