In praise of the Guangxi stone

In my wetshaving journey I have abandoned many tools, then gone back to discover it was not the tool but the hand it was in that was insufficient. This applies to Feather blades, MWF, Gems, and a host of other items. Fortunately, I'm a packrat and rarely bin or sell anything, even when I'm not satisfied with it.

So it was with this stone. I had pretty much stopped using it. As I grew more and more fond of coticules, I came to agree with Bart that a perfectly good edge could be attained just by finishing with one and water. And I still believe that is true.

So now I have about 25 razors in random rotation. Some are superb. Some are perfectly fine, but require a little more work and care to get the perfect shave -- just enough to make it a less enjoyable experience.

Fortunately, I keep a honing journal. I went back to look at how I had finished each razor. Almost invariably, the best ones had been finished on the (rarely used) Chinese stone.

I'm going to go through the rotation and refinish the "good enough" blades. I'll post the results here -- it may take a few weeks.

I just ordered a couple of Nakayamas from O_S. I'm still looking forward to using them. Maybe something even better awaits. But, I think if there are still straight users around 100 years down the road, and assuming the Guangxi mine has played out by then, I wouldn't be at all surprised if O_S IV is selling the Japanese and the Chinese stones for around the same price.

I've had the same experience of being dissatisfied with one hone or another and coming back to it months later to find I liked it once I got to know it. I'm also a pack rat. :) The honing journal is a great benefit. I have long made a resolution to keep one but haven't done so on any kind of regular basis. It is a must if a person hones a lot of razors and wants to have any idea of what kind of progress they are making and how their stones are performing. Thanks for reminding me, maybe I will get around to doing it on a regular basis.

I also found that my C12k gave better shaving edges than my coticule.

I strongly disagree that C12k's will ever rival the high end Jnats in price. The Jnats are already rare, so in the future they will be more rare. There are market niches that buy the Jnats - Japanese tool workers, knife people, and razor people. The Jnats are extremely diverse as far as look/skin, where all C12k's look the same. The C12k, though it gives a great edge, is extremely slow - the really expensive Jnats are quicker and give better edges.

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Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I also found that my C12k gave better shaving edges than my coticule.

I strongly disagree that C12k's will ever rival the high end Jnats in price. The Jnats are already rare, so in the future they will be more rare. There are market niches that buy the Jnats - Japanese tool workers, knife people, and razor people. The Jnats are extremely diverse as far as look/skin, where all C12k's look the same. The C12k, though it gives a great edge, is extremely slow - the really expensive Jnats are quicker and give better edges.

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I hope so! Otherwise I just dropped a bundle o' $ for no reason.

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Originally Posted by pcb01

I hope so! Otherwise I just dropped a bundle o' $ for no reason.

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I always get a vicarious thrill out of hearing what people are spending for jnats -- care to elaborate?

Go to oldschoolshaving.net and you'll have an idea.

YOW!!! $5250 for a jnat= never would I pay that no matter if I were worth Billions.

wish i could say the same about my PHIGs. i'm on my third one now first one was cracked so i got a replacement, it was course and was stolen by someone who offered to lap it. third one from a different source which i finally got around to trying on an edge that i really liked but it seemed to make it worse. not sure if i'll keep it or sell it on ebay. i'm ready to give up on them, by now i could have just about got a naniwa 12k.

I noticed a thread where the best place to buy an PHIG was, now don't find it?

I don't care what the price is today or tomorrow, I love my Guangxi and wouldn't sell it even if I have moved on to Arkansas (shhhh. Hush my mouth). I always got remarkable edges and they got better and better as the stone got more broke in.

Ever since I got it I used it as a one stone hone with great success. I was able to finish most razors in 30 minutes or less going from a 800 or 1k. Some would take upwards of two hours though but slow is not always a bad thing. The edges were very hard to compete with. Arkansas stones might have one up though I'm afraid but that's a different thread and I will end with +1 on praise for the Guangxi stone!!