Thread: Chinese Hone

The Escher is a Thüringian natural hone.
By many, myself included, considered to be among the very best finishers available today.
Do note that I said amongst, there are many great finishers out there. Both natural and synthetic.
The prices they reach on ebay and other places, reflects the perceived quality of them.

Edit:
You are as quick as you are right, Scipio

But again I will state that it would be easier for him or any other person new to honing to learn to use a Naniwa or Shapton finisher (I consider anything over 8K a finisher). Natural's have a whole other learning curve that would be easier to learn after a baseline or foundation of synthetic knowledge (like the Norton 4/8K) is learned.

The simple fact is: If a person can't get good shave off a Norton 4/8K or a Naniwa 3/8K, that person doesn't have a good foundation yet & need to stay with those stones until they do...period.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

But again I will state that it would be easier for him or any other person new to honing to learn to use a Naniwa or Shapton finisher (I consider anything over 8K a finisher). Natural's have a whole other learning curve that would be easier to learn after a baseline or foundation of synthetic knowledge (like the Norton 4/8K) is learned.

The simple fact is: If a person can't get good shave off a Norton 4/8K or a Naniwa 3/8K, that person doesn't have a good foundation yet & need to stay with those stones until they do...period.

I agree. From my own experience I can safely say that the synthetics was the easiest when starting out.
My first finisher was a Naniwa SS 12K, and that gave, and still gives, a wonderfully smooth edge.
Naturally, only if the razor is properly honed up to that point.
The worlds best finishers won't help at all, if the previous work isn't done properly up to that point

well the c12k doesn't cost over 30 $ so you could buy both i have two c12k and love them they give a sharp edge and a comfortable shave

VictorARJ,
Send me a blade and I will finish it on Naniwa 12K & then you can decide. If you live anywhere close to NE TX or SE OK, you are welcomed to try out all of my stones & maybe I can pass a trick or two off to you.

A PHIG (Chinese so called 12K) will take 3-4x as many passes as a synthetic stone. A Naniwa 12K will take 10-20 passes, the PHIG approx 60+. If I'm going to make that many passes, I'll be finishing on my Charnley Forrest. If you buy three synthetic finishers, they will act the same every time. If you buy three naturals, each will have a personality of it's own.

In a nutshell, you get what you pay for. The PHIG will get you by, especially if you are on a budget...most of us have been there. I have to save for every stone I pick up. The cheapest place that I know of to buy a PHIG is Woodworking Plans & Tools | Fine Woodworking Project & Supplies at Woodcraft , they have two sizes to choose from. If you go ahead and get a PHIG & then try a Naniwa or Shapton finisher down the road...you will see what I was talking about.

Best of luck to you!
Scott

Originally Posted by Scipio

I'd have to disagree, qualifying my different opinion with my own experience. I have used several, and while I can not estimate their grit accurately, they all provided a significantly smoother shaves than my Naniwa 8K, which is not a Norton 8k but similar. Granted it depends which coticule you get, but they certainly can improve an 8K's edge. Some people here finish on them alone. I prefer the Escher.

Me too. Escher is my go to finisher, I keep one out by my blades for quick touch ups..

I've tried most of the natural finishers and just don't find the Escher can be beaten. Jnats, Charnleys the lot.

Thnx for your offer shooter, but I'm currently in Costa Rica so I guess sending the razor over and getting it back will be almost as expensive as getting the stone.

There is no "straight razor" market in here, but I'm gonna take a look at a couple of "big" hardware stores around here and see if they got any high grit water stones (I doubt it)

I'll probably have to import it from the States.

Just because they don't have it on the shelves doesn't mean they can't get it cheaper than importing...ask around.

Personally, eschers are too pricey for me. I'm new to coticals and still learning mine, but so far I can not get sharper than an 8k provides (possibly smoother, though). On a C12k I can get a noticeable step up in sharpness from that. IMO they are one of the best value items in straight shaving. Even though I am in the grip of HAD, I will be keeping my PHIG within reach.