Thread: New Shapton 8K is nice

That's pretty good guys, thanks. Some pretty sensible suggestion there and I won't lay out for the 12 just yet. Although Marshal, I like the idea of "too bitey"... too sharp sounds most appealing
Thanks again

Well, that's why I say it isn't necessarily bad. Some guys prefer it. As witn all things straight shaving related YMMV.

When I first got into straights and honing I had made a comment saying I couldnt believe there was such a thing as too sharp or keen to shave with as i wanted a keen as possible. Than Outback sent me a razor to test and the stone he honed it on. It didnt matter how lightly i went with the shave, it was dangerously keen. Now Im not one to get weapers very often. Next to never really, but this edge showed me I was wrong when it came to the idea of too keen. After a couple thousand laps on the strop and 4 to 5 shaves it was safe enough to shave with.

So take it from me, there is such a thing as too much!

I'm in the same boat as far as keen as possible goes. I do not want a blade that I have to be careful with landing it on my face to start a stroke with and wind up getting a hairline weeper. Along with too keen usually comes harsh also.

I know my edges are not as keen as possible but they allow me a daily 4 pass shave with no discomfort which I can live with. I do not hone for others so that type of keen and smooth is just fine for me.

As Marshal said YMMV in all things shaving.

Bob

Originally Posted by Gasman

When I first got into straights and honing I had made a comment saying I couldnt believe there was such a thing as too sharp or keen to shave with as i wanted a keen as possible. Than Outback sent me a razor to test and the stone he honed it on. It didnt matter how lightly i went with the shave, it was dangerously keen. Now Im not one to get weapers very often. Next to never really, but this edge showed me I was wrong when it came to the idea of too keen. After a couple thousand laps on the strop and 4 to 5 shaves it was safe enough to shave with.

So take it from me, there is such a thing as too much!

Yeah, the lines can blur as well. 8k is a good balance for me, lately I've been perfectly content to shave off a Swaty barber hone stropped with linen and leather. Nothing fancy to it.

The 12k Pro is tricky. A handful of laps got me an edge that was perfectly comfortable by my standard, and very keen. But I learned I needed a much lighter touch, so you could say my ability to hone had outstripped my ability to shave. A few laps too many and the shave becomes harsh, requiring a few hundred laps on linen and leather to tame. An experiment with .25 micron CBN (equivalent of a 60k hone if I recall correctly) left me with a comfortable shave and almost the keenest edge I've ever experienced. Meanwhile CrOx typically feels harsh and I don't care for the stuff despite it not being as keen. It's hard to argue with the hundreds of shavers that use and enjoy it though. .1 micron FeOx (equivalent of an over 100K grit hone) really needed to be tamed, and I think the edge of the test razor wound up too thin and wore off leaving a fairly harsh shave after a bit.

At the moment, rather than chasing that blend of keen and comfortable, I've been chasing speed and comfort. Spending a half hour or more chasing that perfect edge every time a blade needs a tune up can be fun, but there's something to be said for noticing your blade needs a refresh, reaching into the shave cabinet for the barber hone, giving your razor 4 to 8 licks, and still knocking out your shave in 10 minutes or less.

Originally Posted by Marshal

I was thinking about it and there's a strong possibility the holes are a recent addition. My Norton stones are only 2 years old, maybe less. Just assuming by your join date your Norton set likely predates mine. Nothing a quarter inch drill bit couldn't resolve though.
.....

I had three Nortons. Two were vented blue plastic cases and the OLD 4/8K combo did not have vents.