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Come to the dark side.... we have cookies.


There’s usually a picture that goes with it lol.

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I see so many guys, myself included, saying "oh, I'm a shaver, not a honer. I just want a simple system to enjoy nice shaves. I'm not like you weird guys with your naguras and jnat strangeness.

Uh huh.

Funny, how these guys are always hanging around the honing forum.
 
I see so many guys, myself included, saying "oh, I'm a shaver, not a honer. I just want a simple system to enjoy nice shaves. I'm not like you weird guys with your naguras and jnat strangeness.

Uh huh.

Funny, how these guys are always hanging around the honing forum.
Haha. Yeah we all get sucked in. Want to see what everyone else is talking about and then eventually realize it’s easier than we thought and gives great edges.
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
Of course there's the subset of Convex Ark Honers. We know our edges are great!

Seriously, my best convex Ark edges are as good as I can imagine anything being. Certainly as sharp and comfortable as the very best edges I've experienced ( those having been done by a skilled gentleman using jnats + diamond and CBN).
 
Of course there's the subset of Convex Ark Honers. We know our edges are great!

Seriously, my best convex Ark edges are as good as I can imagine anything being. Certainly as sharp and comfortable as the very best edges I've experienced ( those having been done by a skilled gentleman using jnats + diamond and CBN).

So you think you’ve caught him now?? I can go keener(or at least more likely to slice myself?) with a JNAT than with my flat Arks, but I think nothing out there beats a well done Ark edge on a razor that takes it well.
 
It’s not really terrors. It’s just all us other jnat guys hanging out at the bottom trying to find a good stone lol.

It’s the most terrifying fear of all: the unknown/self doubt... “are my edges as good as his??” Or “maybe I just need to get an Oozuku finally, everyone is saying its the hardest they have...”

Everytime my wife asks how many stones I need all I can say is “just one more...”

And I’m not even a razor JNAT guy, I’m 90% in this for the hand forged chisels and plane blades.
 
It’s the most terrifying fear of all: the unknown/self doubt... “are my edges as good as his??” Or “maybe I just need to get an Oozuku finally, everyone is saying its the hardest they have...”

Everytime my wife asks how many stones I need all I can say is “just one more...”

And I’m not even a razor JNAT guy, I’m 90% in this for the hand forged chisels and plane blades.
Have you ever regret buying a jnat? Out of the ones you got I mean.
 
The unknown doubt is a factor, no doubt. I think it would be great if we could pass around some razors, saying "here, try this, I feel pretty good about this edge."

I think it would actually give us confidence. We'd think "hey, this is good, but my edges are as good as this. I suppose I'm actually doing just fine, how about that."

And we'd hone it on our own method and mail it back saying "ok, now feel this edge, tell me what you think. Be honest, do you like it more or less?"
 
The unknown doubt is a factor, no doubt. I think it would be great if we could pass around some razors, saying "here, try this, I feel pretty good about this edge."

I think it would actually give us confidence. We'd think "hey, this is good, but my edges are as good as this. I suppose I'm actually doing just fine, how about that."

And we'd hone it on our own method and mail it back saying "ok, now feel this edge, tell me what you think. Be honest, do you like it more or less?"

Yeah I think a lot of us are already at the limit where you’re basically trading off between different edge qualities to find the specific one you like best. I had a friend on here send me his best .3mu synthetic edge and it feels remarkably like my JNAT edges just a touch harsher. I don’t think there is an ultimate edge, you reach a point where you can shave off a variety and then settle on your preference.

And honestly there are two JNATs I could live without, but I wouldn’t say I regret buying them... just if I honestly had to downsize I know which two would go first.
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
So you think you’ve caught him now?? I can go keener(or at least more likely to slice myself?) with a JNAT than with my flat Arks, but I think nothing out there beats a well done Ark edge on a razor that takes it well.

I'm not sure I've caught the vendor (who uses jnats followed by diamond and CBN) but at least one of my convexed Ark edges is totally perfect. Several are so close to the vendor's sharpness (and comfort) that it's a toss up.

The other point, which may be even more important, is I like my edges. I like the vendor's edges, too, of course, and am not saying his are less comfortable than mine off the Ark, but they may be.

On the razor I call my Wide Torrey the edge is simply perfect. Using it it doesn't impress me by feeling sharp. In fact, it doesn't seem sharp except in the way it shaves. The subjective impression is it is not actually a blade but some kind of magic whisker eraser. That's off the convexed Ark.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
I did this for a while with a honing partner. It was a tremendous help, and a great experience.

A great idea that has been used by a lot guys in the past to learn how to hone properly.

Short of this, I would say get a professional shave-ready edge to know the feel of the target you're aiming for.
 
I did this for a while with a honing partner. It was a tremendous help, and a great experience.


I was that honing partner and can echo that opinion exactly.
Being able to shave w/Victors edges every week and have him shave w/mine on the same set of razors, then conversations about our combined experiences was a huge advantage. Getting his honest feedback and then discussing what to try next and our observations about what we saw and felt as we shaved and honed was well worth the time and effort.
I recommend this exercise for anyone wanting to learn to better understand their honing at any level.
 
I did this for a few months with some local members from another forum. Like mentioned above it was a great way to see what you’re edge might be missing.
 
Yeah, that's right, using a pro is of course the simplest and the tried and true way.

It gave me great satisfaction when I recently hired a professional honer for the first time. The professional edge was a very good jnat edge but what felt really satisfying was that my edges from an ark and balsa were in the same realm.

Several years ago, at the beginning of this hobby, I only had gold dollars and an irregular coticule that I didn't know how to use. Getting a solingen blade honed by doc226 would have blown my mind. I would have gone madly toward the jnat world, thinking that this was the One and True Path.

It's unfortunate that barbers only use shavettes nowadays. In the old days, you could learn from them. That would have been nice. But luckily we have this internet thing. I honestly think I'd still be a DE guy without it.
 
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