Natural stones

[cbwx34]

Yep. They went from being insanely and pointlessly expensive to only being ridiculously and pointlessly overpriced. :thumbup:

And if one already has the Chosera 5K (the muddiest of the bunch), going to a Naniwa SS 10K or that magnesia-bound 10K Dave's selling is a lot more affordable for the same results.

Haha.... yea, you're probably right, although it seems like those who know their stones, and have used several different types, always seem to single out the chosera as being the best of the group. Whether it's worth it or not.....

cbw

 

[cotdt]

How does the Chosera compare to the Shapton Pro?

 

[thombrogan]

Never used Shapton Pros. Sorry.

 

[stitchawl]

Since the mines were shut down, prices have climbed, but the stones didn't really get better. They are already millions of years old, just harder to get.

Although the large commercially run mines have pretty much finished in northern Kyoto, there are still quite a few smaller family run outfits cutting stone. It's just no longer commercially viable for the large corporations to do so any more.

Most of the stone cut from these smaller Kyoto family businesses is sold locally to knife shops all over Japan. Smaller broken pieces get sold at farmer's markets and hardware shops. Every month, on the 21st, there is a farmer's market/flea market held at the Toji Temple in Kyoto, and there are always 2-3 tables set up by local stone sellers, with prices that are actually reasonable. Usually the two large faces are smoothed leaving the edges rough. Often the pieces are not perfect rectangles, having a corner or two broken off. If the weather holds, I'm going to go to Toji tomorrow, but I'll leave my wallet at home. I just don't need any more stones, and when I see the prices on them there I find it difficult to resist!

Stitchawl

 

[cbwx34]

How does the Chosera compare to the Shapton Pro?

I've never done a direct comparison, but I do think there's a lot of similarities between the two.

Yep. They went from being insanely and pointlessly expensive to only being ridiculously and pointlessly overpriced. :thumbup:

And if one already has the Chosera 5K (the muddiest of the bunch), going to a Naniwa SS 10K or that magnesia-bound 10K Dave's selling is a lot more affordable for the same results.

It popped in my head last night that this had come up before. Turns out if you factor in size, the Chosera and SS stones are similarly priced (especially at the current sale price). I think it became the fact that most users aren't likely to use 30mm of a 10K stone, which is why some attempts were made to cut the stone in half. This makes the JKS 10K stone the best value overall, if the results are similar. Probably explains why he has such a hard time keeping them in stock.

cbw

 

[hardheart]

Although the large commercially run mines have pretty much finished in northern Kyoto, there are still quite a few smaller family run outfits cutting stone. It's just no longer commercially viable for the large corporations to do so any more.

Most of the stone cut from these smaller Kyoto family businesses is sold locally to knife shops all over Japan. Smaller broken pieces get sold at farmer's markets and hardware shops. Every month, on the 21st, there is a farmer's market/flea market held at the Toji Temple in Kyoto, and there are always 2-3 tables set up by local stone sellers, with prices that are actually reasonable. Usually the two large faces are smoothed leaving the edges rough. Often the pieces are not perfect rectangles, having a corner or two broken off. If the weather holds, I'm going to go to Toji tomorrow, but I'll leave my wallet at home. I just don't need any more stones, and when I see the prices on them there I find it difficult to resist!

Stitchawl

Yeah, I have read of a few of these smaller operations, and would really like to check it out some day. Many of the koppa are perfectly suitable for regular use, if the stone itself is of good quality, not with many cracks or inclusions. It's better if there is a side cut, that way you can get some idea of the layers in the stone, or if there is a crack/vein at least visible on the side. Still, if they are cheap enough, they are worth the gamble imo, and can be taken down to finger stones if nothing else. But imo it is crazy how much the price will jump from a stone just under, to one that matches #100 size.

 

[thombrogan]

This makes the JKS 10K stone the best value overall, if the results are similar. Probably explains why he has such a hard time keeping them in stock.

And if this puppy cuts anywhere near as fast as the Suehiro Rika 5,000 grit stone (both are made by Suehiro using the sintered method - the Amazon stone just uses alumina while the Rika uses silicon carbide), well, then this is an even better deal (and can fit in a Suehiro-made stone holder sold by Dave, Stu, and Hida Tool if desired).

Speaking of which, we silly Americans need more experience with Suehiro's Cerax stones. They're the schizzle in parts of Europe and Japan and a non-entity over here.