Natural Hones - Which Family Do You Have the Most Examples Of

[duke762]

The word "covetous" has been stuck in my head all week. Covetousness....I am covetous of Arkansas stones. This isn't an advertisement or an endorsement, it's my quirks, behaviors, and hoarding tendencies. Not a particularly a good thing but mostly harmless.

I've bought 2 nice, big, very useful Escher's this year and I'm tickled to have them, and they do exactly what I want and need, but I don't covet them. I have exactly what I need to do, what I want to do, and I guess I just view them as exotic tools and a means to an end. I may never buy another unless it was a real bargain or something. I have all I need to accomplish, all I had wanted to do in the first place.

But then someone posts a promising looking Ark on fleabay, and I get all slobbery and stupid. I have plenty of Ark's already. I try to avoid soft Arks but love old Washita's and Black\Trans examples and mostly of the Norton variety. I can't tell if I'm a hoarder or collector at this point.

I think this will just about cover the most commonly used natural hones. I only called out country of origin, except for Arkansas stones. This may be horribly skewed towards Arks and Jnats due to versatility differences compared to the other hones listed so don't take anything too seriously that turns up in the results.

Is anyone else afflicted with unreasonable desires for, or collector tendencies toward, one these families of natural stones?

 

[captaincaed]

I have an unreasonable amount of Belgian bricks compared to all others. I have to admit they don’t give my keenest edges, and often don’t give me favorite knife edges either but I cannot stop chasing them. Because when one sings, it’s pitch perfect.

Jnats are a fairly close second, and Arks are still a podium finish (but I like the washita and soft arks too). The only arks that do nothing for me are the modern “hard” dark grey stones. If I had to chase a fourth, it’s hard to go wrong with Charnleys.

 

[Legion]

It doesn't let me choose "all of the above".

Most...

I guess Arkansas, particularly vintage Washita, followed by Coticules and Turkey/Cretan stones. I have lots of those.

 

[psfred]

Six or seven Coti's, but I still haven't gotten a good edge off one. Maybe this winter when I'm not trying to get outside work done and the cars all fixed! One is an old razor hone, coffin shaped, two a from a French seller, medium sized, one natural combo with a broken end (or exposed to the elements, hard to tell) that has great promise, and a couple narrow ones. One small one that is very fast, obviously cut from a larger stone, and one burnishing stone about an inch and a quarter square sawn from a narrow hone. Almost no yellow side left on that one. Also have a BBW, although I'm not sure it's suitable for razors. Works well on knives though.

Have a couple Black Arkansas stones, some Washitas, three Jnats, and four slates of various pedigree too, should have had an option for "too many of everything" in the poll -- but then, everyone would select that I suspect.

Almost forgot, I have a couple Cnats too, never used.

 

[Legion]

Actually, if I bunched together ALL the different types of UK stones....

 

[Christian1212]

3 jnats (8+ slurry stones)
3 coticules (2 slurry stones)
2 arks (surgical blacks)
1 thuri

I have probably gone through about the same amount of coticules and jnats. After getting my unicorn coticule, I look mostly for interesting ones. Jnats I have my forever stones, but looking for a nice travel stone (also will snap up any interesting stones or slurry stones when an opportunity shows itself).

A lot of times I will do catch and release with stones just to try out different things. Keeping all my current Jnats and 5x2 coticule. Everything else though is at risk if a downsizing is needed or I am trading for something.

 

[fish613]

I'm an addict !
I have about 10-15 arkansas,
But about 50 German! Many labled, about 15+ labeled and the rest not. From 3+ inch to 8+.
Mostly the lighter colors, not many blue and black.
I hoard them, but mainly to sell for a "fair" price.
My best 2 are a labeled light green 8 x 1.5 inch, with the light green label on the side, and a 6 x 2.5 light green side label without a top label.

 

[Kyle89]

Arks- got 6 of them. Gonna get into my Washita arc soon.

 

[Wid]

Coticules, 30 stones and 10 slurry stones

 

[joamo]

Self cut, mostly quartzites and slates, are my most numerous. I do have several representatives in each category though.

 

[captaincaed]

After getting my unicorn coticule, I look mostly for interesting ones.

These numbers feel like they're far too small for a razor user with HAD. Congratulations getting back on the wagon .

Out of curiosity what won your heart, and how did you know? I'm going through my own feelings of needing to downsize, but every time I pull the stones out, they each tell me to keep them.

 

[Saloogie]

I'm the "other".

I picked that because I don't collect one of any type of stone as of now. I want to try different varieties and types.

I do have 2 Arks, a hard and a surgical black, but I wouldn't say I "covet" them over others and 2 stones don't seem like enough to say I have the most of. I also have a Vermont Slate, and 2 Canadian stones on the way, a Lochinvar and an Invicta, so I'll see how I like them.

Maybe someday I'll pick a stone that I like and collect them, but at the point I'm at, it's about variety and seeing what works

 

[cugel]

I have about 12 jnats and have owned 20 or so. My knowledge is limited to just those 20!

 

[Gamma]

As far as my personal use stuff goes, I don't hoard or collect any hones now for about 5-6 years. Have had too many to count and no longer want to deal with the clutter. Back in 2020 I had a box of Arks that weighed 75 lbs, it was stupid. Had too much of everything actually, all of it was pretty silly. Now I have a some Jnats, not a lot really. It's a select assortment culled over the years out of a significant number of catch-and-release prospects. There's one Escher and one Coticule. There is some other stuff but not a lot.
I buy new stones to check out for myself regularly, usually Jnats. Once in a while I pick up some dumb flavor of the day thing to try out. With Jnats, if I keep one of the new Jnats, I usually move out an equal number so the head count stays static. The FOTD stuff usually winds up leaving as fast as it arrived.

 

[alex1921]

Jnats

 

[kcb5150]

The coticules are ahead on this one for me by about a 10:1 ratio. I have actually culled some though (though I bought one today but i have definitely culled more than I have bought). I got rid of all the 4x2s, and working through the narrow sub 7" stones as neither are really my favorite form factors by any means. I sold off a lot of thuris recently. Never was a big thuri collector and during covid I must have bought 20 of them just sniping the things.

 

[sexy beast]

5 Jnats 2 Coti's. Sold off all my Arks besides a few soft arks.

 

[Tomo]

Actually, if I bunched together ALL the different types of UK stones....

We can thank @cotedupy for that!

 

[Tomo]

My natural tendency leans towards balance. It would be a close race between the Arks, UK stones, synths and Jnats. As soon as one category starts to inch ahead I get a subconscious urge to balance it out. The Jnats might have the edge if you counted the Nagura. Cotis and Germans lag behind. I don’t often find them in my price range and I use them a lot less than the others. I’d have to pull everything out and count them to be sure.

Embarrassingly my collection has grown to a size where I can’t easily recall the exact inventory. Still the only stones I’ve ever regretted are the ones that I’ve sold. Since then it’s a one way street. Stones arrive but they don’t leave. I even keep the failed flavour of the day stones. Even if it’s just to remind me that I don’t need to buy another one.

 

[Legion]

We can thank @cotedupy for that!

Yep, most probably. For sure, actually.

I could blame him for most of my knife stone centric binges.

But I think I am responsible for starting him buying razors, so time will tell who caused the most expensive money pit.