Thread: Stop what you are doing and go buy Naniwas

Originally Posted by Basset

I have the Nani 1k, 5k, 8k, and 12k

1. I do like to restore some antique store finds, which means serious bevel setting. Is it worthwhile to add the 3k?

2. I know a lot of folks like the Shapton 16k. Would that add that much for someone coming off at Nani 12k? Right now I finish with the Nani 12k, then go to CrOx pasted balsa before webbing and latigo (sometimes finishing with horse). Is there any value in inserting the Shapton 16k in there?

For 1, I am a bit confused. Your bevels should be totally set before you move up from your 1k. I always get a blade to the point where it will shave arm hair before I move up from the 1k. I have also been shown that the blade will feel sticky like a pocket knife on your thumb pad. The only reason I can think of to add in a 3k is if you are not happy with your honing progression and want to play with something else. But if you are not happy, my first suggestion would be to reassess what you are doing on your 1k and when you move on from it.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

The only reason I can think of to add in a 3k is if you are not happy with your honing progression and want to play with something else.

Or if you look at the Japanese grit chart and agree with the findings. I've always liked having more alternative tools than less but that is just me. I always did tend to overkill.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

For 1, I am a bit confused. Your bevels should be totally set before you move up from your 1k. I always get a blade to the point where it will shave arm hair before I move up from the 1k. I have also been shown that the blade will feel sticky like a pocket knife on your thumb pad. The only reason I can think of to add in a 3k is if you are not happy with your honing progression and want to play with something else. But if you are not happy, my first suggestion would be to reassess what you are doing on your 1k and when you move on from it.

I mention bevel setting only to point out that I would be spending a fair amount of time time starting blades from scratch, so to speak, rather than touching up blades.

I feel like the 1k 5k works, the question really is whether 1k, 3k, 5k would be palpably better and thus worth the $50 shipped.

Originally Posted by Basset

I mention bevel setting only to point out that I would be spending a fair amount of time time starting blades from scratch, so to speak, rather than touching up blades.

I feel like the 1k 5k works, the question really is whether 1k, 3k, 5k would be palpably better and thus worth the $50 shipped.

You pays your money and you takes your chances. I haven't tried it without the 3k 'cause I have it. If it is working for Dylan and it is working for you no point in gambling ... unless you're like me and you like to experiment. I don't guarantee it ... just what works for me.

I have to say, I'll probably break down and buy the 3k at some point too... Don't let my current 1-5-8 platform fool you

I'm saving for the whole set, because I want the whole bloddy rainbow!

As far as adding the Shapton 16 after the super 12, Lynn says they're awfully close, so probably no benefit. If you want sharper, you're probably better off getting the hard felt strop w/ 0.5 diamond spray.

Originally Posted by PA23-250

As far as adding the Shapton 16 after the super 12, Lynn says they're awfully close, so probably no benefit. If you want sharper, you're probably better off getting the hard felt strop w/ 0.5 diamond spray.

I'll + 1 that. I want to try the 0.25 too pretty soon. The 0.5 on the felt hanger is bad to the bone.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Ready? 3.... 2..... 1............. GO! GO! GO!

Hmmm - having personally shaved off a few very impressive edges honed by you before you ever used a Naniwa, your opinion on the Naniwas carries serious weight with me, anyway.

I like my current setup of DMTs on the low end, coticule in the middle, and JNats/coticules/Charnleys for finishing. But I could definitely be persuaded to try a Naniwa as a DMT replacement at the low end as a start. I love the performance of the DMTs, but not their gritty feel and bevel scratching (in my hands...).

Originally Posted by FatboySlim

Hmmm - having personally shaved off a few very impressive edges honed by you before you ever used a Naniwa, your opinion on the Naniwas carries serious weight with me, anyway.

I like my current setup of DMTs on the low end, coticule in the middle, and JNats/coticules/Charnleys for finishing. But I could definitely be persuaded to try a Naniwa as a DMT replacement at the low end as a start. I love the performance of the DMTs, but not their gritty feel and bevel scratching (in my hands...).

Thanks for the feedback, Slim (calling you "Fatboy" seems mean...). For me, I guess if my edges before were impressive, the real benefit of the Nani's is that they cut out a lot of time and guesswork. I'd timed myself before, and it used to take me about 8 mins on average to go from the set bevel through my finisher (BBW with slurry - dilute - BBW with water - coti with water - Asagi with water). The biggest chunk of time was the BBW phase, which took about 5 mins. After that, the coti and asagi was just water passes, and most of the time was my inefficent process (running one blade at a time, rather than doing all BBW, then all coti, then all Asagi). Anyway, the real comparison is 5 mins on the BBW vs maybe 2 mins on the Naniwa 5 and Naniwa 8. After that, it's 10-15 on the Asagi and I'm done (yea, no more coti... for now - invariably I'll compare 8 -> Asagi to 8 -> coti -> Asagi at some point).

So maybe saving 5-6 mins per razor appeals to you, maybe it doesn't. If you sit down to do 10 at once (I hone in spurts...), it's a huge difference. Taking out the guesswork is really nice too; I've not done too many razors on Nani's (maybe 35 between WNY, at Lynn's and on my own), but I've happily declared all of those shave ready on the first attempt.

As far as comparing to the DMT's, the Nani's are very fast cutters, but they also leave pretty smooth/shallow cuts, and, based on what Lynn says (this is not my own experience), they get the razor where you want to go without eating into the spine as much. By comparison, I find DMT's to be very harsh, and when I do use a DMT on a wedge, I stop before I get to the bevel so that my 1k time removes the scratches and sets the bevel without eating off more steel than I need to. (If I got all the way to the bevel on the DMT, I'd still have to hone out the scratches in the edge, so I'd really hone past the "bevel.")