Thread: IS 10K too low for finishing?

Hi All,
I'm new to razors honing but I have experience with Japanese knives for which I use Naniwa Chosera stones. My highest grit is 10k.

Would you experienced honers consider 10k too low as a finishing stone for a razor?
If the answer is yes, which stone should I consider to finish the edges after the 10k?

I hope my question is not too open ended.

Thanks in advance.

No. 10k is not too low. You can get a perfectly comfortable shave off of an 8k if you know what you are doing, and if you don't know what you are doing, a higher grit hone is going to be a waste of money because it probably won't improve your edge anyway.

I have never used a Naniwa Chosera 10k. I've only used the Naniwa SuperStone 10k and it can produce a very good edge. I would assume the Chosera can as well and I have read the praises that other have given it.

If you want a more fine hone, do that later. Learn to get the most from what you have before moving up and spending ever more.

The Chosera 10K will give a good edge, perfectly capable of giving you a smooth and close shave.
A lot of us goes even further in finishing our razors, but that is just pure luxury.

A few of the many alternatives would be:

Escher/Thuringian natural
Charnley Forest Natural
A fine Coticule
A Japanese finisher like a Oozuku or Shoubudani
A Shapton 16k or even 30K.

Pasted/sprayed leather/linen strops.
CrO and Diamond spray are but two of the options.

As you can see, the choices are basically endless

But again, I have shaved off of the 10K Chosera many a times, and those shaves were good.

Originally Posted by Birnando

The Chosera 10K will give a good edge, perfectly capable of giving you a smooth and close shave.
A lot of us goes even further in finishing our razors, but that is just pure luxury.

A few of the many alternatives would be:

Escher/Thuringian natural
Charnley Forest Natural
A fine Coticule
A Japanese finisher like a Oozuku or Shoubudani
A Shapton 16k or even 30K.

Pasted/sprayed leather/linen strops.
CrO and Diamond spray are but two of the options.

As you can see, the choices are basically endless

But again, I have shaved off of the 10K Chosera many a times, and those shaves were good.

Thanks guys.
Having read your replies one question comes to my mind.
What do you gain when you go up in grit? Sharpness, smoothness of shaving or both?

Originally Posted by CSquare

Thanks guys.
Having read your replies one question comes to my mind.
What do you gain when you go up in grit? Sharpness, smoothness of shaving or both?

After the 10K it is all about smoothness IMO.

Personally i love the sharpening from the 10K Chosera, but for the smoothest of shaves, I prefer a natural high grit finish on my razors.
I have found that a few of the really high grit synthetics can be a bit harsh. For me.
I have the Gokumyo 20K, and have also played around with the Shapton 30K, but prefer my naturals over them
This is highly YMMV territory

after 8K, everything else is just the cherry on the cake. The most important thing is having the cake, and you can enjoy the cake just as much without the cherry. You can get perfect smooth shaves with 8K. If you can finish at 10K, you have absolutely nothing to worry about.

10k should be fine, but a few laps on CrOx will take the sharpness up a notch if you feel you need it.

Because it is so simple and cheap, I recommend a felt strop with a polishing compound.
The felt strop you can built yourself for ~ 5 Bucks. All you need to invest in is a diamond spray or chromium oxide powder in ~0.5µm.
Usually they are not that expensive and can improve almost any edge.

On the other hand, finishing on the Chosera 10k is only a matter of your honing skills, because it is perfectly capable of giving good shaving edges

I'm finishing on an 8k...

If fireworks go off after that let me know... I'll know what to ask for next Xmas.

I have even gotten a decent shave off of a black Arkansas stone, which I estimated to be about 6000 grit.

Here in the modern world, we have luxuries that didn't exist 100 or more years ago. it was a lucky man (or wealthy) indeed who had finer stones here in the states.

It was only a few years ago, that the Norton 8k was the "hot new thing" and the prize of shavers.

Who knows what will be next! =D