Thread: How good is the Naniwa Chosera hone?

I've owned my Chosera now for long enough to understand it and give my opinion as to how good I think it is.

I believe that there are four stages to prepare a straight razor to a shave ready condition.

First the bevel needs to be set. Most use a 1000 grit hone to do this.
Second, the bevel needs to be brought to a level of sharpness so that it will catch and cut hair easily. This usually achieved by progressing from a 1000 grit hone up to an 8000/10000 grit hone.
Thirdly, the edge needs to be smoothed or finished. The range of materials that will smooth a sharpened edge is extensive. Old barbers hone, Eschers, Various pastes, Chromium Oxide, Newspaper, exotic Japanese natural hones, 15000 grit or even 30000 grit Hones from a supplier named Shapton, etc.etc,
Fourth and finally a good stropping on a leather strop.

The Chosera for me fits into the second stage, the sharpening stage. I think that it sharpens to a similar level as say a Belgian Yellow Coticule. Maybe slightly better, but I think that depends on your honing skill and also how good your coticule is.

The main advantage the Chosera has over all other sharpening hones is that it is easy to use, it is consistent and it is highly efficient. It takes a while to develop the skill to use a coticule or for that matter just about any other hone on the market. The Chosera is very easy to use and doesn't require the user to be super gentle etc.,etc., You just push and pull the blade across the surface a few times and bingo like majic, the razor edge will pop hairs. Anybody can do it.

But that's all it does. Once the edge is sharp, its sharp. The hone will not add or give any more. You can use all your honing skills, but you won't get the edge sharper and you won't move into the third stage of polishing. The Chosera is not a polishing hone and I believe most straight razor users prefer a little more smoothness than a Chosera edge produces.

Many ask the question, is the Chosera as good as a 15000 Shapton. In my view, the question is asking to compare apples and oranges. The Chosera is a sharpening hone and the Shapton is a polishing hone.