Thread: Ozuku Asagi (Koppa)

Just want to throw it out there...chef knives to go has in stock the Ozuku Asagi (Koppa) stones. I got on the email list notification about 3 months ago and got a bump today. Much to the wife's delight, I have a new stone on the way.

Looks a great buy mate. The Koppa, are a bit like coticule 'bouts', odd sized bits, but you can get a good one, with luck. I looked deeply at the jnat market, and ended up buying a full sized Ozuku Asagi double sided 1.6kg stone that is a great hone to sharpen razors. Thing is they are expensive, but this one will last me generations. (photo on 'hone of the day pages 167). I've been in the garage with a sleeping bag when it arrived....lol, but I'd love to see you get a good one, and show us when you can.

I have no concerns with what I end up with because I plan on using it as a rub stone if it turns out to be less than ideal to use by itself. I will share pictures either way on what I end up with.

I think you will be fine with one of those. I've heard good things about them even from guys who have "expensive" JNats.

Originally Posted by eKretz

I think you will be fine with one of those. I've heard good things about them even from guys who have "expensive" JNats.

I have one of those...... a nice rather irregularly shaped bout. It had several inclusions.......two bad ones, so I wasted one DMT getting rid of them. But, when all done, I was rewarded with a mostly great prefinisher, that can also finish some blades with a coticule-like smooth finish much sharper than cotis, provided after several slurry dilutions you finish with 30-40 laps with water. It also serves as a great tomo to my finer Nakayamas. Definitely worth it! Just wished you could pick your own shape!

Tell me I'm cautious. 'irregularly shaped bout with two bad inclusions, took wearing out a dmt to get rid of them, and ended up either a rubbing stone, or pre-finisher, or Tomo for a fine Nakayama. ' put a sharper coticule like edge....... Always risky buying a natural without photo or description. I'm sure there are some good ones, but buy with eyes open.

Originally Posted by bobski

Tell me I'm cautious. 'irregularly shaped bout with two bad inclusions, took wearing out a dmt to get rid of them, and ended up either a rubbing stone, or pre-finisher, or Tomo for a fine Nakayama. ' put a sharper coticule like edge....... Always risky buying a natural without photo or description. I'm sure there are some good ones, but buy with eyes open.

Agreed. Especially with respect to irregularly shaped ones, I want to see a picture and get some dimensions to be sure it'll suite my purposes at the very least. Razors are finicky creatures.

Well...that guy over at the whipped dog makes a good business selling sight unseen straights for a great price (just not the one I returned.) This is kinda the same thing. The cost is low because they don't have to post pictures and fiddle with assessing each stone. There is a chance that you will get a $100 bout...and there is a chance you get a $30 bout. It's a gamble. I've already gone through buying the Jnat with the dozen or so pictures with a page of information on the mine and type of stone. Gone back and forth with the vendor with questions, etc. For me, right now in my honing inventory, I'm ready to take a gamble. Like I said before, if it's a dog, I can break it up into some rub stones. You never know, you might get a superb finisher at a fraction of the price (kind of like the one I have coming in the mail). LOL

Originally Posted by bobski

Tell me I'm cautious. 'irregularly shaped bout with two bad inclusions, took wearing out a dmt to get rid of them, and ended up either a rubbing stone, or pre-finisher, or Tomo for a fine Nakayama. ' put a sharper coticule like edge....... Always risky buying a natural without photo or description. I'm sure there are some good ones, but buy with eyes open.

Precisely! You are taking a chance not seeing what you are getting. No picture, no info on toxic inclusions, no idea on hardness, friability etc..... you are going on faith that you might be getting something usuable. The upside here is the price, and the overall reputation of this seller that consistently seems to deliver quality in general, as long as you have realistic expectations! Of course, getting any jnat from anywhere you also accept the fact that natural stones are what they are, all different! The comment on "coticule like edges" is meant to portray a positive outcome. The edge is very smooth, not biting ("coti-like") unlike other jnats, and sharper than any coti I have seen. So yes, got lucky,with a very desirable stone profile for some of my blades....not all of them.

Still, taking a picture and having customers select the shape should be the minimum for this seller to provide, even at the cheap price. Yet, I still think what you get is well worth it!

Originally Posted by Blamo

Well...that guy over at the whipped dog makes a good business selling sight unseen straights for a great price (just not the one I returned.) This is kinda the same thing. The cost is low because they don't have to post pictures and fiddle with assessing each stone. There is a chance that you will get a $100 bout...and there is a chance you get a $30 bout. It's a gamble. I've already gone through buying the Jnat with the dozen or so pictures with a page of information on the mine and type of stone. Gone back and forth with the vendor with questions, etc. For me, right now in my honing inventory, I'm ready to take a gamble. Like I said before, if it's a dog, I can break it up into some rub stones. You never know, you might get a superb finisher at a fraction of the price (kind of like the one I have coming in the mail). LOL

Somehow I had a feeling when I wrote that someone would bring up Whipped Dog. A sight Unseen vintage straight is still a vintage straight. As long as he doesn't send me something that reads 'Pakistan' or a razor that looks like someone tried to chop a curb with it, I can make it into something useful even if the vendor failed to sharpen it adequately. I suppose that applies to something like this as well, some folks may be able to break up a not so great bout into perfectly useful (for them) rub stones. I suppose I'm guilty of looking at it through the lens of someone that has enough rub stones, but can't seem to get enough hones.