Has anyone tried out the Tsushima Ocean Blue hones being sold (inexpensively) on Ebay?
Tsushima Ocean Blue hone
- Thread starter seattleshaver
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- #2
I have a decent amount of experience shaving with a straight razor and with honing but I don't have enough to (at this point) be able to tell much difference between finishing with my Cnat or finishing with this stone after the Cnat.
They both seem similar to me in terms of using them and with the resulting edge.
As I continue to play with them I may come to a different conclusion but that's about all I can contribute to this subject at the moment.
They both seem similar to me in terms of using them and with the resulting edge.
As I continue to play with them I may come to a different conclusion but that's about all I can contribute to this subject at the moment.
Don't wanna be tooooo nitpicky - but the name of those stones would be Tsushima Black Nagura. Ocean Blue is a nickname given to those stones by, I believe, woodworkers in the USA. There are two varieties, ocean and mountain and every fly-by-night seller says they have Ocean variety whether or not they know what they're talking about.
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- #4
I don't (personally) particularly care what they are called. My understanding is that the name probably is incorrect but that's how it's sold and therefore that's how I have to identify it for my "review" to do any good.
There has been some talk about blue and black with black being unsuitable for razors. This one is suitable for razors therefore there needs to be some distinction. On some sites and in some reviews those giving somewhat positive reviews are those who have this stone and those giving negative reviews (such as it can't be used for razors) are those who don't actually have this stone.
My review isn't going to actually help anyone other than to show that it is, IMO, roughly equivalent to a Cnat. Those who already have Jnats, coticules, etc. aren't going to look at this stone in the same light as those who don't have (or want) those stones.
I'm just trying to throw out something that is as objective as possible for anyone that was thinking about this stone.
I wasn't insinuating that you did or should care about the name, I was sharing the correct name for those people that might or do care.
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- #6
It's appreciated. I just thought that maybe I needed clarify why I was posting in the first place.
I got one to try, but I honestly think it's Tsushima by name only. I have managed a decent shave off of mine doing a touch-up on a razor that was initially honed on a coti-honed razor but haven't tried the stone on its own merits yet (from bevel set through finishing). That shave was fairly good but not great.
This stone is not either of the familiar Tsushima varieties - those are black (ocean) and somewhat tan/brownish (mountain) IIRC. This stone is a bluish color - a bit reminiscent of a blue green Thuri. It is visibly coarser grained than a Thuri when viewed under a loupe and produces a finish I'd say is more like the equivalent of a 4-6k synth when used with slurry. It manages a considerably better polish when used with straight water but isn't really doing much cutting at that point, more polishing or burnishing. The scratch pattern doesn't look JNat'esque to me and I'm beginning to think it may not actually be a JNat at all.
This stone is not either of the familiar Tsushima varieties - those are black (ocean) and somewhat tan/brownish (mountain) IIRC. This stone is a bluish color - a bit reminiscent of a blue green Thuri. It is visibly coarser grained than a Thuri when viewed under a loupe and produces a finish I'd say is more like the equivalent of a 4-6k synth when used with slurry. It manages a considerably better polish when used with straight water but isn't really doing much cutting at that point, more polishing or burnishing. The scratch pattern doesn't look JNat'esque to me and I'm beginning to think it may not actually be a JNat at all.
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That stinks.... A lot of not cool stuff going on at the auctionnsite right now with shady naming of things...
I have a TBN and although you can shave off it, it is more a mid range stone IMO
Sounds like that blue green "Escher" that was being sold out of Israel in wafer thin slabs for $60ish a few years ago.
Another thing I forgot to mention - all 6 surfaces of the stone have been lapped entirely smooth - my guess is to purposely obscure the saw marks.
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
Or maybe lack of them?
Cheers, Steve
Cheers, Steve
Perhaps, but I'm pretty sure it's a natural stone. Just not getting a JNat vibe. Although I certainly don't have the breadth of experience as your gargantuan JNat library must provide Steve! (Seriously, do you use a card catalog to keep track of them all?!) 
There are layer lines and slight voids around them like a natural stone, and the surface structure when viewed with a loupe looks like natural stone to me.
There are layer lines and slight voids around them like a natural stone, and the surface structure when viewed with a loupe looks like natural stone to me.
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
Eric, it's a tough job sometimes!
Maybe it's not a Tsushima but some other non-kyoto stone. There are aizu, many coarser stones, but maybe it's something that there wasn't enough of to justify much of an operation or that for some reason it was difficult to quarry? Just rambling here.
Could you post an image of yours Eric? Are the eBay images accurate in color?
Cheers, Steve
Maybe it's not a Tsushima but some other non-kyoto stone. There are aizu, many coarser stones, but maybe it's something that there wasn't enough of to justify much of an operation or that for some reason it was difficult to quarry? Just rambling here.
Could you post an image of yours Eric? Are the eBay images accurate in color?
Cheers, Steve
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- #15
Here is mine next to my Cnat for comparison.
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
Tks seattleshaver!
Cheers, Steve
Cheers, Steve
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- #17
I think you can at least see that it's bluish as compared to the Cnat. I think in one of the threads, here or elsewhere, it was suggested that they must be black.
My understanding is that the Tsushima black which is the mountain stone and the Tsushima blue is the ocean stone.
I have the black one and it is a mid range stone for razor's or a fine finisher for knives.
I have the black one and it is a mid range stone for razor's or a fine finisher for knives.
I've never owned one, but just from watching eBay, I remember seeing the black stones for a long time, and as I recall it was the ocean Stones being sold as black stones, then when they start to dry up more blackstone's appeared Which people said are Mountain stones. This is the first I'm hearing about blue stones being sold as tsushima.
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- #20
I'm sorry it was Amazon and they don't actually say Tsushima. I learned of it from another razor forum and from a YouTube video. There is a larger stone available at Amazon as well.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AOMD7C6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AOMD7C6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
