Thread: Y/G Escher is as fine as...

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Now me, I found the y/g perfect while he shapton pro 15k and certainly the 30k were too crisp for me. I guess we hunt around until we find what we like and all of us aren't hunting the same thing.

Exactly right, once you find what you like, you can quit reading as it'll just lead you in directions that don't have a lot of chance of upsetting the incumbent.

I just was so thrown by how many old texts specifically reference the yellow/green thuringian stones as the first and top recommendation for finishing razors. Curiosity got the best of me.

today there are artificial stones ... Naniwa are the best. Thuringian are technically outdated.....I take 1,3,5,8,10 Naniwa, and then escher. escher makes small teeth in the cut. this is good for the hair, they are raked

Well, it did stop slurrying after a couple of razors. It only releases a tiny bit of abrasive that you can only just see in the water. It was probably releasing a lot of slurry as the tooth from lapping came off of it. If goes into a state of not releasing anything indefinitely, i'm sure I can make good use of it.

Originally Posted by strawinski

today there are artificial stones ... Naniwa are the best. Thuringian are technically outdated.....I take 1,3,5,8,10 Naniwa, and then escher. escher makes small teeth in the cut. this is good for the hair, they are raked

Interesting, how many other synthetics have you learned?

At the OP, the thuringian waterstone with the label Escher isn't "magic". They are however good finishers, I don't think I have ever heard of a confirmed "bad" Escher. I've learned a few finishers and find that I like y/g Escher after 16K. It tones down the edge to "just right"...for me. That's the key, "for me". My second favorite is Charnley Forest on oil after 16K, I rarely mess around with Asagi or 30K any more unless I'm feeling frisky...

Like mentioned before, play around with the new stone and see what it likes & works for you. It won't happen over night, just like a lasting relationship with a lovely lady...it takes time and effort. Pay attention to what the stone is telling you and in return the stone will give you the most memorable shaves...

also, I'm following......1,3,5,8,10 Naniwa....Escher with Slurry and finisher Nakayama Kita....Chrom 20x and Shell Horse Strop 80x.....that's my recipe ....

Y/G Escher is as fine as... butter.


It sound like the surface of yours is calming down. I wish you the best with your stone. For me the Escher is a one trick pony......a perfect buttery edge each time

I have 8 Escher and Thuringian.....in two years .....Perhaps it is easier in Europe. in USA always in antique shops in Germany on the market. all are best Finisher...
maybe you could a Charnley Forest....but Escher is Escher.....

Originally Posted by Piet

Natural stones vary, even Eschers. The autoslurry may add speed at the cost of that extra bit of fineness you'd get on pure water. However I suspect even the best Eschers can be topped by some Jnats.

+1 on the JNATS...BUT...I must admit that after taking a blade through a series of Naguras on my VERY HARD and fine Ohzuku and then taking the blade to my B/G Escher with water only the edge does seem to mellow out perfectly. Not always but it does happen...depending on the steel I assume.

A buddy of mine swears there are only so many good hits in a set of Golf Clubs. Once you’ve used them up… you just, have to buy a new set.

Perhaps Eschers are like that…

Probably not, it only took me about 20 years to learn to get a great edge off a Black Surgical Ark, back when there just weren’t a lot of other choices. Then again “All Natural stones are different and no 2 may be alike”, hence the great Coticule/C12K debates. Lately I have been playing with a bunch of BBW’s trying to find a finisher, boy do they run the gamut on grits and performence.

I’d play with it some more and try to find the sweet spot. I have a dished out old Thurigian that I lapped the back side of after knocking it out of the wooden box it spent its life in, it gives a great shave, off of edge.

But, I still prefer the Black Ark edge… just a bit more, Hummm.

Well I don't have a yellow/green, but I do have an Escher. And I can say without a shadow of a doubt that it is the greatest pre-polisher sidekick to my Jnat that I have tried to date.

I do not know what Jnats you have, but if they are like mine an escher will never come close to the edge you can get off it. Perhaps that is why you find it a bit "meh".

James.