Thread: Jnat from 330mate?????

I've been in contact with 330mate about some stones, and the communication issues are just insurmountable for me at this point. I can't seem to even establish the most basic level of communication, it seems to get worse with each email exchange. Really frustrating.

I wish I were fluent in Japanese, or had a go-between fluent in Japanese. Between my lack of Japanese language skills and the obscurity of the characteristics and variability of the Japanese natural stones themselves, I've given up. I won't spend money on a complete crap shoot. At least when I deal with Old School, I understand exactly what I'm paying for. I don't doubt 330mate, I just can't understand one sentence he writes. Not one.

+1 on dealing with Old School.

Lynn

Originally Posted by FatboySlim

I've been in contact with 330mate about some stones, and the communication issues are just insurmountable for me at this point. I can't seem to even establish the most basic level of communication, it seems to get worse with each email exchange. Really frustrating.

I wish I were fluent in Japanese, or had a go-between fluent in Japanese. Between my lack of Japanese language skills and the obscurity of the characteristics and variability of the Japanese natural stones themselves, I've given up. I won't spend money on a complete crap shoot. At least when I deal with Old School, I understand exactly what I'm paying for. I don't doubt 330mate, I just can't understand one sentence he writes. Not one.

you need to know what to ask him for.
He has a system of rating a stone called HGAL(hardness, grit, abrasive ability, feedback)
so you are looking for stones that are Nakayama and 5+/3+++ (+)/3+++(+)/3+++(+)
the more pluses after each characteristic the better the stone and the higher the price.

Originally Posted by mainaman

you need to know what to ask him for.
He has a system of rating a stone called HGAL(hardness, grit, abrasive ability, feedback)
so you are looking for stones that are Nakayama and 5+/3+++ (+)/3+++(+)/3+++(+)
the more pluses after each characteristic the better the stone and the higher the price.

...assuming you are looking for a finisher

Originally Posted by FatboySlim

I've been in contact with 330mate about some stones, and the communication issues are just insurmountable for me at this point. I can't seem to even establish the most basic level of communication, it seems to get worse with each email exchange. Really frustrating.

I wish I were fluent in Japanese, or had a go-between fluent in Japanese. Between my lack of Japanese language skills and the obscurity of the characteristics and variability of the Japanese natural stones themselves, I've given up. I won't spend money on a complete crap shoot. At least when I deal with Old School, I understand exactly what I'm paying for. I don't doubt 330mate, I just can't understand one sentence he writes. Not one.

I am in same boat with You Tim.

you can ask him to hand select one- you will pay a slight premium but its still the cheapest jnat out there. I am happy with mine (10x3 nakayama similar to his 70+ ones on ebay), it finishes around escher quality. And its ranking is 5+/3++++/3++++/3+++ for what its worth. It is very hard (was a bitch to lap, I even left parts a little concave cus it doesn't hurt at the edges), the grit is very fine, for such a fine grit it is quite abrasive, and it feels very very smooth when honing with water. So in my very limited experience, his rankings are on. Maybe a I got lucky, maybe he really is the real deal.

On this topic- I had a back and forth of about oh, 30? emails with him. After a while you can decipher it. There is quite a language barrier and somewhat of a cultural barrier. If you want to deal with him (other than a dice roll on ebay) just be patient and above all else respectful.

I could see why others don't want to deal with him. He also can be moody- my first stone he shipped directly to me, then I tried buying another and he picked out a few and I chose one and one day he just refused to sell it to me. I have no idea why not. Apparently he was trying to get a partnership with SRD, but I'm willing to bet that feel through due to his peculiar business practices.

Originally Posted by FatboySlim

I've been in contact with 330mate about some stones, and the communication issues are just insurmountable for me at this point. I can't seem to even establish the most basic level of communication, it seems to get worse with each email exchange. Really frustrating.

I wish I were fluent in Japanese, or had a go-between fluent in Japanese. Between my lack of Japanese language skills and the obscurity of the characteristics and variability of the Japanese natural stones themselves, I've given up. I won't spend money on a complete crap shoot. At least when I deal with Old School, I understand exactly what I'm paying for. I don't doubt 330mate, I just can't understand one sentence he writes. Not one.

I've been holding off for a while, but I figured I'd throw in my two cents.

Regardless of any language or cultural barriers between buyer and seller, I think that it is the job of the buyer to do product research. This in and of itself is difficult when it comes to Japanese hones because there is often a language barrier there as well. When I decided that I wanted to get a hone from 330mate, I knew it would be a bit of a gamble for a number of reasons. I didn't have him hand pick one and I don't know much about Japanese hones. I took that into account, along with the price, the dangers of shipping, and the wait time.

When my hone arrived, I took the time to play with her to see what she could do. I honed with slurry, I honed without slurry. I used the hone at various points in my standard progression. I did a lot of laps, I did few laps. I did everything I could think of to see what I could get out of her. What I found was that, while the hone I happened to get is not my best finisher, it is a very versatile hone. I can use it with slurry at take a razor off my Aoto or even my Norton 1k all the way to shave ready. Or, I can take a razor to it after my BBW or DT with just water and get the blade shave ready. What stone does that sound like? That's right; the closest comparison I can make is to a coticule.

So, did I get what I was looking for? No. I hoped to get a great finisher for not a lot of money, and that is not what I got. That said, the hone that I got is still a great hone that can certainly be put to good use. If you are willing to take a little risk and put in the time to figure out whatever hone you get, it will be an enjoyable experience for you. If you want to make a quick buy and know exactly what you are getting, you should expect to do a lot more work up front or else find a different seller. These should not be read as negative comments - that's just the way it is.

Originally Posted by mainaman

you need to know what to ask him for.
He has a system of rating a stone called HGAL(hardness, grit, abrasive ability, feedback)
so you are looking for stones that are Nakayama and 5+/3+++ (+)/3+++(+)/3+++(+)
the more pluses after each characteristic the better the stone and the higher the price.

Am I the only one who finds that rating system utterly meaningless? 3++++?

I dunno about meaningless - I don't think it's straightforward or intuitive, but at least he must understand it.