Shapton Professional ... Shapton Glass ... Kuromaku

J

J Thomas

Joined
Feb 26, 2003
Messages
67
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I've been thinking of trying a Shapton Professional just to compare to the Shapton Glass (SG) stones I all ready have.

I don't see too many Super Steels, but like the assurance of having the SG stones just in case.

I'm interested in the 320 grit which can be had in the (1) Japanese direct Kuromaku stone (2) USA Shapton Professional stone or the (3) Shapton Glass stone.

Something about the 15mm product height in options 1 + 2 is tempting when compared to option 3's 5mm.

I'm going to use coarser stones way more in my sharpening and in a coarse grit I wonder if the 15mm in real use will last 3 times the length as a SG 5mm. I've read that the binders are different, just don't know which would last longer, work best, etc.

Would you venture outside the Shapton Glass arena or stay within?

Thanks.

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NOTE - My understanding is the Kuromaku brand is a Japanese packaged stone that is similar to the English packaged, Shapton Professional stone found here in the States.

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The SP320 is a good stone but, I did receive my SG320 today and would say it's probably a better stone.

The thickness does not make a difference, the Pro 320 is muddy and wears faster so in the end you will probably have two stones worn out from the same amount of work. IMO, you will probably get more from the Glass stone because it cut a bevel faster and cleaner meaning less time on the stone.

Kuromaku stones are Japan specific Pro stones, they are not to be sold outside that market so please don't support vendors doing so.

In the Pro series I would probably go with the 1k or 2k as a starter. 1k and 5k if you want a combo. The 1k is probably one of the best 1k stones I have used, its formulated for stainless and is very aggressive on said steels. The 2k however is formulated for both stainless and carbon steels and is another very aggressive stone. It reminds me a bit of the 1k Glass stone for its feel and speed but with the finish of a 2k. In general, you can push harder with the 1k and up Pro stones allowing you to change the working speed and polishing rate for the given task.
 
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That's it ... I'm looking at a Shapton Glass (SG) 320 in my future. How would you compare it to the SG 220 or the SG 500? Also, is it gray like the 220 or white like the 500?

SG 220 - 66.82 micron

SG 320 - 45.94 micron

SG 500 - 29.4 micron

I'm wondering if a SG 320 would be like a DMT Coarse (325) that never smooths out (someone described it like this, that's what I'm looking for). I like the DMT Coarse finish better with it's rougher-tooth than the SG 500 with it's more polished-tooth.

I currently have the SG 120, 220, 500, 2000 and 16,000.

Would you get a SG 1000 or a Shapton Pro 1000 if you could get either one?

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Thank You for the "heads-up" about the Japan specific stones being sold outside their market ... I had no idea.

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About the Kuromaku stones: "The confusion between these two stones goes back about 10 years. In the beginning there was just the 12k Kuromaku and there was no 15k pro. People in the desert southwest USA, kept having their 12ks crack. So the company reformulated the 12k Kuromaku with a new binder and heat treatment, etc. and the result was a 15k grit hone that would not crack in the desert southwest of the USA. So the users were happy and the company was happy, great. Then the marketing people made a mistake. The new 15k Pro sold by Shapton USA was given the same part number as the original 12k Kuromaku sold by Shapton Japan and the packaging was exactly the same as well. To the casual observer the only difference between the two was that 15k cost more and that led to a conspiracy theory that Shapton was gouging the US market by forcing them to buy a more expensive stone. Reality is that the Shapton Japan 12k and the Shapton USA 15k are two different hones that are very, very similar."

There are some very very reputable companies selling the Japanese version of the Pro stone. If Shapton didn't want them over here, I assure you they wouldn't be sold by these well known vendors. (I'm not talking amazon). I use them, and recommend them. However, I have read that the Kuromaku stones will not be warrantied here in the USA, and the Pro series will not be warrantied in Japan. I have no personal experience with that, so YMMV.
 
The only Shapton stones offered by Dieter Schmid (www.fine-tools.com) appear to be those Kuromaku stones, unless this is something different ... "The line of Shapton stones we offer is the Ha-no-kuromaku line which means "edge behind the scenes"."
 
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