Thread: Noob + naniwa stones = love. or not?

I agree - the problem is the honing and not the razor.

Good to know you "splash & go" with the Naniwas, Bob. Maybe the next time around, I will be a little less OCD and try it your way.

I find myself picking up Glen's habits. For example, I flip the blade safely on the hone when using one hand but fall into the wrong way when using both hands. I usually catch myself and correct though before anything bad happens.

Moreover, I find the T-I more challenging for me to hone than the Dovos due to the C135 steel and the 1/4 to 1/2 hollow grind. Actually, I should probably use the word "unfamiliar" rather than "challenging" since more of my blades are full hollow.

This one is the dovo after 6 months and 2 shaves a week, and some 4 honing attempts described above. Still don't like how it cuts. Bevel is some 0.35mm wide.



The TI eagle after 6 months of 3-4 shaves a week. Cuts much better than the dovo. Bevel is some 0.6 mm wide.



This is the TI spartacus after less than 10 shaves. Best cutter I've had so far. Bevel is 1mm wide, like 3 times wider than the dovo.



Will take a break from the Dovo and try my hand at honing later.

Originally Posted by alexc81

I live in europe don't think there's anyone here near me.

You might be surprised. We have quite a few European members. If you do an advanced search in the community member list you might find someone relatively nearby. Alternatively, you can just change your member profile to include your location--as specific or vague as you wish.

Originally Posted by alexc81

(these naniwas are wide enough to work with the whole blade without having to do the x pattern).

That may be a problem if the Dovo is not perfectly ground.... as most are. Any warp or uneven grind will not be covered without the X stroke.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

That may be a problem if the Dovo is not perfectly ground.... as most are. Any warp or uneven grind will not be covered without the X stroke.

Yup, and that is why I don't really care if I lap my Naniwas or not. With using an X stroke exclusively it really doesn't seem to matter. I'd say the vast majority of razors I have do have some warp or uneven grind issues. Gotta love honing gymnastics.

Bob

Originally Posted by onimaru55

That may be a problem if the Dovo is not perfectly ground.... as most are. Any warp or uneven grind will not be covered without the X stroke.

Did X strokes on the last 2 attempts... still not happy with it. I think the edge is fine at least from what I can see with this s**tty scope, although its not as new - I'm just getting started with this after all, I am a noob... more likely my expectations are just too high, part due to starting with the eagle as my first straight razor which set the standard pretty high - as a side note, I also have a $30 chinese razor of some kind which I tried once but quickly gave up after shaving less than 2 square inches, now I keep it as a letter opener. Although I don't get much mail, just a few bills each month and the occasional spam disguised as something else to make you open it.

Just out of curiosity, what is the "best" straight razor one can buy? I realize that is subjective and also by "best" I don't mean any of the following:
- most expensive "designer" razor;
- ultra-rare or unique;
- fancy steel, like that "damascus" steel I saw in some TI razors priced at EUR 1500 or so, big LOL, that's not damascus steel as there hasn't really been any true, real damascus steel made in the last 200 years, besides even if it is it's probably not suitable for straight razors, that steel was used for swords where it outperformed other types of steel _back then_, but in this day and age it probably won't be as good as the high tech steel on the market today;

Just thinking to spend some 2-3K on a good set of razors which I'd only hone once a year or every two years. Will keep my current TI razors, the eagle and the spartacus as they are too awesome.

Originally Posted by alexc81

Did X strokes on the last 2 attempts... still not happy with it. I think the edge is fine at least from what I can see with this s**tty scope, although its not as new - I'm just getting started with this after all, I am a noob... more likely my expectations are just too high, part due to starting with the eagle as my first straight razor which set the standard pretty high - as a side note, I also have a $30 chinese razor of some kind which I tried once but quickly gave up after shaving less than 2 square inches, now I keep it as a letter opener. Although I don't get much mail, just a few bills each month and the occasional spam disguised as something else to make you open it.

Just out of curiosity, what is the "best" straight razor one can buy? I realize that is subjective and also by "best" I don't mean any of the following:
- most expensive "designer" razor;
- ultra-rare or unique;
- fancy steel, like that "damascus" steel I saw in some TI razors priced at EUR 1500 or so, big LOL, that's not damascus steel as there hasn't really been any true, real damascus steel made in the last 200 years, besides even if it is it's probably not suitable for straight razors, that steel was used for swords where it outperformed other types of steel _back then_, but in this day and age it probably won't be as good as the high tech steel on the market today;

Just thinking to spend some 2-3K on a good set of razors which I'd only hone once a year or every two years. Will keep my current TI razors, the eagle and the spartacus as they are too awesome.

No such thing as the best razor, only opinion based on individual experiences.
I prefer TI's to Dovos . I prefer Bengalls to Invictas. I prefer vintage to modern. I prefer Iwasaki to most anything else. This thread will go many pages if everyone posts their idea of best razor.

btw don't you have a focus ring so you can adjust your scope or is it a fixed power ?

Originally Posted by onimaru55

No such thing as the best razor, only opinion based on individual experiences.
I prefer TI's to Dovos . I prefer Bengalls to Invictas. I prefer vintage to modern. I prefer Iwasaki to most anything else. This thread will go many pages if everyone posts their idea of best razor.

btw don't you have a focus ring so you can adjust your scope or is it a fixed power ?

It does have a focus ring and light buttons but the scope is not so good. Those were the best quality pictures I was able to get after adjusting light, distance and focus.