Cretan White and Cretan Gray Sessions - New Stones Pt. 2 (text and pic heavy)

[Smashmasta]

I got these stones from this site: https://www.griffithshavinggoods.com/collections/razor-honing-stones
Owner’s name is Matthew and he is responsive and helpful. Some of the best prices and selections for non-Jnat stones I’ve come across. Definitely mainly a shaving site, but he’s got a number of stones that fall in that sweet spot where knives and razors overlap, and a variety of sizes. He even seems to mine/condition his own stones from his home state of Rhode Island, called an ‘Anchor stone’. Don’t have it yet, but likely in the future. Please see New Stones Pt. 1 and Pt. 3 for all reviews.

CRETAN WHITE
This is the softest of the 3 Cretan hones Matthew currently has. I’ve reviewed the gray (see below), but passed on the dark gray for know because it’s described as being very hard and more in the razor range of things, so maybe next time I’ll pick it up for my kamisori or itobas. The stone goes by many names such as, Canadian Oilstone, Levant Oilstone, and Stone of the East, among others. Anyways, this stone has a long and rich history to it, and seems to rival some jnats (if not even longer) in recorded use. It’s composed of very fine silicone dioxide, allowing for fine honing. Matthew estimates 4-6K and I’d agree, with a bit towards the higher side.

Weights and Measures: 170x70x25.4mm; 809g; 2.7g/cm3
Appearance: A dull gray with some white streaks here and there.
Smell and Texture: Texture is smooth; this is a hard stone. Smells metallic, like water in a stainless steel mixing bowl.

Sharpening Experience:
- Since this stone is so hard, I had to use a nagura every time. I bought a cheap tomo for this, but I didn’t enjoy it. Bits flaked off, which then had to be crushed into finer paste or they may scratch the steel. I’d advise not getting a tomo unless you’re really into them. I ditched it in favor of an atoma plate, and a coarse one at that since again, this stone is hard. Sharpening feel was on the glassy side, but nothing slipped, just speaks to its hardness.
- SS (K Sabatier): Sharpening gave off neither slurry or metal. It was weird, as if the stone just compacted the steel on the edge closer together. With no nagura, things got sharp, but nothing crazy. I got a tomo for this stone, which I then used. Slurry started turning dark pretty quickly, and I decreased the angle to see what balance of increased edge retention and sharpness I could get. Balance was incredible. Uber refined teeth that makes S curves through paper, and what feels like a robust enough edge for SS that will last a bit longer than a sharper angle with similar sharpness.
- Shiro (Yoshikzu Ikeda shiro 3 Nakiri): With a slurry, things we’re fast and fine. All these favorable results on shiro can be in part due to how wonderful Ikeda stuff is, and I probably should be using something a bit less in quality/price for my practice shiro steel. But anyways, a bur formed no problem in under a minute, edge was fantastically sharp, and popped hair.
- Aogami (Ohishi super aogami Petty): I went straight to the atoma for this. Definitely took longer than the others, taking 3 or so pass throughs on each side, but the edge delivered felt robust yet refined. Had the most teeth out of all the steels so far.
- Kataba (Shimanti aogami 2 Deba): Whipped up a slurry with my 140 atoma. Even with it, this stone is so hard that it barely gives up much slurry. With this in mind, it’s hard to manage on wide bevel cladding, such as a deba. Maybe something with a shallower kireha would be easier. Kasumi finish did start appearing quickly, but I had to constantly stop and replenish the slurry, which was a PITA. It can be done, but not worth it to me.

Final Thoughts: Another cool stone from around the world, on the cheap! It’s hard so it needs a forced slurry, but results are fast and fine after that. From SS to super aogami, I was happy. Dealing with wide bevels is annoying, and best left to those who life to make their life overly complicated. This stone will last a long while. If you use a razor, you’ll get solid double use out of it.

Pros: From a unique location. Hard so will resist dishing and last a while. Edges are sharp and crisp. Can deal with a variety of steels as long as you force a slurry.

Cons: Hard, so a slurry is needed every time. Confined to double bevels pratically speaking. Not the largest dimension, but still very useable. Tomo is useless.

TL;DR Buy One - Yes or No?
Yes - Will last forever, can be used with razors, totally practical on knives, especially if you find yourself mainly using double bevels.
No - if you only use katabas and don’t use razors, and hate forced slurries.







CRETAN GRAY
Same unique info as the ‘regular’ Cretan white, but is just darker, harder, and finer.

Weights and Measures: 170x70x22mm; 716g; 2.7g/cm3
Appearance: Darker version of the Cretan white, with a calming blue hue to it when wet.
Smell and Texture: Smooth, but not as glassy as the Cretan white. This is a hard stone. Smells like a rock you’d find by the ocean.

Sharpening Experience:
I actually liked this stone a lot, even more than the white, putting it in my top 3 of 5 for this batch. It’s a hard stone, but not overly glassy/slippery. For advanced users, though.
- SS (K Sabatier): I tried sharpening without a nagura first, despite my hesitation given how hard the white was. But I actually had even better results than I did on the white on SS with no slurry. The process was very fast, a left an edge with more teeth, which was a welcome change given the otherwise singular edge results (which have all been great, just all nearly the same). Sharpening with a forced slurry actually refinined things a bit, but the edge was still great.
- Shiro (Yoshikazu Ikeda shiro 3 Nakiri): Results were per usual with my favorite steel from my favorite smith. Fast, responsive, and sharp. Forcing a slurry gave it some welcome bite.
- Aogami (Ohishi super aogami Petty): I actually had the best results without a slurry with the aogami super. Perhaps the hard resistant steel was able to force some auto slurry from this hard stone. Results were quick, had some bite and seemed robust. Forced slurry resulted in a finer edge.
- Kataba (Shimanti aogami 2 Deba): Again, very surpised with the kasumi results. This was actually the easiest and fastest so far. Gentle pressure is required however. These stones are stunning me.

Final Thoughts: Yet another astounding surprise. I actually liked this one better than the white, which is surprising because the white is supposed to be softer and a bit lower grit - bit more suitable for knives. Slurry was needed less than the white, as well. Kasumi finish was extremely fast, but care needs to be taken. Get the gray if you’re deciding between the two Cretans.

Pros: Handled all steels I threw at it, as well as easy Kasumi finish. A bit more bit in some of the edges, as well. Easier slurry maintenance than the white. I really liked it.

Cons: Level of care needed on kasumi finish is a bit more than other jnats more suited for kasumi finish, but it’s still super fast, and easy. While this gave some edges more bit than the Cretan white, they’re still too singular for my taste.

TL;DR Buy One - Yes or No?
Yes - handles a wide variety of steels, and can impart a fast and easy kasumi finish. Not all steels required a forced slurry. Get this one vs the Cretan gray if you have to decide between the two.
No - if you want to spend your money on something else higher on your list.

 

[rick_english]

Well done, thanks for the review.