Thread: naniwa 12 k or Chinese 12 k

I have honed with 6 different Chinese hones and I have and regularly use my Naniwa 12000. There is a difference between the Chinese hones that I have but they are all similar in performance.
The Naniwa is a far better hone for razors. It produces a very smooth cutting edge.
The Chinese are much harder, although they vary in hardness, and cut slower producing a harsher edge.
Even if you luck into one of the better Chinese hones you will still want a Naniwa.
Once you have experienced the Naniwa you won't feel like you need another finishing hone.
Notice I didn't say that you wouldn't want another finisher.

I agree 100% with what everyone has said. The chinese(had one sold it) 12k is inconsistent grit take forever to lap and use. The only reason I bought it was bacause I was being cheap. Theres cheap(chinese 12k maybe 10k maybe 14k) and a consistent performer (naniwa) that is a winner. We cant all be wrong.

Some day I might try a natural...but the Nani never let's me down.

This hobby is expensive enough, no point in throwing out "guess" money on a finisher. I'd rather not gamble so the predictability of synthetics is appealing to me.

To the op Buy the Naniwa

For the rest of you that own the PHIGs already

Start here

http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...nese-hone.html

That thread is 3 years old, since then we have learned that the very Hard Scratchy PHIG's can be tamed by treating them as you would a Arkie or a CF, lap them to the higher extremes and try some of the Smith's Honing Solution or Lather to hone on them, they will give up a very nice edge but they do take a zillion laps

The really soft ones I haven't found/seen a solution to getting them to give up an edge

Hope that helps a bit, but I would not go out and buy a half dozen PHIGs to get one really good one

The PHIGs are pretty good. I had one a few years ago and it gave a an edge a very smooth finish but it was really slow. A razor needed lots and lots of laps to get the full benefit. I think that I would go for the Naniwa. It will give a very consistent finish and it will be a lot faster than the PHIG.

Naniwa produces some insanely smooth edges. C12 is nice and if price is an issue, go with it.

I took the advice of SirStropalot and bought a set of Naniwa Super Stones, glad I listened to him. What's that saying "Buy quality once ......."

naniwa over phig anyday

Originally Posted by regularjoe.

If you do your six strokes on a naniwa and the razor isn't shaving, you know without a doubt, that the stone is not to blame. Provided you lapped it properly.

If you do your 150 strokes on a c12k, and your razor isn't shaving, .the only thing you really know is that the razor isn't shaving. Any other supposition would be simply a stab in the dark, based on your experience level, and what you can remember you read.

It already shaves after the 1000 grit... C12K are real efficient, cheap finishers.

Ha ! I just found it again :

http://www.tzknives.com/razorbevels.html

Just gonna get the naniwa look at it this way if I decide to stop honing and doing restores and get out of the hobby it will b easier to sell my king and 4/8 norton and a nainwa then a Chinese 12k plus I'm getting a good stone .. Honing is a learning process ... Do I have to lap the stone everytime I use it?