Thread: Dedicated Bevel Setting ....

Honing is all about the bevel
Getting the bevel set is 90% of the work
Bevel, bevel, bevel
It really is all about the bevel

Those are just a few I am sure I have said a few more

So if it really is all about the bevel, then here is a rundown of Bevel setters I have personally used or own...

Norton 1k "The King" the "30-06 of bevel setters" IMHO everything else is compared to this hone everything is either faster or slower than the Norton 1k, it either cuts smoother or deeper then the Norton 1k... This is a workhorse hone, although considered by some to be on the soft side, personally I don't really think that is a factor at Razor honing pressure...This is one of two 1k stones that is always soaking in water in my Shave Den.... Let's leave the Norton 1k as the standard to judge the others by so if I say fast or smooth it is compared to a Norton 1k ...

Shapton GS 1k Fast, smooth cutter leaves no deep scratches, but not a hone that I would look at for a dedicated bevel setter, I look at this hone as part of the Shapton system....

Naniwa SS 1k Smooth, rather than fast, great feedback, but again I would not consider this a hone to go buy as a dedicated bevel setter, but rather as part of a Naniwa honing system...

DMT 1200 Fast, accurate,and no maintenance, but a deep cutter, this plate leaves scratches that take extra work to pull out at the next level...

King 1k Smooth rather than fast, this is a great hone to use on full hollows as it leaves a very smooth finish but it is not my choice for wedges, this hone sits soaking in my shave den next to the Norton 1k... Also a plus for this hone, is it is Economical and Available in many places locally...

Japanese Ato I have only used this once to set a bevel, it is not a option I would use often, but as a niche system for people that want a full natural Japanese progression it does work and it works pretty good...

Chosera 1k Expensive, but honestly this one is probably the best dedicated bevel setter I have used, in fact I waited to do this write up until after I had used this hone on a few SS razors to make sure it worked all around...

Yellow Coticule Again a niche system, this is usable for mild bevel setting but not a serious option for heavy lifting...

Any of the 2k-4k Synthetics using a Nagura or slurry, Again these like a Coticule can be pressed into service to set a mild bevel but are not good options for a dedicated bevel setter that needs to do heavy cutting...

Natural finishers with slurry, Usable to a certain degree on mild bevel setting but these are "make do" systems and not a dedicated bevel setter they do however leave a very smooth bevel

Please understand that I am not saying that many of the slurry systems will not work, but I do not consider them a dedicated system for setting bevels....

1k Wet-r-Dry Sandpaper, Yes you can, yes it does work, but it cuts deep into the steel, so it can be a bear and a waste of steel to get the bevel smooth again.. This is especially noticeable on full hollows


Some things I did not mention,

Glazing and/or Loading of the hone/stones I consider this as a non-issue every razor starts with a clean surface in my house I do about 5 figure 8's with a 325 lapping plate before each razor touches the surface....

Dishing or softness issues, again a non-issue in my house because of the figure 8's and I think these are greatly exaggerated as the pressure we use with honing razors should not create dishing anyway...

Lower then 1k hones, I left these out because I consider that to be restoration and not part of honing, that is what I do before I set the bevel

Do you even need a dedicated bevel setter ??? really only you can answer that, what I can say is that starting a razor off with a clean, sharp, even, bevel will greatly improve your chances of honing succes...


Please feel free to add your experiences with your bevel setting adventures, however please keep in the back of your mind I am talking about setting bevels here.. As in dedicated bevel setter, not I set the bevel on my brand new Dovo (ie: mild bevel setting), but I ripped the steel on a beat up E-bay W&B wedge can it do the heavy lifting???

wow thanks glen i was just thinking about this today which 1k hone is the best or fastest to use. my 1k boker is ok but it dish's quickly i've been working on alot of project razor's and all have to breaded knife so i have to reestablish the bevel and well you know it take's some time to do that so it look's like i'll check out that 1k chosera thanks

I agree with the Chosera 1k, it's been my go to bevel setter for more than a year now. I have tried King 1k, 1k super stone, a bunch of Jnats in the low grits , but so far for me nothing is as good as the 1k Chosera.

I also got the 1k Norton and it is perfect for repairs, but I always reach for the chosera when a bevel set is needed.

For me, the Chosera 1K is the go to stone for bevel setting. It is very consistent and reliable and always produces a great result. The Super Stone 1K, gives the same results in my opinion, but is a little softer feeling.

I like the Norton 1K, but to me, it is more abrasive, so I use it more for repair jobs than every day bevel setting.

Nice write up Glen.

Lynn

I remember watching heavydutysg135's video series on honing. One of the first things he said was most razors guys sent to him because they were unable to get them sharp themselves had an inadequate bevel set. It is a nice write up Glen. Very useful for new honers.

Also + 1 on the 1k Chosera. After Lynn and Dylan posted about how great they were I took the plunge and glad I did.

There's gonna be run on Chosera 1k's now....

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss glazing/loading and dishing. For razors that need extra time on the 1k, both can become a factor. Yes, you can deal with both with a quick re-lap, but having to do that in the middle of honing a razor is, to me, annoying. Even having to do this between each razor annoys me. Given that we would ideally like the BEST bevel setter, I think not glazing/loading and not dishing are two desierable traits. And, as I said in my original Chosera 1k thread, it doesn't glaze/load or dish easily at all. That is a big reason why I like it so much.

Since picking up my Chosera 1K, I've not had an itch to try any other bevel setter. My DMT's never get used save for lapping now. Occasionally I'll pull out the DMT 325 to get a restored wedge bevel started as it saves a bit of time before going to the chosera, but other than that I use the chosera for everything and then jump to the coticule with dilucot.

I have no desire to set bevels on a coticule (though it can be done) and having a dedicated bevel setter like the chosera just makes things so much easier.

Does the Boker Japanese Bench Stone Nakato 1000 K fit into the group of the softer stones with slurry? link: Boker Japanese Benchstone Nakato, Medium 1000 Grit - Knifecenter.com I did a search but dind't find much feedback about these hones. I was curious how they would be at good seriuous bevel setters. At $20.00 they certainly won't break the bank, but if they don't do the job, then they are not a bargain.

yeah the boker 1k does a good job but it is soft and will dish after every razor i do on that boker and before i start on another razor i flaten the stone and there is always some dishing but for 20 you cant beat it imho