Thread: Re-visting the Chinese Hone

I too have a Chinese basalt stone (the so called "Chinese 12k") and I also have a Kajima, which is a basalt stone, too. One is coming from China, Guangxi region, and the other from Japan. To me, they work just the same, providing the same results.
They both are very good finishing stones, at least in my opinion.

I believe, the Kajima stone, the one I have at least, is a C12k. Full of extremely small speckles when held to the light unlike the others I have, and, it does have the classic dark lines like the picture above. It performs like the classic C12k, almost the same feeling and feedback, and it's one of the good fine ones. I think its surface absorbs a little more water than the other C12ks I have. Anyone who has both of them, what do you think?

I do agree. Also in my opinion the Kajima absorbs a little more water than the Chinese stone. This could prove they are not the very same stone?
As far as I know, the Kajima is from Japan and the C12k is from Guangxi, China, although both being a basalt stone.
Good finishing stones, in my opinion.

No offense to anyone who sells them, but, I don't think it's from Japan. They are just too similar to be found in two places so far away. And, the whole process of finding, extracting, cutting and polishing a stone is a time consuming and expensive procedure.
Assuming that they are not a HUGE quantity of recently found, unsold stones, living in Japan is somewhat expensive (more so than in most parts of China). If they where from Japan, they would cost as much as coticules, or Ankansas stones. But, they are very good finishers, I hope to keep seeing them around and in bigger sizes.

Awsome info.
I was put onto the C12k by someone to use as my first hone.
This post/thread, and the previous one is extremely helpful.

Thanks heaps to everyone who contributed, I feel much better equipped to tackle my first refresh.
Wish me luck

Originally Posted by gssixgun

A little over a year ago I was asking some questions about the Chinese hone...

In this thread Chinese 12k question (s)


Since then I have learned quite a bit and wanted to share some thoughts...

#1 and this is the biggy, this is a natural stone, it varies and they vary quite a bit I have used 4 of them now and I finally have one that really works exceptionally well...

#2 There are some very hard stones out there that are scratchy, these take forever to get settled in and even then they are not all that great...

#3 There are some very soft stones that produce slurry off of just the razor without touching a slurry stone, much like the lower grades of Coticules these actually cut rather fast, but don't leave a very sharp edge...

#4 The people that love these hones I would think have the ones that are a dull Grey with no blueish tint and have slight black grains in them...
This is the one I have found to really work it leaves a very sharp very smooth edge the feel is like you threw talc on the stone, a very smooth, soft feel, really reminded me of the Charnley Forest that Lynn let me use at the NC meet...
Also it only takes about 30 laps off of a Norton 8k (my testing routine) to finish off the edge...

All in all after 4 stones and a bit of testing I have found that like most Natural products it all comes down to which one is in your hand...

Navaculite was mined in several different places. Why not Basalt?

Is there any reason why I would want to venture a Chinese 12K when I have a Naniwa SS 12K? Other than the affinity we have towards natural stones? I just want to make sure I'm not missing out on something.

They simply respond differently both on blade and honing. I personally like the Chinese stone: to me it gives a super smooth and velvety finish. You should try it yourself in order to understand what you like better.
As for any natural stone, it is not easy to tell the grit. We consider the Chinese to be 12k but it certainly is not as its molecular composition cannot be compared to synthetic stones for which the concept of grit has been invented and can be easily determined and measured.

Nobody needs any finisher after he got a 12k or above. It's HAD. And, I also like the C12k edges very much. A few weeks ago I bought a new one, 25x8x5cm. No problems with speed now.

As a matter of fact, Mastro Livi, who is a revered straight razor maker and we all know, uses just a Kai 3k and then chromium oxide. Nothing else. He says using finer hones makes no big difference. He also uses Belgian cuticule, though. By shaving with his razors, which he personally hones, you can tell this to be true. However there is just one Mastro Livi out there...