Opinions of Sigma II ceramic 13k stone?

[pouli]

Hello everyone,

I have this stone, and have to say I really like the edge I get from it. If I had to choose between this and my coticule, I think I would choose this one! Of course, I am very new to my coticule and probably don't have it dialed in yet. Still, blasphemy, right?

Anyway, I was wondering what more experienced people think of the Sigma II as a finisher? How does it compare to a coticule?

Thanks,

Chris

 

[SliceOfLife]

Mine just shipped. I'll let you know.

I've got a 10k already. It's definitely a bit sharper than a coticule. I think it's a bit harder to recommend as a finisher though. It skirts a region of sharpness where you're sacrificing a bit of the ease of use and allowable carelessness (both with respect to the shave) of a coticule, without getting (imho) enough additional sharpness to justify it. I'm curious to see if the 13k is enough of a jump to solve that. With that said, the 10k followed by a trans ark is a very nice edge which I do prefer to a coticule edge... and though I no longer bother, the 10k did work acceptably well as a way to skip a lot of the work on certain especially slow finishers.

 

[driftwood]

I've used mine a fee times now, works just fine as a finisher. I got this one instead of the Naniwa because I didn't feel like paying shipping on the Nani as I can get the sigmas locally. If I had to pay shipping either way is recommend the Naniwa 12K

 

[Alum of Potash]

I bought the 1.2k > 6k > 13k package deal that Stuart has a while ago. I didn't get the results I was looking for until I used the 13k in a dampened state, which is to say soaked briefly and without standing water on the surface. After that, it was a very good hone!

P.S., it also depends on the underlying stones. 1.2k Sigma is effective, but a bit too fast for me. I prefer a soft Ark oil-stone instead, which is plenty slow. May also explain why I prefer Arks to the finish as well. But the Sigma sequence will get the job done for sure, and rather quickly. Coticule as bevel setter? No way. So if the coticule is also not a finisher, apart from the various tweaks designed to carry it to the "extra mile," and otherwise functions as a middle stone, why then the cult surrounding it, as it doesn't seem necessary?

 

[SliceOfLife]

I'm not sure I follow you.

Coticules have fans because many people prefer the coticule finish (without any "tweaks") to sharper synthetic finishes. It's also a decently fast stone everywhere from off a 1k up to where-ever it tops out. Few stones can be used similarly for that range without assistance (such as nagura) or a great deal of time. It's not the fastest bevel setter out there, but it's certainly not the slowest either. It has its place, but you can't rightly argue that because X stone is finer than a coticule and Y stone is faster, there's no reason to own a coticule.

 

[Alum of Potash]

If one finds the coticule edge to one's liking, that's okay by me. But if the coticule edge is to one's liking, then why the search for an even finer stone? My own experience is that the coticule needs a paste afterwards, which is largely held to be cheating. Ditto for translucent and black Arks. Maybe I just like things sharper as I have a very coarse beard. In any case, the trick is to find the right balance between sharpness and smoothness. As for coticules as bevel setters, why bother wearing away needless stone when more prevalent (and less expensive) lower-grit stones will do the job better? From this, I am led to question the coticule's merit as either a bevel-setter or a finisher.

But to return to the topic at hand, 1.2k > 6k > 13k Sigma is a fine synth progression, imo, should one choose to follow this path. Just be sure to use the 13k in a dampened state, as standing water releases abrasive particles from the binder, leading to a ruined edge.

 

[hoffig]

I have a 1k/6k/13k set too. I found the jump from 6k to 13k a bit too large. Adding a 10k in between fixed the problem. 10k seems a lot faster stone than 13k. (Don't get me wrong, it is not that 13k is slow for the grit but because 10k is very fast for the grit!)

I find the 13k a good finisher but I have only a couple choises to compare it to.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Mine arrived today. I used it but haven't shaved yet. A few things to note:

First. LAP IT! Was is flat? Absolutely flawlessly flat. Never had a stone arrive flatter. That wasn't the problem. The surface was imbedded with little black flecks from whatever they used to lap it. These flecks may not be harder than steel, but they definitely screwed with how the hone felt. The first time I used it, I thought they had sent me a 1k/6k instead of a 13k/6k by mistake. That's how gritty the stone felt. A few seconds on my 220grit DMT and it's smooth as a whisper.

Second. It is fast. FAR faster right now than my 10k, but I expect much of that is the 220grit scratches. Once it's worn down a touch, I expect it'll be right in line with the 10k for speed... but my experience definitely doesn't agree with hoff's. I maxxed out the 13k side on a hollow grind in under a minute off the 6k side (with scratches), from my experience with the 10k, it won't slow down THAT much when it polishes down a bit.

Third. In use this stone is identical in every way to my 10k. I couldn't tell them apart if they weren't backed differently (10k on a stand, 13k backed with a 6k) and a shade or two different colors.

Fourth. I already regret getting the combo stone. Nothing against the 6k (It's a 6k... seems real nice, but it's still a 6k), but for $10 more I could have had a full thickness of this 13k on a stand... and I can already tell that unless the shave holds a big surprise for me, I'm going to wish I had that. This stone is looking very, very nice.


edit: Oh and I bought a sigma 10k and SS 12k at the same time and got rid of the nani within, I believe two weeks. The sigma's are just laughably better stones than superstones.

 

[pouli]

I am glad to hear you are liking it. I have really been liking it too, and find it quite smooth for being so sharp. I don't remember it being gritty when I first got it, but that was a while ago. Let us know what you think about the shave! Thanks for the detailed review too!