Thread: Friend new to razors looking for a Natural finishing hone

Griffith's Shaving Goods also carries thuri bouts, although they're quite a bit more than 45 Euros. Either way, far cheaper than any branded Escher. The Greek Vermio stones they carry are also excellent hones for the money. For example, here is a full-sized Vermio for $89: http://https://www.griffithshavinggo...nt=12749415620. Matt says they finish even finer than thuris. I had the smaller one myself and got some great edges off it before selling it to a former Scout I've managed to brainwash into our cult.

You can also find thuris on Etsy some times. I just got a yellow-green one this week from one of our members, and early testing seems promising. Let us know what he ends up with.

Originally Posted by gary haywood

If you google thuringian bouts There is a guy that’s sell bouts I just brought one for 45 euros light green and I used it after 8 k as finisher and it’s great �� as good if not better than any Escher I had and I had 5 over the years . They really are good quality that he sells

[email protected] This is his email

Gary

Yes that’s our good friend Peter (Hatzicho’s) website.

My favorite natural finishing stones are: Greek Vermio, Zulu Grey, and Imperia La Roccia.

I got my Vermio from Griffith Shaving Goods, but they have been sold out for a long time. I do not know when or even if he can still get them from Greece.

I purchased my Zulu Grey directly from the vendor in South Africa. It seems like the owner has been missing in action for a while. Many people who placed orders never received them. No one seems to know what is going on.

I love my Imperia La Roccia (ILR), but it is a very controversial stone as the vendor will not reveal where they are mined. As with all natural stones, they vary in quality. If you get a good one like I did, they will produce a fantastic edge without a huge learning curve like you can have with Coticules and Japanese naturals. However, some people have tried them and do not like them.

For someone new to honing, a synthetic finishing stone may be a better option as they are consistent. Thus, others can share their experience with the hone.

Originally Posted by dcaven

All except the Arkansas are pretty expensive. I have a hard black Arkansas. The company says its actually finer than the translucent. It seems so much coarser than my Escher. Have you used one as a finisher? Is the edge nice? I've never tried it.

Hi ! I used black translucent Arkansas in my experiments. I brought one side up to 0.5 microns. Did the transition to it from 3K naniva. And I will say that this is a great tool for soft razors.

Ask 10 honemeisters and you get 10 different answers. If you want to refine a coticule edge you can also use a pasted strop. Not a hone but a cheap option.

Purple Welsh slate used with sewing machine oil after a coticule used with water, no slurry, has always delivered the goods for me.

I'd recommend an 8x2" or 8x3" black Arkansas stone from Dan's Whetstone, alternatively you could pick up a Charnley Forest stone at a reasonable price. Both deliver similar edges which are keen and friendly to the skin. Coticule are hit and miss in ease of use IME. The two stones I recommended are pretty bullet proof but a bit slow.

Originally Posted by s0litarys0ldier

I'd recommend an 8x2" or 8x3" black Arkansas stone from Dan's Whetstone, alternatively you could pick up a Charnley Forest stone at a reasonable price. Both deliver similar edges which are keen and friendly to the skin. Coticule are hit and miss in ease of use IME. The two stones I recommended are pretty bullet proof but a bit slow.

I love my Charnley Forest stones - though if you're not in the UK the shipping can be a bit pricey.

I'm going to mirrow a few people here and say coticule. Firstly, if it's already on his radar then at some point curiosity will get the better of him and he will buy one so might as well jump to it. I'm with Pieter in that I exclusively us a coticule as a finisher and absolutely love it.

I think Bronotsaurus makes a great suggestion too with the Purple Welsh slate. It can also be controversial but compared to all the others it's a really reasonable price and not at all a bad way to get one's feet whet.