Thread: Where Can I Buy A Real Escher or Thuringian?

A Nani 12k is an awesome stone. When it comes to naturals there can be variables. Not with synthetics, they are spot on almost every time. Just stick with the Nani.

And no matter how you hone it, in my opinion, the smoothness of the edge comes from good stropping YMMV JMO

Buy yourself a Naniwa 12K, it's probably the only finishing hone you will ever need.

If you are at the begining of your honing journey...this is what ibrecomend for you from personal experience.

Get a chosera 1000...a Norton. 4/8k and a naniwa SS12k
With this lineup you can learn how to hone properly, get nice edges easy and still find a spot in your honing lineup later for the stones.

2) learn how to hone....use marker on the bevels and spine...how and when to use tape...diffrent techniques.

3) get a razor sent out to be honed by a pro...a real pro...and send it in for various finishers...coticule...jnat...escher...sinthetics. ..hell you can even send it to get honed on the nani12k to see if you are getting similar results.

Send the same razor I. Every time to be able to compare with less variables.

4) find out what finisher you like.
Depending on skin type...hair type...technique used...shaving routine...etc...you may find out you like some edges better then others.
For me for instance after going trough hundreds of stones I narrowed it down to 3 types....coticules...jnats and Eschers.
Because I ha e a sensitive skin...tough beard...and I like my edges kind to the skin and sharp.

5) after finding out what you like....buy one.

Sure what I recomend requires patience...and throwing away some cash on honing services...but trust me...you will get out cheaper then buying a hone that you may like and not satisfying your curiosity before the purchase.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by ovidiucotiga

If you are at the begining of your honing journey...this is what ibrecomend for you from personal experience.

Get a chosera 1000...a Norton. 4/8k and a naniwa SS12k
With this lineup you can learn how to hone properly, get nice edges easy and still find a spot in your honing lineup later for the stones.

2) learn how to hone....use marker on the bevels and spine...how and when to use tape...diffrent techniques.

3) get a razor sent out to be honed by a pro...a real pro...and send it in for various finishers...coticule...jnat...escher...sinthetics. ..hell you can even send it to get honed on the nani12k to see if you are getting similar results.

Send the same razor I. Every time to be able to compare with less variables.

4) find out what finisher you like.
Depending on skin type...hair type...technique used...shaving routine...etc...you may find out you like some edges better then others.
For me for instance after going trough hundreds of stones I narrowed it down to 3 types....coticules...jnats and Eschers.
Because I ha e a sensitive skin...tough beard...and I like my edges kind to the skin and sharp.

5) after finding out what you like....buy one.

Sure what I recomend requires patience...and throwing away some cash on honing services...but trust me...you will get out cheaper then buying a hone that you may like and not satisfying your curiosity before the purchase.

Good luck!

This all day long! That Chosera/Norton/Nani progression is the foundation of my honing setup. A nice Ark, PHIG, or JNat puts the icing on the cake.

Really, ? Most natural owners are very proud f their stones, and once they dial them in they work just great, but and here's the biggy. YOU haven't even leaned to shave well yet. I could give you a thousand dollar stone of known quality, you,ll probably get a better die from the Nani12k because it won't take long to learn. Plus why not learn the one you have coming, that's going to take time. Then in the end once you master the 12k you,ll find that it gives just as good of an edge. I've been doing this for 4+ years and it's what I shave off of daily, and I have some pretty good naturals. We see this all the time, new guy wants to buy a stone that is the latest or greatest, but hasn't even mastered the basics. Slow down and look up Glen's (gssixgun) signature, st the truth of all truths in honing. The biggest majority of razors being honed by long time members is being done at some level by the Naniwa12k.

By the way the Escher is a Thuringian, it's a label, that doesn't make it better. Some say a Jnat is better, nor how about Arks, or a Gok 20k, ask the pros what they hone on most, Lynn Abrams who hones more razors in a month than you will in your life use a. Gok 20k for most f them unless requested to use something other. Tc

If you really have to have one, go to EBay and do a search for "straight razor hones." Once in a great while one will pop up there. Be very careful though and don't be afraid to seek advice. Every so often one will be for sale on the b/s/t thread here.
Let the waiting game begin.
Good luck.

Pete <:-}

Are these modernly mined thuringians?

I've read about them before somewhere, can't recall much about it, but I think they're from a different quarry than the vintage ones and they're a hit or a miss; mostly read that they're not as fine as the old mined ones

Originally Posted by TristanLudlow

Are these modernly mined thuringians? ...snip...

May or may not be. Modern ones are about 8K and gritty. many threadss about them.
~Richard

Originally Posted by Dieseld

A Nani 12k is an awesome stone. When it comes to naturals there can be variables. Not with synthetics, they are spot on almost every time. Just stick with the Nani.

And no matter how you hone it, in my opinion, the smoothness of the edge comes from good stropping YMMV JMO

I'll second this. For the first handful of shaves, 3 to 5, I can tell which of my stones the blade was honed on. For the next 15 to 20, they more or less feel the same because the strop has done it's work.

I have seen Thuringians currently being mined. But remember they aren't coming from the same hole in the mountain that a vintage thuri came from. Performance may not be the same, I've not purchased one yet and have no vintage to compare to so I can't opine.

There's also a person in the area that visits the original mine and takes home bout stones - irregularly cut stone slabs - left behind when the original mine was operational and flattens them for sale. Their performance should be comparable to a vintage stone.

If I remember, I'll post a few links when I'm home and at my computer to make locating them easier. Posting links from mobile is a pain.

Having just gone through the process of learning to get a razor shave ready on synthetics, then buying and learning lots of naturals, and moving back to synthetics... I can agree that most of the advice you're getting here is spot on.
If you really just want to hone your blades, it's hard to beat the setup of 1k Chosera, 4/8k Norton, 12k Naniwa. I find the Norton a little "chippy" so I wouldn't dismiss anyone who says there's a better mid range stone. But as already stated, when you buy a synthetic you know Exactly what you're getting.
Now, I moved to naturals because I find them very interesting and exciting to learn. So if that's your motivation then go for it! The good ones (i.e. real Eschers) aren't cheap and it's very unlikely that you'll stumble across a cheap one without many months of searching estate sales and antique stores. I myself have had great buys here on B/S/T and have gotten an Escher in a trade here that I absolutely cherish, so I can definitely recommend that route. On the other hand, there are usually decent Eschers on the bay... but there are usually some very suspect ones as well. My advice if you want to go that route is to educate yourself on what to look for in a real Escher. Then, before you pull the trigger, confirm with one of the more experienced members here that everything looks correct. There are several dead giveaways on "modern" thuringians and not-so-authentic Eschers.
Hope that helps. I've gotten burned before so hopefully this advice will save you from that trouble!