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.

I respect your opinion and thank you for your review, English.

Chefs and woodworkers rave about the Chosera 10k. My understanding is that the abrasive is friable and mimics a high grit J Nat in that the more passes, the finer the abrasive gets and the sharpening action transforms into a polishing action. I believe Joel owner of toolsforworkingwood.com explained that. BUT.......he's talking plane irons and chisels and he's talking direct and moderate pressure to what we'd consider in relation to honing razors to be extreme. In other words, you need to apply force to that stone to get the abrasive to break down into smaller particle sizes. Force that we don't use honing razors. Knowing how he described the stone's behavior, your review, English, makes perfect sense to me. That stone has the potential to be a polishing stone and one that is widely regarded to be excellent. But, for things other than razors. It does sound based on your review that the stone can have an excellent place in a razor honing progression.

Thanks again.

Chris L

I wonder if a bit of slurry would give it the same efficacy that Joel from Tools For Working Wood described it having with plane irons and such ? Still at the price I will make do with what I have. English, it was a great review and thanks again.

I love my Chosera hones.

I only have the 3000 and 5000 presently, but they are fantastic hones. So large that I am sure they will last a life time. Next month I plan on investing in the 1000 and the 2000 and eventually will add the 10000 to the lineup. I use mostly stainless and INOX razors and they all respond with great results.

FYI I use lapping film above and beyond the 5000 but would like to phase this out as it is less environmentally freindly.

Costly hones buy very nice!

I agree. The Shap really finishes off a razor quite nicely! I actually go out to the 30000 Shap and LOVE IT.

I am a big fan of the Naniwa's and really think that the Naniwa Super 12K followed by a pasting is as good an edge available and extremely consistent. The softer feeling Supers really lend themselves to honing straight razors.

Lynn

Lynn,

Did you compare the Chosera 10K with the Super 12K?

I did and I compared the Super 10K against the 12K. I was able to get an edge off all of them and go to the paste for that little extra. The 12K on its own though was the best from a shaving standpoint. I like the softness of the Super Stones. It's like they were made for sharpening straight razors.

Lynn

English, if you were buying all of your hones all over again, would the chosera 10k be among the first couple you buy?

Lynn, did you compare the super 12k to the super 10k, or the chosera 10k? I think the chosera 10k is different from the super 10k, right?

So, Lynn, you would recommend the Super over the Chosera?

Interesting. Because the Super is much, MUCH more affordable for me.

Also...slightly off topic, but is there any kind of serial number or mark associated with the 12,000 super? Something starting with two letters and then a series of numbers, like for example IN-2090?

I'm searching and I can't find ANY 12,000 super stones on the Japanese web. Just like I could never find a 15,000 Shapton Pro...