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"The Holy Grail" Bevel setter ?

The "Holy Grail" bevel setter synthetic

  • Naniwa Super Ceramic 1000 (Chosera) ($80)

    Votes: 18 46.2%
  • Shapton Ceramic KUROMAKU #1500 ($41)

    Votes: 19 48.7%
  • Suehiro CERAX 1010 Medium #1000, Ceramic sharpening stone ($41)

    Votes: 2 5.1%

  • Total voters
    39
Gentlemen

I have got some ebay razors like Gencos, Wostenholms, Bokers and the like. Most of them are not honed and need an edge. While, I have been able to set bevels on some of them using a King 1000 (king 1k/3k) stone, there are challenges when the geometry is not right.

The King 1Kchokes up pretty fast, and need cleaning using my DMT plate quite frequently. When a razor needs more work the King 1K feels like a real chore to use.

After spending a lot of time reading various threads, I concluded that I need a bevel setter better than the King 1K.

I came across the options listed below as the most frequently used.

The stones are at varying price points, hence I decided to take a poll for that one "holygrail" bevel setter synthetic stone which will not choke easily, not need my DMT frequently to clean and will work across a variety of steels with varying geometry and defects. The other stones I have are a Norton 4k/8k and Naniwa 12k. I have at least two dozen plus razors which have some challenges and will need some work.

Appreciate all your responses !
 
NB - Like the King the Cerax is a soaking stone.

It's an exceptional stone, but if you don't like the King 1k because of how soft it is then I wouldn't go for a Cerax. It's not as muddy as the King, but it's not like the Shapton and Naniwa stones you mention.
 
I have owned and used both a Naniwa SS (not the ceramic listed in the poll) and Shapton ceramic. For my money, I would go with the Shapton. I have also successfully set bevels for years on JNATS too. But, depending upon the condition of an edge when I acquire a razor, I may need something synthetic. Honestly, a person could drain the bank account with all of these options. Ask me, I've come close!
 
I have owned and used both a Naniwa SS (not the ceramic listed in the poll) and Shapton ceramic. For my money, I would go with the Shapton. I have also successfully set bevels for years on JNATS too. But, depending upon the condition of an edge when I acquire a razor, I may need something synthetic. Honestly, a person could drain the bank account with all of these options. Ask me, I've come close!
Can you point me to the link on Amazon. I understand that the Chosera "green brick" is the Naniwa super stone in its new Avatar.
 
Can you point me to the link on Amazon. I understand that the Chosera "green brick" is the Naniwa super stone in its new Avatar.

My Shapton 1K bevel setter is probably a decade old. I doubt that it's on Amazon any longer. It seems after a quick visit to Amazon, everyone has been rebranding and changing their stones names, etc.
 
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I've had a Shapton 1.5 for about a week and I really like it. Can't compare it to anything else personally. It doesn't want to load up, it's fast, and most (or least) importantly, it's a lot prettier than the green brick 😄
 
I really like my shapton 2k as my starting point for most razors without damage. It feels so good to use, has shallow scratches, and just makes the razor cleanly sharp faster than expected. Damaged razors get the shapton 1k or king 300, but both are pretty harsh on a thin razor edge. I would think the 1.5k is a really sweet middle ground but have never tried it.
 
I have the 1.5k Shapton Pro and the Chosera 1K. It's tough to decide between the two in terms of performance; both are great great workhorses. BUT, if you factor in the cost, then the Shapton is the winner. Since you asked for the holy grail, get both. I am sure there is some natural bevel setter like a Cretan that is the holy grail or something like that
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
Shapton Glass 2k HR will likely do it.

If you need more power than that, I’d be looking at a diamond plate too. Be careful though, diamond plates cut fast even when they’re mellow.
 
I use the Shapton Glass 1000 as my bevel-setter. It's dense with abrasive, slow to dish, and makes scratches that are easy to take out on the subsequent stones. The pure-white color makes it really easy to see even subtle slurry.

I can do most repairs on it by applying heavy pressure, which I've found produces less-deep scratches than lighter pressure on a 500.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
Gentlemen

I have got some ebay razors like Gencos, Wostenholms, Bokers and the like. Most of them are not honed and need an edge. While, I have been able to set bevels on some of them using a King 1000 (king 1k/3k) stone, there are challenges when the geometry is not right.

The King 1Kchokes up pretty fast, and need cleaning using my DMT plate quite frequently. When a razor needs more work the King 1K feels like a real chore to use.

After spending a lot of time reading various threads, I concluded that I need a bevel setter better than the King 1K.

I came across the options listed below as the most frequently used.

The stones are at varying price points, hence I decided to take a poll for that one "holygrail" bevel setter synthetic stone which will not choke easily, not need my DMT frequently to clean and will work across a variety of steels with varying geometry and defects. The other stones I have are a Norton 4k/8k and Naniwa 12k. I have at least two dozen plus razors which have some challenges and will need some work.

Appreciate all your responses !
My choice is 30u film.
 
I have been using the ohishi 1000 for a few years now and am really fond of it. It's one of the seemingly neverending rocks imanishi makes but it's hard and very friendly to use
 
Ive used the king, norton, chosera, dmt 1200, and naniwa(all 1 k stones). The one that i liked the most was/is the chosera 1k. A bevel is a bevel is a bevel. But i like the feel of the chosera and the fact that is doesnt dish easily. And the old style was 1 inch thick which allows you to use the side as a 1 inch thick hone if you need to work on something wonky. I dont have any issue using a coarser stone to speed things up. Usually a chosera 600 but a dmt works for me when needed.
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
I have a Chosera 1k, and it is a good bevel setter - on many forums it’s considered the standard or .30-06 of bevel setters.

It‘s thirstier and softer than a Shapton Glass, and slower unless it’s freshly lapped. It glazes, loads up, or clogs with use where the Shapton Glass do not. That loading up is not necessarily a bad thing though, because it makes the C1K act finer, though it does slow it down a bit.

The C1K is one of the better bevel setters though they’ve thinned the current version IIRC. But if you have multiple razors on the bench, go for the Glass.
 
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