Thread: Replace my King 1000?

I tried flipping the stone over & lapping the other side. That side is better but still not as fine as the stone used to be. I'm going to keep lapping both sides & see what happens (on those rare afternoons where I have hours to kill & nothing better to do ), but I think I'm just going to get a chosera 1k or 800 when I have a bit more cash & be done with it. There's a reason these stones are so cheap & I think this might be one of them.

I like dmts now. Used to have a king and have a Norton 220/1k combo that I don't use anymore. No lapping, no puddles. Once you break it in, its a piece of cake IMO. I'm sure you can have bad luck with anything though. Sounds like your king is a dud.

I have a Naniwa SS1000. I have to lap it so much it isn't funny. Once it even developed a "worm hole" looking thing that took alot of lapping. Kinda reminded me of something plastic set on the hot coil of a stove. I'm surprised I have much stone left & I ain't even had it a month.
As soon as my DMT's come in, this one will be donated.
I haven't owned alot of stones in my brief career as a wet shaver, but this one was a waste of money.
OP, lap that thing!

A possible update...

I actually took my defective King 1k back to Woodcraft ( as under the scope, razors sharpened on it were actually microchipping pretty badly(!)) & was able to exchange it (this time for a 1/6 combo as they were out of the big 1ks). Lapped it & as before, initially the bevels were very smooth & easy to refine--like the old one had been. (On a side note, I do not like the 6k side at all.)

On subsequent razors (this was after more lapping), it felt like the old one--the sharpness disappeared if the edge was refined. Meaning the bevel was not totally set. I tried less pressure, more pressure, slurry, no slurry, dilution, circles, half strokes, spine-leading strokes, single-direction strokes & probably a few more I forget. The bevels would not set (but the first few razors I tried on it sharpened up very well!).

My feeling is, there was a bad batch of these things made @ one time & probably some are in circulation. Some of us were unlucky & we got them. This would be most noticed (on razors) if you're trying to do a 1-stone honing method as that demands a perfectly set bevel that the natural then just refines; no natural finisher that I've ever seen has the power to reset bad geometry from a faulty bevel-setter.

I personally would avoid the King 1k for now & try something else as you might get one of the bad stones that are out there.

I have a King 1k, and hardly ever use it. I haven't had any problems with it, I just prefer the Chosera 1k or the Shapton GS 1k, or even the 2k. If your in the market for a good bevel setter, you can't go wrong with the Chosera. It's a little pricey, so you need to take into consideration how much you'll use it. Lately, I've been using the Shaptons almost exclusively and finishing with a Natural.

Thinking very strongly about picking one up when I have more cash... It's pretty much 1st on my list of future bevel setters. I get in a lot of pretty beat up razors from local barbershops (some with loads of spine wear), so for me, it'd be worth it. Shaptons are on the list too for the same reason--consistency & ease of use!

You will find that most veteran honers end up with a 1K Chosera. It's a bit more dough, but a nice hone and worth the investment if you do quite a few bevel sets. I'm a Shapton GS guy & still use the chosera for bevel sets, then 2-16K followed by a natural finisher...works every time.

Yes, I have noticed that with most synthetics, as said a good lapping will get past it. I also agree lapping on a good Diamond Plate as opposed to paper.

I like the idea of flipping the stone and lapping that side. I do that often with Naturals that are worn.

My favorite 1K is still the Choseras, you will not regret the purchase, I like it much better than the Super Stone and a little better that the Norton.

You can’t go wrong with either if money is an issue.

Have a King. Lap it a little each time before I use it. Just a few times over the edges and the same on the main surface.
Just habit.

I wonder if it because it has been soaked too much and is deteriorating? It could be like the Naniwas in that soaking too much causes issues? Never used a King, just a thought.