I am using the shapton professional stones and just wanting to know what you would recommend after finishing with the 12k?
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I am using the shapton professional stones and just wanting to know what you would recommend after finishing with the 12k?
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Stropping and a pleasant shave!Quote:
Originally Posted by Swigzell
~Richard
Cheers, wasn't really sure I needed more than that. Though I would check that's all.Quote:
Originally Posted by Geezer
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+1 to Richards suggestion..
Enjoy.
I have not had a higher grit than 12k not even crox strop, but 12k is awesome. In my opinion, plenty on the finish.
12k is top notch shave. If you have money you want to burn and enjoy honing ask a honemiester about having some of your razors finished on different finishers so you can see what you like. Just know not all naturals are the same
I would say 12K is good, lots of guys go out to 16K-30K and I honestly have not gone past a JNAT or Coticule finish except when I play around with some .5 CrOx and .25 Diamond paste but under normal day to day edges a JNAT finish is very acceptable.
Suehiro 20k. To me it's the last word on hones. I have no interest in buying anything else. And I've been hold course with this setup for at least two years now. Highly recommend it.
Out of curiosity before the 20K what stone are you using, 12k ?Quote:
Originally Posted by OCDshaver
Yes, 12k SS.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jnatcat
This. Sounds like you've got all you need.Quote:
Originally Posted by Geezer
12 to 20 would be nice, my progression is 4-8-JNAT, it been suggested I try a 12 but I honestly don't need another stone, well unless it's a JNAT :rofl2:Quote:
Originally Posted by OCDshaver
If you are still looking at options, you'll probably need to make one. Once i got the 20K my search was over.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jnatcat
As others have said, 12k is sufficient for razor finishing. If you wanted to explore edges that feel different, following the 12k with a natural stone might be an option for you. The usual suspects are Thuringians, Japanese naturals, or a good hard, fine coti.
The Suehiro 20k or the Shapton 30k (0.50 and 0.49 microns) are about the only synthetic options other than pastes.
Cheers, Steve
I think Geezer nailed it. If you want to try some naturals they can slip in very briefly after the 12k or more to my likely instead of the 12K.
I agree: for different feel you can try naturals. Otherwise the 12k is enough. I wouldn't recommend you to buy the 30k, as particle-size-wise it's the same as CrOx, but much more expensive. I do usually use CrOx on a paddle after the 12k, but it's more a matter of habit than necessity.Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve56
Yea you can stop there or if you want to get sucked into HAD then there are many stones. Zulu ,thuri and black arkie just to name a few.
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Both my Naniwa and Shapton 12k give me amazing shaves. I do like what a Thuringian hone does to those edges to refine it just a touch (a little smoother), but I wouldn't complain if the 12ks were all I had to finish with.
Coticules, Welsh Slates, Cnat, Ocean Blue, Jnats, sundry barber hones...Quote:
Originally Posted by nicknbleeding
Best (most wallet friendly) piece of advice you can get - Don't contract HAD.
First up, your 12k pro HNK must give you a super close shave. After that all you can look at is a slightly 'smoother edge'. Talking 1% or 2 %. Not much but it's what we chase in this hunt.
You can experiment with pastes for the cheapest option or any number of naturals or 20-30k stones.
You are, of course, welcome to drop by & try my 20k before you outlay big $'s.
At 10K or 12k any improvement depends on technique more than the grit of the hone.Quote:
Originally Posted by Swigzell
The shapton hones are FAST. Use a light hand and not too many strokes.
Some hones want 25-60 strokes.
Shapton... shave test after five hone strokes and a calm smooth visit to the strop.
It all depends on what kind of shave you prefer...edge wise. The sinthetics provide a sharp and relatively smooth edge if your technique is right. They have the advantage of delivering consistent results on most steels and beeing relatively easy to master.
I would recomend if you began on the sinthetic path go all the way up to a suehiro 20k. It is worth it in the long time...
The natural hone game is another story.
To begin with they have variations in quality and performance.
Most people that own naturals usualy keep what they like best or what fits their honing skills and sell the rest. This is why you always find a wide array of natural hones for sale.(How many used suehiro 20k hones or Chosere you find for sale?...or Shapton for that matter:)
There are gems out there but you have to know what to look for.
And once you get one you have to learn to use it...and that's a little bit harder then...''i did 20 passes but the edge is not there yet so i'll do 20 more''
The trip down the rabbit hone(hole) has cost me thousonds of$$$ and in the end I kept a chosera line up to 5k...a kuromaku line up to 8k...2jnats...3coticules...an escher...and a suehiro 20k...and I stopped here because I could no longer feel the need for improvement...
That is if you dont go to the cbn sprays and poli diamond strops...
In the end it all depends on where you want to go and how much you mean to inveest in the process.
This game is adictive and you have to be aware that some of us are just chasing the pink dragon :)
12 k is perfectly fine to stop and strop.
If you are realy curious...make a habit of sending one razor to a renowned hone guy that can finish it on various stones...send the same razor every time...to the same guy...so you have a clear point of reference...sending diffrent razors to diffrent honers may be misleeding as steel and skill play an important role in the outcome.
You may end up spending more this way then on a quaily hone...but you will spend 2-4times a year a small amount.
I like every part of this, well said !!Quote:
Originally Posted by ovidiucotiga
Mate, I'd say chill out on your 12 k for a good six months, and be able to repeat your results before buying say a Suehiro Gokumyo 20k and even longer before trying to work out naturals. I'm about 150k's north of Oz and am in Sydney a fair bit, one day we could catch up and have a chat about these things. Bob.
Hey bob. Yeah that sounds good. Would be great.Quote:
Originally Posted by bobski
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I go to my Escher for about 5-10 laps under running water. I find it gives me an edge that gives a smoother shave. I then go to my Mastro Livi loom strop and use the chromium oxide side then the skin side. That gives a fantastic shave. The Livi loom strop is my go to when I need a touch up.
Darn my HAD continues to have an itch.Quote:
Originally Posted by OCDshaver
To the original poster "enjoy" ....
The 12K is the hone that put my razors into that love it or hate it sharp as a feather DE range
of harsh and difficult to enjoy range and other times shave like hot knife and butta.
Any hone from 8-12K qualifies as a finisher.
To gain any value from finer hones takes skill and practice not another grit size reduction.
On practice... there is a saying that "practice makes perfect" well that is
not fully true. It turns out that "perfect practice makes perfect."
Enjoy perfecting all the details..
Hone smooth and perfectly.
Strop smooth and perfectly.
Lathering-- that takes practice and perfection too!
And shaving itself... lighter touch ideal angle.
Edges from the crazy ultra fine hones are not forgiving.
I personally have not honed on anything finer than a 12k shapton, following up with a crox paddle strop. I'm sure the 16-30k stones are super but so are their prices!
Folks shaved for decades with the barber hones which are generally around 8k. Some of the best honors I'm told produce a great edge using the famous 4/8 k norton.
That said, if you learn how to use it, a 12k shapton should be more than adequate!
Just my humble opinion!
Stay Sharp!