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

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!