Suggestions for an 8k?

[Mastropiero]

Hi everyone, ages since I posted so, in a way, happy to be here (again).


I wanted to ask for your advice regarding what 8k stone should I buy. Back in the day, when I decided I wanted to do my own honing, I got myself three Shapton Glass stones, 1k, 4k, and 16k. Shortly afterwards I realised I was missing an important step so I got myself another stone. This time I was a bit cheap and got a Wüsthof 3k/8k combo thinking it would do. Well, it doesn't, I really dislike this stone.


So I wanted to pick your brains on my next purchase. The obvious and logical thing to do would be to complete the progression and get another Shapton Glass, but I was wondering if there'd be other choices that would go well. There's people who swear by the Shapton Pros, others do so by the discontinued Choseras, so on so forth.


I'd be really grateful for your input on this matter, many thanks!

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[Lord Fatboy]

I cannot recommend the Naniwa Gouken 8k enough.

 

[Twelvefret]

Hi everyone, ages since I posted so, in a way, happy to be here (again).


I wanted to ask for your advice regarding what 8k stone should I buy. Back in the day, when I decided I wanted to do my own honing, I got myself three Shapton Glass stones, 1k, 4k, and 16k. Shortly afterwards I realised I was missing an important step so I got myself another stone. This time I was a bit cheap and got a Wüsthof 3k/8k combo thinking it would do. Well, it doesn't, I really dislike this stone.


So I wanted to pick your brains on my next purchase. The obvious and logical thing to do would be to complete the progression and get another Shapton Glass, but I was wondering if there'd be other choices that would go well. There's people who swear by the Shapton Pros, others do so by the discontinued Choseras, so on so forth.


I'd be really grateful for your input on this matter, many thanks!

Sent from my Mi A1 using Tapatalk

I really don't know enough to have an opinion, but I agree with you, or if it were me, I'd go with the same brand progression simply because other brands with the same grit rating may not compare to a Shapton.

Seems also a Coticule and/or Thuringian would fit into your gap.

 

[Seveneighth]

Check this out :

 

[Seveneighth]

I really don't know enough to have an opinion, but I agree with you, or if it were me, I'd go with the same brand progression simply because other brands with the same grit rating may not compare to a Shapton.

Seems also a Coticule and/or Thuringian would fit into your gap.

The grit rating is a good point.

 

[Mastropiero]

The grit rating is a good point.

I know, it's something I am giving a lot of thought about but I was wondering if you people had experience with more than one make and have an opinion about it.

Many thanks for the link above, by the way.

 

[Seveneighth]

One early mistake I made was mixing Shapton and Naniwa stones not realising that they use different rating systems. Once someone explained this to me I realised the jumps I was getting.

There are a couple of charts online that show the differences by relating them back to microns. Fine to mix, it just helps to make sure you are aware of the differences when planning your progression.

And of course be aware that there are two types of Shapton glass stone.

 

[Mastropiero]

One early mistake I made was mixing Shapton and Naniwa stones not realising that they use different rating systems. Once someone explained this to me I realised the jumps I was getting.

There are a couple of charts online that show the differences by relating them back to microns. Fine to mix, it just helps to make sure you are aware of the differences when planning your progression.

And of course be aware that there are two types of Shapton glass stone.

Cheers, I am aware between the differences between the Shapton Glass range, I have the white ones so I would stick to that, if I finally decided to go for it (still the most logical choice unless convinced otherwise).

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[Lord Fatboy]

It depends.
If you are always going to go with synthetic stones then another Shappie would be fine...
However, if you ever want to move into naturals, then maybe you'd'e want to go with the best possible stone as your final synth 'finisher'. For me, in terms of cost and performance, that would be the Naniwa Gouken (the only 8k I'v'e ever got a superior shave from), with the Naniwa Snow White a close - and now expensive - second.

I'm happy to mix and match synths tho', while some prefer not to.

 

[totorlekiller]

The king 6k is a 2 micron stone which would be somewhat similar to 8k Sharpton. I like it. I typically follow by Namiwa 10k or Shapton 12k which are similar and then finish on shapton 16k.

 

[ajduplessis]

Stick with Shapton Glass, you won’t be sorry and you know it

 

[SliceOfLife]

I'm about the only one doing it, but I've tried darn near everything and nothing even comes close to a dmt 8k. Faster than most stones a fraction its grit and followed easily by any finisher you can find. But you don't need anything. You can go Sharpton 4k to 16k.

 

[Gamma]

Shapton Glass 8k HC will serve well in your setup.

 

[Mr.Tee]

Many of the diffrent maufacturers/systems out there vary in terms of grit. 8k from one usually will not be equal to the 8k of another system. So, in sticking with what you have, you are ensured to have the correct jump in grit that your looking for. Just a thought.

 

[Mastropiero]

Thank you all for your answers, indeed the obvious choice would be the Shapton Glass 8k. I am keen on getting myself a 2k as well and that will definitely be a SG, but for the 8k.... I am thinking, between a 1k and a 4k if I want an intermediate stone as a 2k any difference in grit due to different makes using their own criteria when determining their grit would be a disaster.

However, considering the huge gap between a 4k and a 16k I tend to think that the possible grit differences between makes would no longer be such a big deal. I mean, if say Naniwa's 8k is a 10k by Shapton's standards it would still be a good intermediate grit between 4k and 16k, correct?

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[stone and strop]

Naniwa 8k is a good stone.
3k-4k before 8 is a good idea as well. Too big of jumps in grit, some will say, do not make any difference - it just takes longer on the higher grit.
I think the smaller jumps make sense and ultimately a better edge.

 

[Gamma]

I have definitely realized an improvement in my honing with putting something in between the 4k and 16k - I, and many others, have realized that the performance of the 16k and 30k are best experienced by setting up to do the least amount of work possible on them. The only way there is to put a stone inbetween the 4k/16k. I only want to only do 10-ish laps on the 16k/30k. To wipe out 4k work with the 16k, you'll need to extend your efforts considerably and that can lead to wedge weirdness. Based on scoping the bevels, the GS 4k follows the 1k just fine, so does the 6k actually, only a slight increase in time on the stone is needed for the 6k. The 2k is interesting, but to me it's superfluous.
FWIW - I've been looking at setting up a 'travel' set of GS - and have been doing a lot of/too much of side/by/side testing to see what I need and what I can get away with. Thus far I have pretty much decided on 500, 1k, 6k, 10k. I have the 44 µm GS7 but it works best when using a 12k-ish something inbetween. The 16k is the simple choice but I'm not really a fan and I'm still weighing other options. I usually don't finish on synthetics anyway, I have a travel Jnat and Nagura set for that. So I really only need the first 3 stones; but having a full set would be nice I think. As for grits - remember, particle size is a small part of the story - there is a lot more to consider than just those numbers. They don't accuratly describe or truly represent the actual particles in the stone, they're just approximations based on an imagined modeled spherical particle. It's just a relative number.

 

[Gladstone1969]

Shapton 8k Kuromaku - good price & performance (in my hands).


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[kohalajohn]

Gamma makes a good point. Particles may be the same size, but have different behaviours. They have different shapes, their sharp edges wear down at different speeds. Their slurry may be composed of differing sized particles and your number is just an average.

Some release particles quickly while some do not.

A rounded shape particle may not feels as nice on the face as as almondine shaped particle.

And your personal shaving technique and your skin and beard, are different from mine.

If you have found something works for you, good. You are lucky. I am still on the journey.