Thread: Cheap 4000 and 8000 grit waterstones!

I was doing some shopping around and found a nice selection of synthetic 2" waterstones ranging from 180 to 8000 grit. The prices are super-low so I ordered from their Canadian distributor. The 4000 grit is just under $5 US and 8000 grit a bit over $8. Here's the site:
http://w-u.com/wucatresults.htm?snum=26375

And here's the site for the CDN distributor (you have to use the product numbers from the U.S. site to order):
http://www.allinonewood.com/

I didn't ask about any EU/AZN/AUS/LA distributors.

P.S.: I'm in no way affiliated with either of those two. Just trying to get a decent product on a shoestring budget lol

You did a really good search ! I have never seen anyone make a post about these stones so be sure to let us know how they work for you. What I did notice was the small size. You will have to use the X pattern to hone . The price is really good!

Your typically get what you pay for :roll:

I have seen a few inexpensive stones on one of the Japanese tool sites that have a realatively thin layer of grit embedded into the top of the matrix as opposed to being dispersed throughout. Less grit, more clay base = lower price. Not saying they are bad but materials cost money.

I found when researching Amplex pastes the same thing applies. Many manufacturers, many grades within those makers. Each concentration of diamond to filler changes the price up or down. You can save money by going to a lower concentration but are getting less abrasive and more carrier. I imagine the same is happening with the stones as these are manmade.

Tony the skeptic Miller :lol:

Worst case scenario, I blew $30 (1.3x markup on regular prices). I'll let you guys know as soon as I get the hones. If the blade passes the hair test (after honing+stropping), then it's money well spent. And it's not like our grandfathers blew hundreds upon hundreds of dollars on their shaving kits.

You might want to find out if the grit rating is Chinese based or Japanese based. Most of us think of the 6000 or 8000 grit as being measured in the Japanese system. If your hone was made in China then the grit rating has to be adjusted downward ( if I recall correctly)

Do you know the percentage of downard adjustment? If the rating is Chinese, and Chinese 8000 stands for Japanese 800, I definately do not want go use that on my razor lol.

Don't worry, its not anywhere near that bad. I would go ahead and find out just for your(and our ) information. Then I would try the hones. Just make sure to soak the hones in water before you use them and keep them wet while you hone.

The reason I mentioned the differences is that a while back woodcarfters had a Chinese 12,000 grit hone on sale for a really good price. Some of the people disputed that it was 12, 000 but was more like 7,500. Others disagreed. Then someone posted a link to the mfg website and they showed the grit to micron scale they were using. It was different than the Japanese scale but not that much. The hone still does a remarkable job no mater the grit "rating".

You have found a low cost way to obtain a hone. Be happy.

2 Hones instead of a double-sided one. Just trying to get a decent shave without a major capital investment. In any case I wanted to share this find with other like-minded people.

Firstart,
I was not trying to rain on your parade and cheaper may work out quite well. I started with medium priced Japanese stones and just did not have great luck. I figured a Norton was the only way to go but didn't want to spend $70-80. I got some old barber hones from Tilly for $10-15 and have great luck now.
These may be fine I just didn;t want you to think all are created alike.

Tony

I am aware of the differences in quality and generally you get what you pay for. I provided for that contigency in my reasoning. I am just waiting for them to arrive and to see how they're gonna work out for me. Whatever happens, I'll keep you posted. If they turn out to be good, they'd be a part of great starting gear for total n00bs.