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Zulu grey whetstones

Tony

Well-Known Member
I recently acquired a couple of Zulu grey whetstones, I have never used one before and always find it fun to try a new hone. The Zulu grey was a hit on the SRP forum a few years back and quite a few stones were bought by the members. You don’t read much about them nowadays but they don’t come for sale either.

this is what the Zulu Grey seller says about his hones

There is no definitive grit number we can assign to the Zulu Grey as it is a natural hone, however many experienced users have estimated grit ratings from 12-15k+, but really these sorts of figures are not at all scientific, nor very useful when talking about natural honing stones. Each hone will be slightly different from the next, and natural hones in general will always perform in different ways with different types of steel. The Zulu Grey is nonetheless a ‘finishing stone’ in the truest sense of the term. It will improve or smooth the shaving edge off of an 8000 -12000 grit synthetic stone. Some users will even go to the Zulu Grey after a 16000 grit Shapton GS, as they find it smooths out the crispness of the edge left by the Shapton. The Zulu Grey is an honest, authentic natural product that works exceptionally well as a finishing stone for straight razors.

A slurry may be formed on the stone to help speed up the cutting ability if required. To do this one may use either a Zulu Grey Slurry Stone or a medium to fine grit, well-worn diamond plate (credit card sized is perfect). The stone will work well with either plain water or a thin honing oil. Remember though, that the stone is slightly porous and if using oil, then the stone is best dedicated to the continued use of oil.

The Zulu Grey is wholly unique amongst other natural honing stones from around the world, and quite simply cannot be found anywhere else. A humble grey stone holding within it the beauty and strength of Africa prepared in the earth millions of years ago for you to use, cherish and pass down to generations to come.
.—————-.


I have been testing some gold dollar razors on them to see how they perform. I also checked some threads on some of the forums and found that after an 8k synthetic using some slurry diluting it to water is the way that works best for them.

This is about the same way I use my Jnats and Thuringer hones.
Are these Zulu grey any beter ?
No, the are probably a little slower but I like the edges.

at the moment I’m refreshing all my razors with a light slurry and water when they come up in the daily rotation.
 
Here are the two I bought Second hand, you can still buy them but I find them a little expensive


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Nice stone,how is the feeling on the face when a razor is honed on this stone?

this Zulu grey hone is a new experience for me, at this moment for me the edges on my face can be best compared with a Thuringer hone, Sharp and not scratchy, buttery. It could become one of my favorite finishers. But again it’s a finisher only you need a 8k or 12k synthetic edge first before going to the Zulu.
 
I didn't buy anything with Black Friday how about that! goodjob!
 
Well you were not the only one who was considering buying a Zulu

this is what Gssixgun (Straight razor place) wrote about it a couple of weeks back:



I have had mine for some time now, it was Gifted from a member here that hated it

There was some pushback against these stones for some time on here, I finally asked if anyone had "One of the Bad ones" to send it to me so I could REALLY test it out.

A really nice 8x3 appeared here in the North Idaho Woods I worked it a few different ways before I settled in on a light slurry raised with a 325 plate after the 8k or 10k level

The owner said he never wanted to see that stone again and gifted it to me, I have used it since that time..

I find it to be a great fit for many Solingen and American Vintage razors, it isn't fast, but I don't find it to be exceptionally slow either, harder than a Thuringen/Escher, but delivers a similar finish. If I were to guess at a stroke count it would be under 100

If I were to guess at a stroke count on my Escher it would be around 60 coming off the same point in the ladder

If you own a quality Thuringen you don't NEED one but it is a nice stone

IMHO it is either the best or second-best of the "New" stones being sold out there now, I have only matched or beat the finish from mine with one Apache Strata stone I tested, the second one I tested didn't quite match it.

Anyway that is my experience with the stone
 
I‘ve added my Zulus in 2016 to my team of natural stones.

The one I‘ve actually ordered (3x6 inches) is currently not much in use since I got more into handling of shallow finishing stones around 1 year back. I’m lucky Mike has added a shallow bonus 1x6 stone as a kind of compensation for a long waiting time. This one brings nice edges to my razors :)
All of my shallow hones are lapped to be lightly convex on the short side and flat along the long side.

I like to create a misty slurry on my Zulus with the small Zulu slurry stone.


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Regards

Philipp
 
Oh yes, here is how the surface of the Zulu Grey does look like under 160x opt. magnification.
The pic has been taken by my cell phone through the microscope‘s ocular, it’s usable only in center and getting blurry towards the edges, it’s actually not the best system but tome still very interesting :)

BTW. it can be clearly seen that the stone is porous...

83926C6D-3587-4076-B662-188E5A539C3A.jpeg
 
Pretty much the same here. Before the holidays, 2019, there was a half-off sale regarding the Zulu greys, along with a disclaimer that the package would be 4-6 months in arriving. I took the plunge on a smaller piece, costing me around $65 USD. Come June 2020, nothing had arrived, so I wrote to them about it. No reply. A couple of weeks later, I contacted my credit card company about it so as to enter a dispute. They replied that as over six months had elapsed, no action could be taken. Still no stone to this day. Buyer beware.
 
Thanks. I'll give it a shot.

Edit: In checking my records, yes, I did contact him about it in early June, at the very address you mention, as the stone had not arrived. No response at all from his end.
 
Last edited:
For what it's worth, here's the confirmation I received, edited to remove my billing address and personal payment particulars...

Thank you for your order

Just to let you know — we've received your order #877, and it is now being processed:
[Order #877] (December 6, 2019)
ProductQuantityPrice
Zulu Grey 2x6 1 $139.73
Subtotal:$139.73
Discount:-$69.86
Payment method:PayPal
Total:$69.87
Thanks for using www.zulugrey.com!
Zulu Grey Hones – Powered by WooCommerce
 
Public Service Announcement.

If anyone ordered a Zulu Grey stone from the old website, and never received your order, please go here to resolve the issue.



For non-facebooky types, here is the text:
"Please no replies besides those who this has been a problem for. Anyone who ordered/paid for a Zulu Grey from the old/original website and is a member here, please post what was not delivered, what you are out of pocket, and that you have your paperwork available should the owner/original vendor choose to address this. If you know someone who isn't on here that this happened to feel free to let them know of this thread and to chime in. I just want it all in one place instead of fragmented in a large thread. Thanks."
 
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