Thread: Whats new?

Hey ive been gone for a long time and am getting back into honing and would like to know whats been going on the last year or so?
Im seeing a lot about the naniwa stones, how do they compare to shaptons?
Are they the new coolest thing around that I have to buy?

TJ

The Naniwas are popular because they are fast cutters and yet gentle on the spines. They are a bit softer than other hones, so they offer very nice feedback. I find that the 1k is softer than I like for bevel setting, but I do a lot of razors and a lot of ebay quarter hollows. Up from there, I love the 5k and 8k. Haven't got a 12k yet, but maybe soon...

I have not used Shaptons, so I cannot say how they compare, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Naniwas to anyone.

We have been thru the Shapton Glass hones, DMT Diamond hones in depth, Naniwas Superstones, debated the Belgian Coticule & BBW to death, found various new abrasive pastes to try, like Cerium Oxide, Boron carbide and cubic boron nitride and diamond spray on felt. The price of Eschers has gone thru the roof and the Charnley Forest hone still has our attention but we need a method to lap it that does not destroy a DMT.
The Naniwa Chosera 1K is being evaluated as a primary bevel setter and barber hones are still a subject of interest. Jnats have become very much an item of interest and the knowledge base on those has greatly increased and the Norton 4/8 is still a very respected and affordable workhorse hone. I will leave it to others to fill in the rest!

I am no hone aficionado so I can't really comment on all the new trends. However last week I posed the Shapton vs. Naniwa question and got some great info. Hope this helps.

There's been a lot of discussion concerning the Chinese 12k hone from Woodcraft.com (also commonly called the PHIG: Peoples' Hone of Indeterminate Grit). There's also been a whole lot of n00b interest in the natural Arkansas stones.

Coticules are quite popular now since many are finding out from Coticule.be that you can set a bevel with one and then hone all the way through with one stone and finish on the coticule also.

Norton 4/8K is still the MAN

I learned a ton about Jnats recently and it seems the market for these has exploded in the past year or so. Especially the Oozuku variety, they are hot right now.

Charnely forest is way over priced and overrated IMO and shouldn't be 300.00$ but that's what hype will get you.

welcome back

Wow, I better get searching! I still got my nortons and a kitayama 8k. MIght pick up a naniwa 12k, they sound like a great deal. Thanks guys!