Norton 8k vs Naniwa 8k

I'm considering honing up my razor and trying again (I use a Feather AC, have a Dovo Astrale), but considering a tool change.

At the moment I have a Norton 4k/8k and a Chinese 12k natural. I'm considering getting a Japanese Naniwa 8k in place of the Norton 8k, and/or maybe a 10k.

Thoughts? Comparisons? Safe to lather-hone? Recommended?

You will be happy with the 4/8 Norton. Don't buy anything else till you learn to hone. It will only slow you down, you will spend money, and your edges will be only worse. I warned you!
The edge off the 8k norton is very good, the chinese will be only good after you have mastered the norton.

Better buy a GD, or some other cheap razor to learn honing, so you don't wear your Dovo down.

I take it you have already honed the razor at least once. The Norton 4/8K is a great combo and you can get really good edges off the C12K. If it were me I would just get the Naniwa 12K to go along with the Norton combo you already own. I use these two together with real nice success.

You could also look into getting a Coticule to use as a finisher to down right take the place of all the other stone together.

jeness said:

You will be happy with the 4/8 Norton. Don't buy anything else till you learn to hone. It will only slow you down, you will spend money, and your edges will be only worse. I warned you!
The edge off the 8k norton is very good, the chinese will be only good after you have mastered the norton.

Better buy a GD, or some other cheap razor to learn honing, so you don't wear your Dovo down.

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Even though I knew better, I fell into the hone buying trap. Forums are a dangerous place when you have money to blow on hones. I have bought and sold and sometimes bought again many hones.

Once you master the nortons, using other hones will be easy.


Word of warning on the GD's. You may need to grind down the shoulder to get it to sit flat on the hone. Not a big deal if your are comfortable doing it

Hmm I was under the impression the Norton wasn't a very good tool. It always felt too soft for me. I had an eye for something natural but that's not likely to happen ever.

The Norton is a great stone.

bluefoxicy said:

Hmm I was under the impression the Norton wasn't a very good tool. It always felt too soft for me. I had an eye for something natural but that's not likely to happen ever.

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The naniwas are softer.

Interesting. The reviews/literature on every site selling them says every competing hone is better than every one they sell (nortons are the best, but these nawinas are the best, and these ceramic-glass hones are also the best...) so I'm having trouble figuring this out.

A lot of it comes down to personal preference. Norton is the best value out there and there is tons of information on how to use them with razors.

Use what you have for now, and learn how to use them. the nortons are tried and true. And the C12K will give you a nice finsh, they are just slow, but this is actually a good thing, it will teach you muscle memory on the honing stroke.

How is the feel of the norton vs the naniwa? I want to buy a Norton 4k/8k, but I don't want to be disappointed after I tryed the naniwas

I go from the Norton 8k to the Nani 8k SS - then 10/12k Nani SS.
I can't imagine going from the 4k Norton directly to the 8k Naniwa.
I would think the 5k Nani directly after the Norton 4k would fly.

I use a Naniwa 12K directly after the Norton 8K with no problems. I don't see what would be wrong going from the Norton 4K to the Naniwa 8K.

Wid said:

I use a Naniwa 12K directly after the Norton 8K with no problems. I don't see what would be wrong going from the Norton 4K to the Naniwa 8K.

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Not a matter of 'problems' or who's right or wrong.
Its a matter of preference.

I prefer this progression; 8k Norton, 8k Nani, 12k Nani.
I have a feeling that I will prefer 3k Nani, 5k Nani, 8k Nani, 12k Nani.
I'm waiting on the 3k for two weeks now.

Tonight's progression was;
Coti Dulicot to near finish, 5k Nani, 10k Nani, Black Ark with .25 diamond paste, Black Ark water-only.
Haven't shaved with it yet. Last night's shave is still good so I'm going to wait until tomorrow. The Ark with with diamond paste is proving itself to be a serious contender.

Just curious; you don't find the 2 8K stones redundant?

Nope- they're not even close in any way other than the number on the box.
Norton 8k is not the same as Naniwa 8k.
Nanis are rated JIS - I forget what scale the Norton is rated on.
8k Naniwa SS is much much finer than an 8k Norton.

Gamma said:

Nope- they're not even close in any way other than the number on the box.
Norton 8k is not the same as Naniwa 8k.
Nanis are rated JIS - I forget what scale the Norton is rated on.
8k Naniwa SS is much much finer than an 8k Norton.

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This - don't take the number on the stone to mean anything as it's really about the micron grit of the stone.

Here is a useful link that helped me settle on a Chosera 1K for my bevel setter:

http://jendeindustries.wordpress.com/2010/01/10/which-edge-pro-stones-stock-chosera-or-shapton/

As you can see 1K across 3 different stones are very different than each other.

A Norton 8K is 3 microns. A Shapton pro 8K is 1.84 microns. Couldn't find the Naniwa's, but I'm assuming they are similar to the shapton. A Chosera 10K is 1.47 microns and they are the same company that makes Naniwa's.

A 3 micron vs 1.8 micron stone are actually a very big difference even though they are both "8K" stones.

So it would seem the Norton 8 would be closer to the Naniwa 5K. That's interesting.

Harvitz81 said:

This - don't take the number on the stone to mean anything as it's really about the micron grit of the stone.

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Even more interesting is that the binder's characteristics matter too. Just look the different kinds of Arkansas stones, for example.

danjared said:

Even more interesting is that the binder's characteristics matter too. Just look the different kinds of Arkansas stones, for example.

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This is why it's funny when I hear that a coticule is "8-10K" or a Thuringian is "12-15K"