Best Finishing Stone and Reliable Source: advice for newbie

[Moots]

Well, seller has gone quiet. . ..

eBay advises me to give seller more time, then they will guarantee purchase price, if needed, and resolve directly with seller.

You guys are great -- helping me through this. And I am learning a lesson.

 

[David]

Sometimes you just have to shake your head and laugh at yourself. That's what I'm doing now.

When I was starting out I pasted the leather on my brand new Kanayama strop with Chrox...I mean I straight up turned that sucker Hulk green! We live and learn, and some fun along the way.

 

[PaulMallorca]

Houchhhhhh that hurts to think about!

Boot sales are great. You buy a bad one at 2$, no big deal. Buy a lot, learn a lot. After a while you can identify more stones at first glance, under muck or in pictures.

 

[eKretz]

When I was starting out I pasted the leather on my brand new Kanayama strop with Chrox...I mean I straight up turned that sucker Hulk green! We live and learn, and some fun along the way.

Oh my. At least you didn't soak it in wizz like I've seen mentioned in some old historical documents on the shaving "arts!"

 

[eKretz]

Well, seller has gone quiet. . ..

eBay advises me to give seller more time, then they will guarantee purchase price, if needed, and resolve directly with seller.

You guys are great -- helping me through this. And I am learning a lesson.

Good luck! He will have a tough time offering proof that his advertising/title is correct, so it should be an easy win for you.

 

[Moots]

You guys are a hoot. David, I have a Kanayama strop, and that makes me cry to think of it pasted with chrox.

I sent a kind message to seller advising that I called eBay and that they said they will stand behind my purchase and work out details with him. All of a sudden, he is eager to get the stone back and issue a refund (less postage cost). I have no problem paying postage. That's the price of this lesson.

 

[eKretz]

Good news. I would report his other items also, he seems to have multiple iterations of the same item listed as Thuringian stones.

 

[Moots]

Yes, a few curious and suspicious listings for sure.

I presume this Pierre La Lune listing is phony as well.
Pierre La Lune Green Natural French Razor Hone Sharpening Stone Set - Very Fine | eBay

 

[David]

Yes, a few curious and suspicious listings for sure.

I presume this Pierre La Lune listing is phony as well.
Pierre La Lune Green Natural French Razor Hone Sharpening Stone Set - Very Fine | eBay

Theres a whole lot of bad going on in that lot. A la lune that’s marked UK slate, and if you look closely there’s a unicorn hidden in there as well.

Spoiler

cutlers green. The sharpie doesn’t lie

 

[Moots]

Yes, I saw the UK slate marking. Obviously a grouping of stones patched together and mislabeled. This seller might have a few character issues.

 

[eKretz]

Yeah pretty clear that guy is either F.O.S. or got taken in by someone else who was.

 

[Alum of Potash]

I don't have so much against the mis-identifications as I do the inflated prices. BTW, I think that there may be a so-called "sud-ouest" stone among his other stones for sale. Anyone care to confirm or dismiss this?

 

[PaulMallorca]

Do you have the link for the PDSO? The US side of the bay is dificult to search from here.

The Turkish seems genuine. The 16 inch thuringe is hilarious...

 

[Alum of Potash]

Do you have the link for the PDSO? The US side of the bay is dificult to search from here.

The Turkish seems genuine. The 16 inch thuringe is hilarious...

Where are you? I'm in France for a while and the eBay link defaulted to the .fr setting with nothing showing. When I retyped the link as .com, it was accessible.

Here you go: Belgian Coticule Stone Natural Sharpening Razor Hone - Rare "Yellow Vein" | eBay.

 

[PaulMallorca]

What a stone!

Indeed reminds a lot of the PDSO. But I've never seen one like this. They tend to be thin, straight sides, many have narrower ends, and sometimes surface is convex.

In any case it doesn't look like a coticule.

Shady guy, but what a selection! He can't pretend not knowing some of the stones are fake.

 

[Mr.Tee]

You are losing me here fellows. What is a PHIG?

Sometimes you just have to shake your head and laugh at yourself. That's what I'm doing now.

Ha! I hear you there.... when I get home at the end of the day and my wife starts on her scpeel about her day at work, its complete acronymitis.

 

[Moots]

Update:

I received a full refund from seller on the "Thuringian" hone. I'm happy about that.

I bought and have lapped an Arkansas black and three of AJ's Welsh hones. Those plus my Naniwa stones give me plenty to work with to develop honing skills. Thanks for your help.

 

[Southbound1]

If you don't mind me asking,
were did you get the acrylic block?

 

[Slash McCoy]

If you don't mind me asking,
were did you get the acrylic block?

I buy all my acrylic from TAP Plastics. 3/4" thick for film and balsa use, 1/8" thick for low budget scales.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Oh and that "rare yellow vein" coticule may be a PDSO... but more likely the seller was actually correct for once. Looks like one of the absolutely top grade coticules out there. If I had seen it, I'd have snapped it up in a second. Dollars to donuts, you lap that dish out and you've got a stone that'll give you one of the closest, most comfortable shaves you've ever had. Congrats to whomever wound up buying it.
The rest of his stones from what you've linked, yeah, they're junk he mislabeled.