Thread: Shapton Kuromaku 2K... A good alternative to Chosera 1K and Naniwa SS 1K?

Seems like you are obsessing about the wrong end of the stick. A 1 to 2k jump or another 1k is a sideways move, yea it is better, but just go to a 4-6k and make a real difference.

The real goal is to get to an 8k finish/edge, or as close as possible if you jump to naturals. Look at your edges, it does not get straight until 8k.

Get the bevels flat and in the correct plane and meeting with whatever it takes, 600-4k, (depending on the razor condition), as long as you remove the deep stria completely and start polishing.

8k is the game changer. Then it is just polishing. 8k to a natural is a piece of cake, or can show that your “Natural” finisher is not better than an 8k.

1k to a natural can be done, but it is all about the stone and technique, (slurry). A good Jnat can easily remove any 1k stria in about 40 laps, so it is totally about the stone and technique.

Slurry is a double edge sword, it can multiply stone grit, but will also edge impact, dull and chip an edge. Try setting a bevel on a 1k with slurry and look at the edge, now wash off the stone and do 20X laps and notice how even the stria pattern becomes and how straighter the edge becomes.

So, even with an aggressive 1k how deep the stria is, can be more about technique than the grit in the stone.

Maybe it is just me but I don't really get investing so much in synthetic stones if to finish you are going to nats. I love natural stones, especially Arks and the other really hard stones for finishing and although the low end must be done for the high grits to make any difference, once you're on to the nats, as long as you got successfully to a complete, clean bevel it doesn't matter what you did it with. You're going to remove all the stria from whatever it was and it's either straight or it's not. You definitely have to get there efficiently but when you shave with a razor you will absolutely never say, "Wow, that bevel setter is really smooth!" I would cover the basic needs and save the mad money for where it's going to matter. It may not matter to you now but it will. Not that long ago I never honed past 8k, and could still shave just fine off of it, but I have an embarrassing amount invested in money and time (creating hones out of rocks found in the wild) invested in natural stones. You just don't ever know where you'll find yourself...

Just my humble opinion. Your milage may vary.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

when you shave with a razor you will absolutely never say, "Wow, that bevel setter is really smooth!"

While I agree in general with the practicality of your post. After being involved with stones for a while many of us enjoy the feel, efficiency, or even appearance or aesthetics of particular stones at particular grit levels in our progression. Hence the quest by many for natural bevel setters or natural mid range stones. So if you take the preface of 'when you shave with a razor' away from the above statement, you may indeed say "Wow, that bevel setter is really smooth"