Which brand do you prefer?

If I would ask which brand of 1k do you like best, most of us would respond that the Chosera 1k is the ideal bevel setter. We've heard this one many times.

But which brand of 3/4/5k do you prefer?

And which brand of 8k do you prefer?

And when we get to the 12k most of us will say the naniwa 12k.
As far as the 3/4/5k, I will say I prefer the 3k Jnat I got recently from Sham and as far as the 5k, I much prefer the BBW.

And I definitely prefer the Norton 8k

And again the naniwa 12k.

So my main question here is which stones do you personally prefer between the 1k and the 12k. What does it best for you?......

Again, for me it's the Jnat 3k, the BBW and Norton 8k.

To answer your question I currently like the HNK Shapton Pro's in any grit, tho I don't own the 8k. I use a few Jnats also but couldn't give them a grit rating as it varies a lot considering how you use them.ie water only ,diamond plate slurry , thin slurry , thick slurry, broken down slurry, nagura. I would argue you may be limiting your Jnat by calling it a 3k. It can probably do more than you think.

I would suggest a yellow lake stone. With slurry cuts around 4k but it's quite faster than a BBW, I have a lot of experience with both, and for 8k, the yellow lake with plain water is around 8 to 10k. With oil it gets a little finer, around 2k finer from what it was. And costs 1/3 of the price compared to the synthetics. One other way is to buy just a coticule. Play with the slurry, learn how to dilute it, and you can go from 1k to 12k with the same stone. People tend to forget that with each stone (natural?) someone has, it can cut in 2 or 3 different grit levels. For a 12k stone, I have a C12k which I like a lot, and a llyn idwal, for the final edge.

I get superb results from norton 4/8k
my other set up is 3k chosera 5k super Stone, 10k Super stone
I also have 4k Gs that I like very much.

I guess I do not have a favorite brand, but the most used is 3k Chosera/5k SS/10k SS before I go to the naturals for finishing.

I prefer the King waterstones for low grits, I use the 800 and the 1k and have a 1.2k as well.

I go from that to the 4k norton, than the 6k (guessing) Washita, to the 8k norton, to the PHIG.

I usually finish between the PHIG and a Robeson Sure-Edge that I estimate is a true 12k.

THat's my favorite rotation, but sometimes the razors say different.

I use the poor mans honing method, and so far have only limited successes to build upon, but successes none the less.

Cool thread, and very interesting to see the investment in time and money everyone is willing to make to get that perfect edge.. :)

M

I am also a fan of the King waterstones, from 800 to 8K. Though they are slow, I've personally found them to be the closest in feel and results to natural stones of all the synthetics I've tried. After that I have one of the top of the line phigs and a surgical black Arkansas that I use to finish, depending on the blade.

For me the 5 and 10K Chosera rules supreme.
Further up the grit ladder, I have consistently good results with a Sigma Select II in 13K and a Gokumyo 20K.
The 20K Gokumyo is really a fantastic finisher.

I have not tried enough hones to answer your question with any real meaning - it would simply be a list of the stones I currently own, and I am still in the process of learning how to get the best out of some of those too.

But I can tentatively say, after 6 years of using the Norton 4/8, that I have a fair amount of evidence to suggest that it is a pretty good hone for my needs. I've had the Shapton ceramics on glass for a few years also, and they seem fine as well.

One thing I am currently playing with is going from the Norton 4K to the Sigma 10K (bypassing the Norton 8K). It is working quite well actually - the Sig 10K is very fast, and the sides of the edges it produces under the microscope are very uniform indeed.

To be perfectly frank, I don't think it really matters in the end what people prefer - modern synthetics in particular are all good, so long as you take the time to learn how to get the most out of them. For example, pretty much no one here uses a Sigma 1K stone as a bevel setter but I bought one anyway and it is working out really well for me. Does it matter that the Chosera 1K might indeed be a better stone? No - I have what I have and I am getting the best I can out of it.

James.

2k super stone 5k shapton pro coti sg16k finish on a phig this is most of the time but i do change my finishers around it depends on the steel i am sharpening

Norton, Naniwa SS/Chosera, Shapton pro, I like them all! :rock:

They are all very nice, capable of very nice edges. Buy the set that appeals to you the most, if it suits you, than don't buy anything else. If you buy, than HAD will never end :gaah: :beer1:

That said, I like the Shapton pros and the Norton the most out of my synths.

In the middle

Assuming I am not running the full progression Naniwa SS or the Full progression Shapton GS

Then I am going to finish on a Natural stone, and I m going to either of the standards, Norton 4/8 or Naniwa 3/8 both of those give me a shave ready edge, that I can take to whatever Natural finisher I think the razor is calling for...

One of these days I am going to pick up the 4000 and 8000 King's just to try them as I really like the 1000 from them..

. For bevel setting I like the Chosera 1K. It's a sloppy stone. That green crap gets everywhere, escpecially uner the fingernails. The Kings, Nortons and Shaptons are not as messy. After 1K I go to the naturals. pow zoom.
MIke

I am a beginner to honing and have just completed bevel set on 12 razors, not having set a final edge on any yet as I am waiting for Robert to give me some feedback on my bevels. I have the Norton 220/1k and 4/8k and the naniwa 12k. I have a norton lapping stone and just ordered the DMT8c since I hear so much about it on this site (does this make my norton redundant?). I have a SRD english bridal strop that has some of SRD green chrome stick on the nylon webbing and nothing on the leather side. I have a few super nice japanese kaniyama strops I use for my daily stropping, they have a velvety leather piece and a more polished waxy leather piece.

Question I have is what is the difference between synthetics like norton and natural stones? People seem to finish using naturals, would that come after the 12k naniwa? Would someone recommend for me the right natural stone to follow the 12k that would make stropping on the chrome rubbed webbing redundant? I would prefer to finish it up on a stone instead of the chromed webbing and then go straight to the velvet side of my japanese strop. I am looking for the smoothest shave possible.

Naniwa Superstones, 400, 1000, 5000 and 10000. Splash 'n' go, and the 400 is as nice a bevel setter as you'd want.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by groovyd

Question I have is what is the difference between synthetics like norton and natural stones? Several hundred dollars :) ... & of course a much finer stone. Do you really need one ? ... Your choice.
People seem to finish using naturals, would that come after the 12k naniwa? It can. It really depends on the stone.

Would someone recommend for me the right natural stone to follow the 12k that would make stropping on the chrome rubbed webbing redundant? I would prefer to finish it up on a stone instead of the chromed webbing and then go straight to the velvet side of my japanese strop. I am looking for the smoothest shave possible. This is a question for the seller you choose to buy the stone from. As you will likely be spending considerable money, the stone should also come with a money back guarantee. To be fair to the seller tho, you should also have the skill to use said stone.

---

As you are a beginner I'd recommend establishing a baseline on 8 k & then 12 k before investing in an expensive finisher. Get the best of those 2 stones first then move up. The difference may be only 1 or 2 % but it is what many of us chase.

Appreciate the feedback, sounds like I will do just fine for my first thousand honings without a natural.

My preferred rock is a fast coti, though the combined result of my skills and my stone only get the keenness to a low-mid 8k level of keenness. Not all blades respond evenly (or I don't work them evenly), and if I have to fuss too much, I reach for the Nani 8k.

If cotis were as consistent as the synthetics - or you have either the funds to buy and sell a bunch to find the golden rock, or the fortune to get one you instantly work well with - they would be hard to beat.

After Chosera 1K I tend to stay with whatever system I am working with, finished with a natural. One of these days I want to give the Chosera system a dance.

I have never thought of my hones in terms of favorites. They are just tools, a means to an end. At any moment in time I guess I like the hones that performs best with the razor I am honing and allow me to get the most out of the steel.

I like the shapton pro series hones