what do you guys like to use for razors?

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mikaelsan

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well the question is simple if you don't want to read all the text.


hey, kkf, i have quite a few stones by now, and feel like i got the knife thing down. But a few months ago i got a straight razor, i have put it on some of my finest stones, and stropped it on compound, 0,5 micron diamond but mostly use it on bare leather. My finest stones if you are wondering are: a welsh slate "dragons tongue", an aiiwatani lvl 3 and a king 6000.
Anyhow i have always felt like it should be sharper then it was, so im thinking i might need something new for it, maybe a decent synth, just to get a feel of what the edge should feel like, before i go into naturals.

i am not buying a new stone tomorrow or the day after, but i would like a synth to get a nice baseline, and to keep me going while i learn to get the most out of a natural, and eventually go natural for the edge.

ideally i would like to pay 100 euro for the natural, i have thought about the 500 dkk shobu stones maxim has from time to time with a tomo, but it does not necessarily have to be a j-nat, i am very open to other kinds of nats.

ideally i would like to pay 40-70 for the synth, i have been eyeing the king 8000 for some time, and i understand its not everybody's cup of tea, so that would be ideal, but i'm not sure if 8000 is a good place to stop? i have also looked at the thin super stones as a possibility.

i'm also very curious about what you personally like to use, for some inspiration
 
Sorry,I don't have experience with razors but I'll just throw this out to you.I have read where some razor guys like the Naniwa "Jyunpaku" 8000 grit Snow White. I have one but rarely take my knives to such refinement anymore.Just more food for thought.
 
Anything lower than 10k will mean a lot of time on the strop to get a smooth edge.

A Naniwa Superstone 12k is a good ending stone before you move to a loaded strop. Alternative synthetics would include the Shapton Glassstone 16k or Shapton Pro 15k or any stone in that range.

You might also consider the relatively inexpensive Chinese 12k natural. Very hard and very slow, it will do a good job with a little patience:

https://www.theinvisibleedge.co.uk/honing-stones/154-chinese-waterstone-12000-grit.html
 
6-8k is more of a starting point for straight razors, it'll be usable but not the most comfortable at that level, though I've heard some of the really nice expensive 8k's can do the trick if you're really good and patient with it. Look into 12k-16k, and a proper barber's leather strop. The 20k-30k stones will obviously be a luxury and make it crazy comfortable to shave with, but at that level the price can get a little too high when you can arguably get a similar result from good compound on good leather for less cost.
To save money, a lot of people use the smaller coticules and swear by them, though they won't have the added benefit of also being useful for larger chef knives.
 
Also, if budget is a concern - something to consider simply for it's low price is Shapton's M5 version of their 12k.
This may not necessarily be the final finishing stone, although some seem to say it suits them just fine (perhaps a mid-way point before final strop?). It's slightly smaller/thinner than the standard pro/kuromaku 12k version, but about 2/3 of the price.
Overall consensus seems to indicate the Naniwa 12k gives a slightly finer edge polish than the Shapton Pro 12k/M5 12k - but again, prices/region/shipping are considerations.

The Shapton Pro/Kuromaku 12k, and the Shapton M5 12k are basically the same except for size/thickness, right? Is there a difference in the actual quality?

Whats the difference between the Naniwa Gouken 12k, and the Naniwa superstone 12k? (seems like the superstone version is about $20 more than the Gouken)
 
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I would not go 8k snow white, I have had very good results off my naniwa Superstone 8k ... its very chaulky. I would recommend the Naniwa 12k super stone, it would be a good shave, and you can really feel the edge using them and they are faster cutting.

Really that 0.5Micron i use chromium oxide --- and leather will deliver your finished edge. So your looking for a pre-finisher.
I have a naniwa chosera 10k (Blue stone) i personally dont love it but i have it, so i use it as a stepping stone.

Jnats i would not recommend as even at the ultra high end they leave a super toothy aggressive edge, that irritates my skin. my Nakayama Maruka is the closes i have got to being buttery. They are hard none the less and take time to see what works perfectly.

I followed Dr. Matt on youtube and got a ILR stone , and i love it. I defiantly would recommend. I really notice a great edge off of it.

Researching welsh slate .. at an estimated 15k you should be fine.
Whats your technique?
Using slurry?
If so how do you develop the slurry?

What razor are you sharpening?
Have you ensured your hitting the edge when sharpening?
Have you ever developed a burr with this razor?

Are you able to pass the HHT Test?
What are you able to attain at the present moment? - here is your guide...
https://shavelibrary.com/w/Hanging_Hair_Test,_from_trick_to_probing_method
 
Thanks all, the ss 12k sounds tempting for my needs, I think I will evolve to some kind of natural at some point, just because it's what I like.

As for what I have tried so far I did not try and raise a burr, is this recommendable when setting a bevel? My slate is advertised at a lower grit, 6-8k. I went with oil on the slate, I know my technique is not developed yet, which is also why I want to start with s synth, did some stopping motions and X strokes? is that what they are called? Circular motions. Same technique on the jnat, with some slurry I tried to brake down, don't know how I did.

As for the razor I went for a "cheap" basic carbon razor, it's a Timor I think

I did not get it to hht sharpness as far as I remember no. And I doubt I'm getting the most out of my stones yet.
It's sharp enough to shave with right now, have done so a few times, but it feels like I'm far from it's potential, and it's not really the easiest shave.


Also that ilr sounds very much on the line of what I'm looking for, do you think it's worth it to just skip the super stone and go for just learning on that instead?
 
Use a Mercer DE razor with Feather blades from Japan. Buy in bulk so blades are pretty cheap.
 
I use Publix brand single blade disposables and an electric as my daily. Once a week I use either my Feather DX or this vintage (1890s) one from my home town in PA. Straight razors give great results but take a bit too long to do before work. For sharpening I use my shapton glass stones to 12k, then a loaded stop, then a felt block.
 
If you want to use natural or artificial stones, you need a diamond lap, 800-2k for bevel setting, 5-6k to refine and a 10k and above for finishing.

Based on the budget stated, you may want to use lapping film, you can have 3-5 different progressions of 3M films on flat surfaces. Some people use compounds of medium to finishing grits on balsa or leather.

I usually set the bevel using Naniwa of 800, 1k or 2k. After setting the bevel, I use nagura progression on a hard JNat. My SRs honed using this method are at least as sharp as my Feather or Schick shavette blades but they give smoother and less irritating shaves.
 
thanks cwtan, thourght i might update since people still post.
I decided i will buy the ss10k, ss12k or a natural hone, i have one in mind, just not right this instant =).
As advised i had, before going out and buying new stones, "back to basics" meaning i reset the bevel, with burr development on a 1k, moved on to a 6k and tried my slate again. I put it on a clean strop and tried yesterday, the result is much better, i'm almost confident going for the chin and mustache now lol :) i still do want more refinement though, the slate felt about the same as the 6k stone, or at least not significantly better

Thanks all, also for the pm's its been very useful, it also fun hearing what people use otherwise, even if it is kind of offtopic
 
If you want more refinement before getting a higher grit finishing stone, you can try iron oxide on leather or on a piece of flattened balsa. This should help to improve the edge.
 
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yeah thanks, i do actually already have aleather strop loaded with aluminium oxide. Should try that next time, but i also want to go back and revisit the jnat, and see i can squeeze some more refinement out of that then the other stones before moving on
 
i used to finish on spyderco UF. its gives the best polish imo. its also very very slow. and most of them come slightly warped. this is a dry use stone.

now i have shapton pro 8 and 12k and those are maybe 20 times faster stones. very hard and dish resistant. no soaking required.

is you want stropping paste you should look into green cr oxide 0,5µ, with no al-ox inside it. this was the classically used paste. today almost all green cr oxide is watered down with al-ox.
 
I shaved for mounths with a razor finished on a super stone 5k and balsa loaded with COX. Not ideal but doable. Will probably buy a SS 8K and 12K to try. Not interested in naturals at all.
 
It's been a while since I've looked into razors. From what I remember razors require a different technique and heavy on the leather. There was a $100 fixed handle carbon blade that I've always had my eye on but never pulled the trigger. I also have the ss 12k. Just for fun, once I did shave with my Mizuno blue#2, but I'm all grown up and hipster so I don't shave anymore.
 
I have been maintaining my straights with two different leather belts, one loaded with .75 micron CBN and another belt loaded with .25 CBN. I really like the results. I used to not be able to pass hht test with just leather, but when I started using .75 CBN I was able to. I have a few jnats that ate higher grits that I can use if I need to go lower, but no high grit synthetics.
 
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