Re: Shapton vs. Chosera WEPS Stones – The Great Debate

[wickededge]

Did I understand you as saying that the Shapton 5K would be better than the Chosera 5K prior to stropping? I currently have the Chosera 800/1K and 2K/3K paddles. I thought that I might go with the Chosera 5k/10K paddles next. Currently I have been going through the stock diamond progression then the 4 Choseras, then 5/3.5 micron strop, then the 1 and .5 micron 3M lapping film. I end up with a decent edge that is quite shiny. I do seem to improve it by hand stropping on felt with .5 micron Diamond, then balsa with CRO, then latigo leather with .25 micron slurry.

So taking a look at what I am doing, would you suggest the 5K shapton by itself before stropping on the WE, or going for the 5K/10K Choseras and then stropping from there. I can’t afford to do both at the moment.

In your case, I’m inclined to suggest that you stick with the Chosera 5K/0K because you already have some Choseras, and plan to “jump” to 1K film and then finish with.25 micron with strops. 10K is 1.75 micron so it makes a nice stone transition over the leather strop. the 5K/10K combo also makes the edge amazingly shiny, and you can go straight to the .25 micron strop if you want.

The 5K Shapton won’t shine as mirror like as the Chosera, but it is better prepared for a larger jump straight to the 1 micron film.

The major differences between the Shaptons and Choseras is their “sharpening philosophy” – Shaptons use precision to create consistent scratches without polish while Choseras use polishing to compliment their scratches. It’s Function vs. Aesthetic – Shaptons strive for function, and lose some aesthetic, while Choseras strive for Aesthetic and lose some function – relatively speaking – neither series comes up short in any category.

You’ll be able to see it more clearly when I post the comparison microscope pictures. B)

One last thing. I notice the Shaptons are sold loose and have to be mounted on a paddle/platen. What is used to mount them. I suppose it would be some kind of adhesive. If so, can you supply any specific information on this?

I believe Wicked Edge uses 3M double sided tape to mount them to the paddles. I used the double sided tape on all mine, and have no issues whatsoever, even with water.[/quote]

We ship out the paddles with the 3M VHB tape already on the tray, so all you have to do is peel back the protective film and apply the stone. We can also apply them here if you choose so you don’t need to worry about making mistakes. Once the stones are on, the aren’t coming off in one piece.

-Clay