8k synthetic options?

Might be selling my current naniwa 8k (with naniwa 3k I got them as set but they are thin ones and I like to hand hone, Had few close calls better safe then sorry). I was just going to get the thick SS naniwa 8k but wanted to ask if anyone thought I should look at another stone first.

I have plenty of naturals and don't really need the 8k synth. I have chosera 1k, ss5k, and ss 12k (these are regular thick ones)
Although I want 8k synthetic just as benchmark when testing any other naturals that might catch my eye.

Preferably looking for splash and go
was thinking about also looking at shapton water stones or maybe the snow white but I hear it needs to soak. Also I think there is a naniwa fuji that is suppose to be another 8k?

Although at end of day it is just an 8k and I will probably just wait for one on BST or a sale to grab a splash n go 8k that is thick enough for hand honing. I do like to hear what the people of SRP have to say

The Norton 8k stand alone (i.e. not the 4k/8k combo) is thick enough to easily hand hold - it does need some soaking but nowhere near as much as the 4k.

If you can find one of the old Snow Whites that would be ideal. I have heard the new ones are very similar but still not quite the same. I would think any of the brand name 8k's would get you where you want to go though. Good luck!

Yeah, what Maladroit said. If you're a Nani guy you may not be interested in the Norton 8, but I love mine; I even posted about its status for me as a benchmark finisher in another thread-I love the edges it gives me when I take my time and really max it out!

Yea I had the norton 4k/8k when I started and it is a really nice hone I just not a fan of the soaking is all. Thanks for the replies

You appear to like the one you have so I would just get a holder or mount it on a board to give my fingers clearance rather than buying a thicker one.

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Originally Posted by 32t

You appear to like the one you have so I would just get a holder or mount it on a board to give my fingers clearance rather than buying a thicker one.

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Hand honing for life! Also found someone sort of new to honing interested so would be making 2 happy campers. Although if they decide not to get the stones I might just glue the 3k and 8k together(maybe some other backing) so that they are almost normal size.

The same brand you should be safe. The only thing that worries me about gluing is a possible difference in expansion and contraction with different materials.

My S.S. 12k is one of the thin ones. I got a pieces of white granite tile at the hardware store and had a friend cut it to size. Then glued it with epoxy. Its now the same thickness as all the rest of my stones. Easy!

I attached mine to aluminum plates. Works great!!


Attachment 281970

Marble tile here.
Attachment 281985

I really like Shapton kuromaku 8k, it's 8x3x1/2 or close may not be the best for hand honing being that thin. But as mentioned could be glued to a backer.
Price point is great, I like the feel better than the Norton. It's a hard splash and go hone.

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Originally Posted by Robini

I attached mine to aluminum plates. Works great!!

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Woofta, you weren't messing around with those aluminum blanks!

I am glad to hear that people have had good luck attaching their hones to stiff unforgiving backing such as marble and aluminium.

I have never had a problem but have read about hones cracking etc. from swelling and shrinking while getting wet and then drying.
Having a backing that does not expand and contract at the same rate would make the issue worse and that is why I think of that.

I am certainly not disagreeing with the results that have been posted here. I would do it in a heart beat after reading these posts!:tu

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Originally Posted by Christian1

Yea I had the Norton 4k/8k when I started and it is a really nice hone I just not a fan of the soaking is all. Thanks for the replies

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I"ve kept my Norton 4/8 in a water well for years! No it doesn't disintegrate.

As per GSSIXGUN'S instructions I use about a cap full of Regular Chlorine Bleach to a gallon of Distilled Water and change the water about twice a year. Just grab, lap and hone. The same with my King 1200.

Change out if you want but to change out just because of 'Soaking'----:thinking:

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Originally Posted by Christian1

Hand honing for life! Also found someone sort of new to honing interested so would be making 2 happy campers. Although if they decide not to get the stones I might just glue the 3k and 8k together(maybe some other backing) so that they are almost normal size.

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Gluing them together was what I was going to suggest, maybe with a plastic or Plexiglas spacer in between.

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Originally Posted by ejmolitor37

I really like Shapton kuromaku 8k, it's 8x3x1/2 or close may not be the best for hand honing being that thin. But as mentioned could be glued to a backer.
Price point is great, I like the feel better than the Norton. It's a hard splash and go hone.

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I've used the 1.5k and 5k kuromakus hand-held and found them interesting, brittle-feeling hones to use. At ~5/8" thick, I didn't find them difficult to use in the hand, although I always hone with on a completely flat, outstretched palm. Gripping the sides of a stone with the fingers of the off-hand, no matter how thick the stone may be, can risk to have a bad cut if a fingertip glides above the honing surface. (Been there, done that, and won't do that again!) 1/2" thick is still doable, but things do get tight in the 1/4"-3/8" thick range, even with an outstretched palm.

I am very partial to splash and go stones so my 4 and 8k are Shapton GS stones and I love them

M favoured 8K, without doubt, would be the Snow White I love it couldn't live without it.

Attachment 282026

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Originally Posted by celticcrusader

M favoured 8K, without doubt, would be the Snow White I love it couldn't live without it.

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Have you noticed any difference between the old snow whites and the new version?

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Originally Posted by Butzy

Have you noticed any difference between the old snow whites and the new version?

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Butzy, as long as it the one I'm showing in the photo then I'm sure you will be OK, don't buy one unless it's that particular one, It's a really hard stone that needs very little water and it never needs to be soaked.

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Originally Posted by celticcrusader

Butzy, as long as it the one I'm showing in the photo then I'm sure you will be OK, don't buy one unless it's that particular one, It's a really hard stone that needs very little water and it never needs to be soaked.

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The old ones look very very similar but have the stamps in slightly different locations relative to the edges. They discontinued these and the current ones are supposedly the same thing, but I have seen a report of someone saying that they feel different... though i've only heard one person say that so i figured i'd ask. purely a question of curiosity!

yea I have heard same thing about new ones. Just going to wait and see if anything pops up in BST, not in a rush to get another one

I have Norton 8k (full size hone, 5 years old Mexico not USA) a Suehiro Cerax 8k and a Naniwa snow white.

Cerax is fast similar to the snow white for speed but not as hard and need way more water (not loads, just the the Snow White really dont need much)
I do like my Norton the edge looks more polished than with the snow white imho under the loupe, But I have not used the Norton since getting the snow white.

I could do with getting 2 identical razors and use the Norton and Snow White in a shave off, I do have a twin set hone up Hmmmm.

I will try and do this this weekend, and now I am interested to find out for myself, (Plus I have not shaved off an 8k edge)

Maybe not the stones you was interested in but some available options for you to consider I suppose.

Good luck with what ever you choose,

But the bonding the Slim Norton 8k onto something seems like a winner to me, esp if you like what the 8k has done for you, why spend more?

Anyone a fan of the Kitayama 8k? Apparently, it can be used soaked for a muddy, hazy effect, or briefly soaked, splash-and-go, for a more polished effect.

I had a suehiro cerax that I had when I first started honing and now I regret selling it, was a great stone

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Originally Posted by celticcrusader

M favoured 8K, without doubt, would be the Snow White I love it couldn't live without it.

Attachment 282026

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I have this Snow White 8 k I swapped it for the naniwa sp 8 k . Having used the Snow White not any where near jamie I feel under 60x the edge looks kind of hazy and polished to the naked eye. Where as the 8 k naniwas sp looks more polished under 60 x I am not sure if I noticed much difference.

Jamie do you see a hazed polish under magnification ? Just wondering if I have the same Snow White as you I did buy from exact sam.e guy as you....

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Originally Posted by gary haywood

I have this Snow White 8 k I swapped it for the naniwa sp 8 k . Having used the Snow White not any where near jamie I feel under 60x the edge looks kind of hazy and polished to the naked eye. Where as the 8 k naniwas sp looks more polished under 60 x I am not sure if I noticed much difference.

Jamie do you see a hazed polish under magnification ? Just wondering if I have the same Snow White as you I did buy from exact sam.e guy as you....

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I did mention the same findings in my post Gary, regarding the snow white, the Norton 8k for me looks more polished, the SW does have a haze to it.

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Originally Posted by alpla444

I did mention the same findings in my post Gary, regarding the snow white, the Norton 8k for me looks more polished, the SW does have a haze to it.

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If I go from 3 k pro which looks pretty hazy then to 8 k jun the scratch pattern smooths out into more of a haze. Then when I move to the 12 k naniwas I can see that polishes very quickly and less haze.

To be fair I get smooth shaves after 12 k so it must be working well. I remember the norton 8 k polished pretty bright it’s a nice stone loved the feel of it.

I must say I love the feel of the Snow White and to be fair it seems to leave the haze of a natural stone and all us natural stone honers , well in my experience mirror polished edge are not always super smooth.

Have you tried shaving of the 8 k jun?

I did try once and it was not bad. Also not fantastic, I remember the odd time I had some lovely shaves of norton 8 k but that was a while ago. I do find the 12 k naniwas really does makes a difference.

In the US, Chef's Knives to Go sells the original Naniwa Snow White.

Do be aware that these stones have a reputation for cracking, I have a friend that went through 4 of them (yes he liked them). I have one that I lacquered the sides and back and also loosely wrapped it in a kitchen towel after use to slow the drying a bit and it has not cracked. So I sent it to my friend to see if he could break it!

My personal fave is the Shapton Pro/Kuromaku or the Shapton Glass HC.

Cheers, Steve

They are 2 very different stones, I have been contacted by people I know very well who have purchased the wrong stone, then once they buy the right stone they have been shocked at the difference, here are the two stones both are completely different, the Snow white I have is as good as a Chosera 10K. PS the first link is the wrong stone the second link the correct stone.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/nasnwh8.html (WRONG STONE)

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/ornasnwh8k.html (CORRECT STONE)

I have the right one then .

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Originally Posted by gary haywood

I have the right one then .

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Gary, even the description states that the original snow white it's a little finer than the standard Naniwa 8K.

This is the original Naniwa snow white stone (AKA IF-0001 Junpaku). When Naniwa updated their stone selection they offered one under their Traditional stone series that was white and when we asked about it they said it was a replacement for this stone but upon some of my customer's testing they seem to be convinced that the make up of the stone is a little different. So, we decided to offer them both. Word on the street is that this stone is a less thirsty, a little finer and a bit harder than the T-380. The stone measures 200mm x 70mm x 25mm.

this gives an interesting view of some 8k stones, jump to 20mins for the start of the key info (the whole thing is worth the time if you have it)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdjXw_9vFi0

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Originally Posted by DrDalton

this gives an interesting view of some 8k stones, jump to 20mins for the start of the key info (the whole thing is worth the time if you have it)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdjXw_9vFi0

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I can easily shave off my Snow white 8K it's an amazing stone as the guy in the video points out, I agree totally with his findings I've been using it for years, probably longer than he has.

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Originally Posted by Maladroit

The Norton 8k stand alone (i.e. not the 4k/8k combo) is thick enough to easily hand hold - it does need some soaking but nowhere near as much as the 4k.

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To this day this is still my only 4/8K hone system. I just don't find a need to buy anything else. I get super nice BBS from this stone and a regular strop.

If the guy does buy the naniwa 8k from me I am probably just going to get the thicker version of the 8k naniwa. I don't have a problem with norton 8k just to lazy to soak stone. Thought about snow white but I am not liking chance of stone cracking on me.

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Originally Posted by Christian1

Thought about snow white but I am not liking chance of stone cracking on me.

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If you take good care of the stone and dont introduce undue changes in environment/temp it's not likely to crack. They didn't get the reputation they have by being rubbish