Thread: Does this Escher need a slurry stone?

Kees is correct, they were sold without slurry stones, I have one just like it, with an Escher label in the box...
I'm with Gugi on this, I never use a slurry and I get fantastic results....I never use a slurry when I'm on a finishing hone...
Actually, I only use a slurry on a Coticule....That's it....

I've used them both ways. With water only and also with a slurry diluting to water gradually. I find the slurry and progressively diluting is a good thing though I don't do it that way all of the time. A little credit card sized DMT 325 is fine for making slurry if you don't have a matching slurry stone.

Well, this is kind of interesting. I asked the seller about whether the hone has the actual "Escher" label on it somewhere, and I got a response about how the stone "must be" an Escher because nothing works or feels quite like an Escher and this stone is therefore one of them. The seller asked where I might have gotten the idea that the stone was not an Escher, and when I answered SRP, he started bad-mouthing Lynn and this site!!

Anyway, all of that is besides the point, and so now here's the real question. According to eBay, I have seven days to return the item to the seller for a full refund. I'm sure it is a fine hone and that I will enjoy using it on my razors, but I think the price I paid for the stone ($167) is only really worth it if it is in fact a real, verifiable Escher. I know that we're not supposed to talk about value here, but would you return this stone or not if you were in my position? In other words, is there some way to find out if it is in fact a real Escher, rather than just a "purported" or "alleged" Escher.

Thanks, and just so no one accuses me of being a label-obsessed noobie, I am only concerned about the label because it seems like that is what others look at when placing a price tag on these stones. In other words, a stone may be a fantastic polisher and have no label and cost $20, or a stone may be a piece of crap and have a fancy label and cost $200. Everyone here (including me) would purchase the fantastic stone for $20 -- no argument. But the problem here is that I thought I was purchasing a stone with a fancy label and instead find out that I'm getting a stone without the label. It might still be a fantastic stone, but you can see how the lack of a label would change my idea about whether I was getting a good price. Thanks.

Some natural stones are better than others. If you are unsure give it a try and see if it is worth the $ value to you as a finishing stone. If it is a really exceptional stone keep it and if not send it back. Among my natural stones I have some that are stand out among the same family of stones. IOW, I would sell or trade the others and keep those outstanding examples if I had any sense. The guy bad mouthing Lynn and SRP would have me inclined to question anything he told me.

Thanks, Jimmy. I will try it out when I get it.

I guess one other problem is that I don't have as much confidence in my own ability to discern what is a really super stone without relying on the label as a kind of crutch. Actually, I've gotten past the "name brand" obsession when it comes to razors, but I just don't feel like I know enough to make the same judgments about stones.

So just between us, what exactly am I going to be looking for when I get the stone? I know how to use a stone for polishing, and I'm currently using a really nice Japanese natural stone that I got from Alex Gilmore. But what would you look for if you were in the kitchen with me and making this decision in my place? Thanks.

Also, I use a small, coarse Naniwa diamond flattening stone to make a slurry on my Japanese stone. Does this mean that I am "wasting" this stone when I do this? Thanks.

Similar stones with box recently fetched less than USD 100 AFAIK. However, if the box is in very nice condition and the catch is not broken (as the catches usually are) it may be worth more.

Uhm, the seller does sound a bit incompetent. What makes an Escher an Escher is the label. There are plenty of thuringian hones and they are all pretty similar. In fact some of them are better than some Escher mined ones.
If you paid so much money for an Escher label you most likely won't get it (check upon arrival). If you paid it for a great finisher you most likely will get it (again check upon arrival).

Originally Posted by JeffE

So just between us, what exactly am I going to be looking for when I get the stone?
Also, I use a small, coarse Naniwa diamond flattening stone to make a slurry on my Japanese stone. Does this mean that I am "wasting" this stone when I do this? Thanks.

I look for significant improvement in the edge. For instance my Light Green Escher will have hair popping in no time. I have a natural coticule of fairly recent harvest that will do the same. IOW the results are far better than other stones of the same family. I have a couple of Hohenzollerns with one of the them giving far better results than the other yet they look close to identical. I would say you'll know it when you feel it as far as the results go.

Don't know about the slurry stone. I just like to use the same type if grits will be mixed. With the diamond plates I don't think they lose diamonds in the slurry. If I thought that they did I wouldn't use them.

Thanks, all, especially since I'd be at this guy's mercy without all of the good information you have given me. I will look for what you suggested when the stone arrives and then make a decision. Appreciate all of the help!!