Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
Nothing in this thread is news, or controversial.
People have used pasted strops to keep razors sharp for centuries. People have used stones to keep razors sharp for centuries.
I think the issue for less experienced folks is when one or the other option is promoted as significantly different or better. That said, I too feel that a good natural stone imparts a noticeably smoother feeling shaving edge. But I’m no master of synth edges either, and some people feel CBN is smoother than diamonds.
- Pastes and stropping substrates are cheap, repeatable, and straightforward to use.
- Coticules and JNats can be expensive because you may have to try several to find one that you really like. Arkansas and Thuringians produce more uniform results stone to stone, but are less versatile than cotis and JNats. And good Thuris aren’t cheap. You’ll likely have to learn how to get the best results from a natural stone, something many people don’t want to do, and that’s understandable,
- A Pierre La Lune or a the right JNat will produce an edge that’s every bit as sharp and keen feeling as pastes.
- If you want a sure thing that kind of splits the difference between synth and natural, get Suehiro Gokumyo 20k. MTC Kitchen has good prices and frequent sales. Not cheap for a synth, but it’s a lifetime stone.
Pastes are for folks who want good results but don’t really want to make hones and honing part of the hobby/experience. That’s most people in history, lol. Natural stones are for people who enjoy honing and make it a part of their experience.
Enjoy the ride, whatever you’re riding, it’s all good.
People have used pasted strops to keep razors sharp for centuries. People have used stones to keep razors sharp for centuries.
I think the issue for less experienced folks is when one or the other option is promoted as significantly different or better. That said, I too feel that a good natural stone imparts a noticeably smoother feeling shaving edge. But I’m no master of synth edges either, and some people feel CBN is smoother than diamonds.
- Pastes and stropping substrates are cheap, repeatable, and straightforward to use.
- Coticules and JNats can be expensive because you may have to try several to find one that you really like. Arkansas and Thuringians produce more uniform results stone to stone, but are less versatile than cotis and JNats. And good Thuris aren’t cheap. You’ll likely have to learn how to get the best results from a natural stone, something many people don’t want to do, and that’s understandable,
- A Pierre La Lune or a the right JNat will produce an edge that’s every bit as sharp and keen feeling as pastes.
- If you want a sure thing that kind of splits the difference between synth and natural, get Suehiro Gokumyo 20k. MTC Kitchen has good prices and frequent sales. Not cheap for a synth, but it’s a lifetime stone.
Pastes are for folks who want good results but don’t really want to make hones and honing part of the hobby/experience. That’s most people in history, lol. Natural stones are for people who enjoy honing and make it a part of their experience.
Enjoy the ride, whatever you’re riding, it’s all good.