Thread: Chinese hones: am I wasting my time??

Hello everybody,

As new into straights, I bought some chinese stones from ebay.de like 6 months ago, I didn't know by then.. Its a combo 4/8 synthetic and a 12k natural one. Since then, I've honed many razors with them: The 4k I use for a bevel setter and it doesn't take so much time after all, I think, to get the job done. The 12k is a very slow cutting stone but it seems to give a smooth polish in the end..

That way, I manage to give a sharp edge considering HHT and TPT and finally by the shaving test. The blade slides nicely, cutting through whiskers effortlesly, so I guess that's a descent result.

So, considering the fact I never used any Nani's or other popular stones to know what They can do, the question is: do I really lose some edge performance because of the low quality of the chinese hones or its just the extra time that it takes to hone a razor with them?? or better, Is a chinese ebay stone capable of giving a theoreticaly perfect edge on a blade?

cheers

Originally Posted by Dalton

... That way, I manage to give a sharp edge considering HHT and TPT and finally by the shaving test. The blade slides nicely, cutting through whiskers effortlessly, so I guess that's a descent result.

Sounds to me like you are doing just fine.
That sounds like what everybody wants to achieve in their honing efforts.

If these are the hones from open_razor, I think sham tested them and said they work fine.

Thanks for the replies, unfortunately I think they're not from open_razor, the combo 3/8 has the logo "Hanzo" on it, here's the link
Hanzo Schleifstein Wasserstein K 8000-3000 XXL+ Sockel bei eBay.de: Küchenmesser (endet 28.02.11 15:28:13 MEZ)
they claim that its oxide molded in ceramic and they suggest for using it for straights and other hard steel tools.

The 12k has been reviewed here before so I guess its descent..

I guess there's only one way to compare them with the real deal and that's by getting a nice pair of Naniwa and use them too

Originally Posted by Dalton

The blade slides nicely, cutting through whiskers effortlesly, so I guess that's a descent result.

Did you expect a better result from your time than that? If it took longer to get there than you like, then maybe you are wasting your time

Part of the fun in the sharpening game is figuring out what works for you. Over the years I have seen all kinds of setups - PSA honing film on granite surface plates, natural hones from all over the world, all kinds of artificial hones, and lots of pasted strops. You have to figure out what works for you! There are subjective tests such as the HHT but when sharpening razors, the test I use is the shave test. Every face is different, every beard is different, and razors are wildly different one from the other. There are lots of variables. Chinese hones are too slow for me and I don't like them. I like a natural hone such as a belgian blue or a belgian coticule. The blue cuts really fast and leaves a nice polished edge. The Shaptons are a honing system and they cut fast and give unbelievable edges. They're what I use on my razors. I use a belgian blue on my axes and on my dull razors.

Howard

First off, I would forget the HHT. Try cutting arm hair to gauge your edge quality or the TPT. The HHT is a fun test but the results vary too much for it to be dependable in determining a shave ready razor. In the end, the shave test is the one that counts. As for your hones, if you are comfortable with the results why look elsewhere. If you are planning on honing for hire that's another story. Also, if you find the sport of honing one that you want to get into and have a budget to support it have at it. In the end it looks like you are pleased with the results and are not planning on honing scores of razors so be happy and enjoy your hones and your straight razors.

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

Did you expect a better result from your time than that? If it took longer to get there than you like, then maybe you are wasting your time

Points taken.
But of course I've met some sharper edges honed by pro's, so I try to stimulate that level of sharpness by honing and honing for hours in those inexpensive stones. I just wanted to know if I will ever be able to get a close to those "ninja sharp" blades that come from professional equipment..

Howard! Where have you been!

If you are not already, try using your 12K with slurry first. Seriously cuts down on the amount of strokes required to achieve smooth edge. Just my opinion, but if you a getting a great edge with the stones you have you may find it disappointing to spend big bucks only to find the differance very minimal...just my 2 cents.