Thread: Soliciting opinions Shapton Ceramic on Tempered Glass, Diamond on Glass Lapping Plate

I'd like to get the opinions of members on the Shapton ceramic on tempered glass hones:

• Are the Shaptons superior to natural stones or just a matter of preference?
• Do the Shaptons do a better job, or just a faster job?
• Is it necessary to use a Shapton lapping plate or is a DMT satisfactory?

All opinions are appreciated. I'm actually pretty satisfied with my Norton 4/8K and 12K Chinese stone, but am curious because Shaptons seem to be popular.

I like mine. IMO, they are neither better nor worse than a natural - they do a job and they do it well, though some of the knife guys apparently don't rate them because they flex, but in all honesty if you are making them flex when you hone a razor you should really rethink your pressure.

The 16K will give a very nice shaving edge IMO.

I lap my shapton glass stones with atoma diamond plates. You definitely do not need to purchase the shapton lapping plate.

James.

The Shapton GS hones are an exact science, they tell you basically when to move to the next hone, the DMT works fine with them.. They are fast and leave a smooth edge...

Personally I don't use them for older Sheffied razors l just don't like that edge, but I am not so fond of the heavy wedges on my face anyway so take that with a grain of salt I know people that use Shaptons well on them..

I use the Shapton GS stones as well. I like them. I use the 2k, 4k, 6k, 8k, and 16k. I still use the Chosera 1k for my bevel work 90% of the time. Sometimes, I'll quit at the 8k, and go to an Escher, or go to the 16k, then a Jnat, depends on the razor.

Funny Glen should mention Sheffield. I don't like the finish they leave on those either, I use a Jnat to put the finish on my Sheffields. My Maruichi Asagi does a great job on Sheffield steel.

You don't need any of the extra's, DGLP, Pond, etc...I use a DMT or Atoma myself. All the other stuff is nice to have, but not needed...

I have the full set of Shaptons, but find I use the 3, 6, 8 & 16k primarily. Chosera 1k to bevel set and then the previous k's. I do use the DGLP, but the Atoma would work well, and if a DMT, I'd want to use a well worn one. From the 16k I usually strop on linen and leather and most of my regular use razors require no crox, etc. Good Luck!!

Regards,
Howard.

IMHO one should not compare naturals and synthetics when it comes to how they work on the edge and how the edge feels.
The end result is always sharp edge, but the feeling is different.

Cajun, maybe before jumping the gun on a set of shapton you could send one of your blades for honing with a shapton progression to see if you like the edge, something to think about, they are quite expensive.

Well folks, I got a set of Shapton stones (second hand) because in 2 1/2 years I've never been quite able to match the shave-ready edge I've purchased when trying to touch them up. It was a deal I don't think most would have passed up if given the opportunity. In fact, I hope I paid the seller a fair price, although it was all I could afford at this time.

I have an embarrassing question.

Do you hone on the white side or the clear side?

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

Well folks, I got a set of Shapton stones (second hand) because in 2 1/2 years I've never been quite able to match the shave-ready edge I've purchased when trying to touch them up. It was a deal I don't think most would have passed up if given the opportunity. In fact, I hope I paid the seller a fair price, although it was all I could afford at this time.

I have an embarrassing question.

Do you hone on the white side or the clear side?

you hone on the white side, the other side is glass backing and will not hone anything.

The clear side is tempered glass, you hone on the other side.