Thread: Blue Escher / BD Escher and Water of Ayr Similarities??

So for some fun, I've been refreshing a few razors on the Escher Barber's Delight and decided to do some comparisons for the fun of it.

I'm certainly no expert in honing, I get by for my needs, but for this, we're talking some laps on the Nani 12k and then to the finishing stone...easy peasey.

So the reason the Water of Ayr stone is here, while I found the edge of the Blue Escher very nice, the edge I'm used to, the Barber's Delight was similar, except it felt much, "brighter", very "keen" edge, nothing to mellow about it at all, but it certainly didn't feel sharp, that scary sharp you end up with sometimes. In fact, what struck me was that this would be the edge I'd think a barber would want for his customers, very consistent, without feeling like a scalpel was being put on your face, but nice and sharp. So calling the stone, "The Barber's Delight" makes perfect sense...guess there's a reason they called the stone that....LOL!

Very smooth, but I certainly felt the edge had a very active feeling of "sharpness", something that usually doesn't stand out with the uber smooth Blue Escher...at least for me.

The edge from the Barber's Delight nagged at me until I figured out why.

The Barber's Delight is somewhat similar to the edge from the Water of Ayr, without the "too sharp" feeling the WOA stone seems to give me. With the WOA stone, it took a shave or two and some strop time to mellow the edge, and at that point, it felt much like the Escher Barber's Delight. Found that very interesting, as the first couple of times with the WOA, I noticed it was a scary sharp edge, too sharp almost, perhaps I did too many laps, something next time I use it I will do less of, but the similarities were striking, at least for me.

I'd read that the WOA stone had some comparison to the Escher, I'd agree, potentially minus the "mellow" part, at least right off the stones.

Anyhow, thought I'd share some observations.....

I really, really want a Water of Ayr hone... gor the rest. They are so rare! I been hunting them for years...


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Originally Posted by Kristian

I really, really want a Water of Ayr hone... gor the rest. They are so rare! I been hunting them for years...


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Here's a pic of the Water of Ayr side of the stone....was impressed with this stone from the start.

It's so beautiful. I found a eBay action from Australia, but I lost in the last second... [emoji4]


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Thank you for posting. I have known but a few other members with a WOA. I had one years ago and bought it to a UK Razorcon in London, 2010. I also had a genuine Barber's Delight, a dark blue Escher, other Thurigians and various coticules and other stones.

I found the WOA to be akin if not slightly better than a good coticule (ignoring the rare super fine variety of vintage coticule which may rival a Thuringian) but not as fine or able to impart an edge as smooth as Thurignian (or Escher, they're all Thuringians). I sold it a few years ago since it could not bridge the gap between a bevel setter (or 4k) and a finisher, as some of my coticules could, nor was it able to rival my other finishers.

YMMV since I only tested one WOA, and cannot say whether specimens are consistent but I do recall corresponding with the great late Neil Miller about WOAs (he was a gentleman and had more knowledge on UK naturals than anyone IMHO) and believe he agreed that while a fine finisher, the WOA was not in the same league as Thuringians.

One thing I do remember and also remember others commenting at the Razorcon is that the WOA had very low density for its size. It did not have comparable weight even to its cousins, the TOA and Dalmore Blue.

Originally Posted by Scipio

Thank you for posting. I have known but a few other members with a WOA. I had one years ago and bought it to a UK Razorcon in London, 2010. I also had a genuine Barber's Delight, a dark blue Escher and other Thurigians and various coticules.

I found the WOA to be akin to a good coticule but not as fine or able to impart an edge as smooth as Thurignian (or Escher, they're all Thuringians). I sold it a few years ago since it could not bridge the gap between a bevel setter or a 4k, as an Escher can, nor was it able to rival my other finishers.

YMMV since I only tested one WOA, but I do recall corresponding with the great late Neil Miller about WOAs (he was a gentleman and had more knowledge on UK naturals than anyone IMHO) and believe he agreed that while a fine finisher, the WOA was not in the same league as Thuringians.

Thank-you....interesting, I've heard of, but never read up on the idea of using a Thuri (Escher) after the 4k or bevel set and taking it all the way.

I'm gathering you could use slurry diluting as you go all the way to finishing using an Escher? I'd heard of that with Coti's, something I'll have to look up and read up on using an Escher (Thuri), any suggestions you have or links would be greatly appreciated.

Originally Posted by Phrank

Thank-you....interesting, I've heard of, but never read up on the idea of using a Thuri (Escher) after the 4k or bevel set and taking it all the way.

Phrank, I edited my post, since I meant to put that a coticule can bridge the gap, and did not mean Thuri! Having said that, and a totally different topic, I seem to remember someone did post about going from a bevel setter straight to a Thuri using heavy slurry and a dilucot type method if the Thuri is large enough as some Eschers are. The reasons I think it is not recommended is that Eschers are expensive and it would wear them down using heavy slurry (though I am not convinced they would ever be materially worn down in one's lifetime) and coticules/Jnats are far quicker at this.

Glen has videos of using Thuris after setting a bevel.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cL1PCgN1tn4

I was browsing my pictures and found a couple of my old WOA. Sorry about the pics, was using my phone camera at the time, and cameras one phones have rapidly evolved since! Enjoy

Originally Posted by Scipio

Phrank, I edited my post, since I meant to put that a coticule can bridge the gap, and did not mean Thuri! Having said that, and a totally different topic, I seem to remember someone did post about going from a bevel setter straight to a Thuri using heavy slurry and a dilucot type method if the Thuri is large enough as some Eschers are. The reasons I think it is not recommended is that Eschers are expensive and it would wear them down using heavy slurry (though I am not convinced they would ever be materially worn down in one's lifetime) and coticules/Jnats are far quicker at this.

Thanks - this one has a TOS on the other side.

I've also refresh a razor using the Nani 12k, then the TOS, and then the WOA.

I've had a about 4 or 5 razors, that for me at least, came out very sharp with the WOA, "harsh" would be the description, but as you say, YMMV....this stone was NOS when I received it locally, but that's the great thing about this hobby, more experimentation is always fun.