Thread: Two Shapton 8000 Glass Options?

[QUOTE=Visibility;443187]I did not have time to read the entirety of this thread. I read the first 4 pages and there was a couple things I wanted to comment on.



The scratches that people are talking about the the 16k leaving can be caused by this, but having used the 16k extensively, and having more than one of them, it is a phenomenon of the stone. IMO its a result of the positioning of a random abrasive partical or perhaps its a renegade grit size. I think the fact that its so visible is a combination of what I just said and the fact that overall the bevel is becoming more polished so any inconsistencies will start to become more visible.

The stone material that does 'release' from the stone as you sharpen does not respond like a natural stones will. Partical sizes are pretty uniform and don't break down as easily. IMO with the glass series you will achieve much better results by frequent cleaning and rewetting as you go along.



As I have not read to the contrary elsewhere I strongly suspect this is exactly what's going on with the disproportionate increase in price of the 10K ($170+) over the 8k ($100+) and the 16K ($130+). It may simply be due to a more rigorous quality control of grit sizing and explains why Shapton highly recommends this stone for razors. What we we may be getting with this stone is an even more homogenous scratch pattern. Has anyone using the 10K noticed this or is Shapton just out of line in their pricing it so much higher than the 8k & 16K?

It's been a while science this thread started.
Since then I grew even more fond of my shapton stones.
So far I have tried several 16k and all where more or less the same.
That's why I sold it in favor for the highly expensive 10k. So I absolutely can compare the 8, 10,16,30ks.

The 10k gives a very nice polish. There has been no problem with random scratches at all. The polish actually is very very nice. The sharpness of course is a bit below the 16k and only slightly above the 8k. But I have been shaving very successfully with this edge on several occasions. But for me its main function is to produce a perfect starting point for the 30k.

Do you need the 10k? Absolutely not. It is expensive and offers little benefit.
But if you are like me a collector of shapton and want your shapton setup to be perfect, leave out the 16k and get the 10k instead




[QUOTE=spacetransient;1168132]

Originally Posted by Visibility

I did not have time to read the entirety of this thread. I read the first 4 pages and there was a couple things I wanted to comment on.



The scratches that people are talking about the the 16k leaving can be caused by this, but having used the 16k extensively, and having more than one of them, it is a phenomenon of the stone. IMO its a result of the positioning of a random abrasive partical or perhaps its a renegade grit size. I think the fact that its so visible is a combination of what I just said and the fact that overall the bevel is becoming more polished so any inconsistencies will start to become more visible.

The stone material that does 'release' from the stone as you sharpen does not respond like a natural stones will. Partical sizes are pretty uniform and don't break down as easily. IMO with the glass series you will achieve much better results by frequent cleaning and rewetting as you go along.



As I have not read to the contrary elsewhere I strongly suspect this is exactly what's going on with the disproportionate increase in price of the 10K ($170+) over the 8k ($100+) and the 16K ($130+). It may simply be due to a more rigorous quality control of grit sizing and explains why Shapton highly recommends this stone for razors. What we we may be getting with this stone is an even more homogenous scratch pattern. Has anyone using the 10K noticed this or is Shapton just out of line in their pricing it so much higher than the 8k & 16K?

I have found in my own experience using the Shapton pro stones much the same as he earlier poster. The "random" scratches are almost certainly caused by loose abrasive particles that have come free of the binder during use. I used to frequently re-wet and wipe clean my stones during my finishing work, and this helped to minimize the random scratches. I have lately begun to actually do my finish honing under running water to keep the stone's surface even cleaner/clearer. I am only using 30x magnification to inspect my edges, so there may still be some that I'm not seeing, but it did make a difference.

I recently added an almost full setup of Shapton pros (2, 5, 8, 12k) to my rotation, in addition to my Shapton glass set.
I must say that, as long as I stay long enough on the 5k I can produce very nicely polished edges with the pros as well.

I think ink the most important step for the Shaptons is the lapping. As long as I was using my well worn dmt 325 and/or 600 the stones left a very even and in the end perfect polish. Using sandpaper or loose 400grit abrasive always left me with scratchy Shaptons

Originally Posted by eKretz

I have found in my own experience using the Shapton pro stones much the same as he earlier poster. The "random" scratches are almost certainly caused by loose abrasive particles that have come free of the binder during use. I used to frequently re-wet and wipe clean my stones during my finishing work, and this helped to minimize the random scratches. I have lately begun to actually do my finish honing under running water to keep the stone's surface even cleaner/clearer. I am only using 30x magnification to inspect my edges, so there may still be some that I'm not seeing, but it did make a difference.