I love threads like this--really any that both try to explain what's actually going on when we hone/strop, and, help dispel the old wives' tales about same.
I agree about the bad ad copy posts--they read like adverts.:thumbdown: Or the dogma about use of slurry--that has become a huge annoyance for me ever since discovering the world of Jnats (and coticules!). Really interesting that the same people who mocked the idea of the dilucot when it first came out are now saying that you should always finish on plain water (or dilute!) when using naturals--all naturals, including those that don't play so nice with just water on them. Bit of a shift, no?
I've tried my Kiita w/ just water & it was ungodly harsh--using THICK slurry like Jim's barber recommends, it gives me fantastic (almost coticule-smooth, ultra-sharp) edges. Many on other forums are saying they use thin slurry & then dilute or just 10-15 strokes on plain water & get the same results. (?!)
They either have very unusual stones that work well on water only or they finish on paste, which would probably smooth out the harshness, methinks. Same thing on the Escher--most were saying "use water only for best results". I tried that on my barber's vintage Thuringians (think one was an Escher for sure) & the edges were nothing to write home about at all. I suspect some use of slurry would yield better results.
Honestly, I think a lot of these honemeisters are making the mistake of using techniques that work well on synthetics, and trying to relate those same techniques to naturals. Different world entirely, I've found. No doubt some will buy an expensive natural, try a few strokes on water only, get a harsh, not really all that sharp edge, think it's a bad stone, & then buy something else being sold on one of these forums instead. All because they were explicitly told not to do what would give them the best edges. I remember thinking my Kiita was a dud until I tried Jim's method exactly as he outlines it. Only then did I get edges I was really happy with. I'm sure others are in a similar boat.
I apologize if this is WAYYYY off topic, since it has almost nothing to do w/ stropping, but I felt I had to mention this, in light of what others have said here about shaving dogma.
I agree about the bad ad copy posts--they read like adverts.:thumbdown: Or the dogma about use of slurry--that has become a huge annoyance for me ever since discovering the world of Jnats (and coticules!). Really interesting that the same people who mocked the idea of the dilucot when it first came out are now saying that you should always finish on plain water (or dilute!) when using naturals--all naturals, including those that don't play so nice with just water on them. Bit of a shift, no?
I've tried my Kiita w/ just water & it was ungodly harsh--using THICK slurry like Jim's barber recommends, it gives me fantastic (almost coticule-smooth, ultra-sharp) edges. Many on other forums are saying they use thin slurry & then dilute or just 10-15 strokes on plain water & get the same results. (?!)
They either have very unusual stones that work well on water only or they finish on paste, which would probably smooth out the harshness, methinks. Same thing on the Escher--most were saying "use water only for best results". I tried that on my barber's vintage Thuringians (think one was an Escher for sure) & the edges were nothing to write home about at all. I suspect some use of slurry would yield better results. Honestly, I think a lot of these honemeisters are making the mistake of using techniques that work well on synthetics, and trying to relate those same techniques to naturals. Different world entirely, I've found. No doubt some will buy an expensive natural, try a few strokes on water only, get a harsh, not really all that sharp edge, think it's a bad stone, & then buy something else being sold on one of these forums instead. All because they were explicitly told not to do what would give them the best edges. I remember thinking my Kiita was a dud until I tried Jim's method exactly as he outlines it. Only then did I get edges I was really happy with. I'm sure others are in a similar boat.
I apologize if this is WAYYYY off topic, since it has almost nothing to do w/ stropping, but I felt I had to mention this, in light of what others have said here about shaving dogma.
