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Anyone ever do a comparison Jnat to Arkansas?

I've noticed that those who are natural stone aficionados have a love for jnats and Arkys or both. Has anyone done a side by side comparison? I would be curious to know how they stack up to each other.
 
I have never honed on an Arky, have tried a few edges from them from a few members. The Arkie edges are very sharp but IMO not as smooth as a JNAT edge.

I would be happy using an Arkie edge if I had to thought
 
I got 2 from a neighbor, a white one and an SB. I will lap em when I get around to getting my SIC powder and see. Ive heard great things about them although never shaved one.
 
I just did a shave-off the other day with a razor honed on my translucent black vs. one honed by Brooksie on a Jnat. Honestly I could barely tell them apart. If I had to pick a nit, I might give the smoothness edge to the Jnat, but just barely. Like 1 micron to it's side of the middle barely. Both gave awesome shaves.
 
I think a really good jnat edge ist hard too beat, just for the shaving properties. My face like a coti edge more, btw.. An good Ark edge is somwhere comparable to an good coti edge with little advantage for the atg part.

Jnats are too versatile to compare with another finisher. One of my favorite straight finisher is an Ohira Black Renge Suita, that gives edges just like an coti, that smooth. My finest an Ohzuku Asagi gives edges that are far beyond sharp, and never comparable to an coti edge. My little Ark collection (only transarks) are able to bring an edge to the very finest atg shave, that is why i love them.

All of the natural finishers out there can only bring their full potential with a approved user. The Honemeister makes the difference not the stone.

Greets Sebastian.
 
Jnats are capable of progressing razors to higher levels of sharpness in my hands, though arks can get a razor plenty sharp. Arks are easier to get a smooth, capable edge out of. Jnats can vary in that regard. Some are easier, some are harder. I've got Jnats that work as easily as synths, and others that require you to know the stone inside and out.

Arks tend to be harder to maximize a razor on than jnats, as they require a very fine balancing act of enough pressure they're effectively cutting, but not so much you're significantly reducing their effective grit. Choosing your lubricant can also help with this. Some people also use swarf clogging to slow down their hard arks, but I find this creates inferior results to a clean stone with a heavier lubricant or more consistent pressure. There's a range off an ark you can shave with. I wouldn't believe anyone who says they've completely maxxed out an edge on an ark. The way they cut is just too much in the honers hands, saying you can max on an ark is like saying you are perfect, some sort of honemeister.
 
I've plenty of stupid smooth/sharp edges off my Ark. Same for Jnats.
As it's been said - it depends on who's honing. One thing about Ark edges - IME, I've found that even the keenest of the keen do not want to 'bite'. Where a killer hard Jnat that takes an edge up to that degree may be prone to making things a bit more tedious a lot more easily.
But - in this dynamic - it may very well be the Indian, and not the arrow.
 
After search I’m reviving the thread.
I have been comparing jnat vs. ark
I’m new to jnats and more familiar with arks.

I have an Ozuko, and a high quality kitta for jnat.
For Arkansas I have the Coe stones, for novaculite Arks I have a pike era washita, soft arks, trans white ark, true hard ark, blue/black hard, and a black trans convex.

In sharpness it’s currently dead heat between ark and jnat.

Lately I’ve been using pike washita with diamond slurry as bevel set to mid range, true hard with diamond slurry with dilution as pre finisher. White trans as finisher. I feel like a very light hand on white trans is faster and equal to shiny blue/black.

Ozuko and kitta with slurry to water finish. Ozuko needs a more delicate touch and is faster. my kitta provides a slightly more comfortable edge

I can get super comfortable edge from shiny black ark but takes more effort and time than jnat.

Both jnat and ark are able to produce 99.5% edge in comfort and sharpness. That last .5% falls in to the connoisseur level of subtleties and minutiae. Most mortals would be more than satisfied with the 99.5% edge.

I was able to get that mythical jnat edge with my kitta once and only once. where hair was cut silently, and blade refused to cut skin or cause irritation. I have been unable to repeat that mythical edge, but I know it exists. This experience pushes the jnats barely into the lead .... (for now)

KEEP CALM
HONE ON
 
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I find it easier to get a hyper keen edge from some Jnats than from either of my translucent arks, but part of that is definitely that my arks are slow (the convex one less so) and there are no real 'tells' that I've found with them that indicates an edge is done.

Also, I've found that an ark edge of equivalent lathered-whisker cutting ability to particular jnat edge will treetop my arm hairs a bit worse, so it's harder for me to tell the edge is 'there' that way too.

Like Gamma, I've found that good ark edges have a coti-esque 'intelligence' to them, where they just do not want to cut skin even if they cut hair very well, whereas a hyper-keen Jnat edge is basically a laser: perfectly smooth so long as you don't do anything stupid, but they will bite if you do.
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
That’s a fair statement. For a given jnat finisher:

Clear water finish = sharper, keener, but not every stone boosts the edge on clear water, you just have to try each one.
Thin/medium slurry = milder, smoother, edge than clear water
Heavier slurry = Useful for hard, fine stones that produce aggressive edges
Too much slurry = slurry dulling

It’s really cool to be able to adjust the edge to your liking by fooling with the slurry thickness
 
Yeah, that's a pretty accurate assessment by @Steve56 in my experience. On very hard fine JNats especially I generally do not use straight water passes at all. On a medium to medium soft hardness stone either very thin slurry or a very few straight water passes can bring the edge up nicely.

I remember trying out a razor Steve sent me to give to my brother who wanted to try shaving with a straight (he FINALLY did Steve, several years later... The chicken!) I sent him a few and some other items as well. He finally tried it once then never again. Seems he will be sticking to his DE.

Anyway, sidebar over - the edge from Steve was very smooth - I remember asking him about what he had honed it with because it felt more like a coticule edge during the shave - Steve mentioned that he had used a JNat but with very heavy slurry to make it more beginner friendly. It worked. :)
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
That’s been a while ago now Eric. Oh well, you can convert ‘em all to straights! I hope that your brother is doing well - he’s missing out on some fun!
 
i do what steve says.
for me the jnat laser edge is more pronounced on the thinest/ singing grinds.
lately i have been maxing out on jnat on water only.
then go back to a few laps with very light slurry, and the least amount of pressure to stay on stone
 
i do what steve says.
for me the jnat laser edge is more pronounced on the thinest/ singing grinds.
lately i have been maxing out on jnat on water only.
then go back to a few laps with very light slurry, and the least amount of pressure to stay on stone

I agree with the two guys above. The very light slurry, a whisper of slurry can do wonders. An ultra crushed fresh light slurry can also greatly affect an edge in the final stages. Crafty stropping rules.

Alx
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
I've noticed that those who are natural stone aficionados have a love for jnats and Arkys or both. Has anyone done a side by side comparison? I would be curious to know how they stack up to each other.
I haven’t compared an Ark to a Jnat but I have recently compared a well done jnat edge to razors finished on .1u (14k) lapping film and couldn’t feel the difference. Blasphemy I know but true.
 

David

B&B’s Champion Corn Shucker
I'm going to try some balsa with diamond just to see what it's like. The last edge I shaved with that was finished this way really burned my face, but someone else honed it.
 
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