Thread: Hones to start with?

Originally Posted by Audels1

Ok when you say Naniwa's I assume you mean the Super stone (SS) If so I could get a full 1k,3k, 8k and 12k for around $200. I don't see much of a difference in cost from the Norton's

Originally Posted by STF

I originally bought 220/1k - 4k/8k Norton set and a 12k Naniwa SS.

The Nortons were great, no complaints except I find soaking them a drag.

I recently bought 1K - 3K - 8K Naniwa SS and another 12k Naniwa SS and I love them. As long as you get the Super Stones the Naniwas don't need soaking, just splash and go.

I do also like the feel of the Naniwas more than the Nortons.

The Naniwa Super stones come in two thicknesses, I have the thicker ones because they feel more substantial and less delicate. If you do get Naniwas make sure they are super stones, the traditional ones need soaking I believe.

The real advantage of both the Nortons and the Naniwas is that the results are consistent and loads of the experienced guys here have them so there is a lot of help available, the naturals stones are different from one to another so it is much harder for anyone to help you because their results will be different to yours.

What he (STF) said.

Also be aware that any thing you get will have good and bad things about it. But then you already know that, you're not a child so forgive me. It's just easy to have it turn into a quest to find eldorado.
The reason why I use naturals so much is not even necessarily because I think their edges are so great or that they are so good to use, (they are but that's another story) it is primarily for the adventure. To me it's not just honing, it's a quest. You have to be careful though because before you know it you've got $10,000 in rocks of some form or another. It happens before you realize it. One day you look around and say "DANM! Where did all these rocks come from? Did I actually buy all of these?"
There's another phenomenon that happens with naturals. It's talked about quite a bit in other threads. You'll be sitting in your car in traffic and notice a building next to you that has slate on the side, or you'll be standing in a line outside of a restaurant and noticed that they have large river rocks in the landscape beds, or, hell, you'll just be walking down the street and see a rock in the ditch and say to yourself, "Hmmm. I bet I can hone a razor on that." Then you'll spend hours wondering which direction you would cut it, how much surface area you can get out of it, or maybe you could get more than one stone out of it, that would give you the opportunity to finish them differently and possibly go all the way from bevel set to finish with just the... You get the idea. It's actually kind of fun really. As with any compulsion you have to be comfortable with where it ends or be able to reign it in before it gets away from you. Anyway, I hope you find what you're looking for, and I do really want to help. Just call me Enabler Man.

Just be careful. IMO, buy naniwas or Shaptons and be happy. Or be like a lot of us and go thru a few different sets of synthetic stone sets. Its all choice. Spend a little extra and get a nice full set one time and be done.

Here are my Shapton glass stones on the left and Naniwas up to 12k plus a GOK 20k. And a couple naturals too but we are not talking about those. Above is a shalf full of naturals. Be careful. Its a sickness buying rocks!

Originally Posted by Gasman

Just be careful. IMO, buy naniwas or Shaptons and be happy. Or be like a lot of us and go thru a few different sets of synthetic stone sets. Its all choice. Spend a little extra and get a nice full set one time and be done.

Here are my Shapton glass stones on the left and Naniwas up to 12k plus a GOK 20k. And a couple naturals too but we are not talking about those. Above is a shalf full of naturals. Be careful. Its a sickness buying rocks!

..........

Nice chest, Gasman.

Lawd have mercy, Jerry! You've turned an obsession into an art form!

Someone in this thread mentioned king stones. Is there any truth to the radioactive rumor? Frome the ones I found on amazon anyway are easily 1/2 the cost of the others mentioned but I really don't want to wear a lead vest to hone razors

I do t have a King stone. Not sure why. My last name is King. Anyway, I know that Marty/ Euclid440 uses a King 1k stone. He might pop in and answer.

I mentioned King stones but I don't know nothin' about no radioactivity. I never even heard that. They are japanese. Maybe they're made near Nagasaki or Hiroshima. Have no idea where else that could have come from

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

I mentioned King stones but I don't know nothin' about no radioactivity. I never even heard that. They are japanese. Maybe they're made near Nagasaki or Hiroshima. Have no idea where else that could have come from

have a read through the reviews https://www.amazon.com/KING-KW65-Com...ustomerReviews

One more question for you all that use King stones. What would be better the King 1000 or the 1200 for razors?. I do already own a 1000 Norton but I figured I could leave that with my knife stuff and not mix the two.