shapton is a way to go
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shapton is a way to go
If your shaves off the 8k aren't good then adding more hones will make things worse. I shaved off the 8k before and had excellent shaves from it. As far as shaptons go I bought the 16k for fun about six months ago and used it twice, didn't like the edge, Escher following the naniwa 12k is more my liking.
I dont know your skill level, but if your getting a good shave(but not great) from the Norton 8k you may need a better finisher, if this is the case the Shapton 16 may be what you need to make the blade and shave quite a bit smoother.
Dang... If you're considering buying a shapton 16k & 30k, might I suggest the alternative of getting a chinese hone and a custom A.Jaques, or Butch Harner razor? :D
To the OP I might suggest getting an 8k shapton. I'm sure the norton is a good stone but not from experience; I'm just saying that to be nice.
I agree with the guys a finer stone won't magically offer it's sweet shaving success to you.
But I will disagree, in that some surfaces; the feel of the stone as you sharpen; are more intuitive than others. You will think it has made you instantly better should you jive with its tendencies.
this happened to me when i switched from hard, glazed arks (and didnt even know about lapping)to king waterstones.
I have shaptons in 1k, 4k, 8k, and 16k. They are the only stones I own and I have not used any other stones, so I can't tell you if anything is better or worse, but I like the consistancy of using the same stones. I have definitely gotten a smooth shave from a Dovo SS razor with my setup. I think having the same stones helps me with the consistency of feel while I continue to improve my honing skills.
Hope my perspective helps.
thanks, and could you tell me your thoughts on if I could add the 16k to what I have? or buy a 8k and 16k shapton? I can afford it if I thought it would be of worth. some others have mentioned brands I don't have any knowledge of and don't realy know where to start. As time goes on I will invest in new blades and stones etc. For now I'm going to avoid as much as possible, the collecting part of my passion for all things sharp.