Ally Wojtaszek of Griffith Shaving Goods here! Thanks for taking so much time to really get to know the La Lune stone! We’ve already had several orders! Just so folks know, all of our vintage razors are restored by my husband Matt, the founder of our company which is based in Foster, Rhode Island. Thanks Dr Matt!
hi…i have 2 fullsize razorstones to give away for half the price if someone needs them. a charnley forest and a very hard and very fine grey with yellow nakayama…and i have a few natural coticule combos to give away. the quality is perfect but i dont hone razors.
Your Green and Black Shadows just came to my door today and I just got off of sharpening and polishing on them 10 minutes ago. They were both fantastic how nicely they sharpened and finished my knife. I'm extremely happy with the purchase. It's well worth the money to get such good quality, since it saves soooo much time, and then also it saves the frustration of never getting a perfect edge with lower level stones. I also bought a Japanese Nakayama nagura, but that'll be used another day.
A big thank you for the effort required for something like this. Even included the clips of the finishing hone to help with replication. The microscope images were awesome as always. Cheers and happy new year.
@@zionpsyfer - Thank you! I just watched it agin since it’s been a few years. There is some really good info in there. Sometimes I even impress myself. 🙌🏻😉
Good to see you again! Another great vid with good info on honing! Loving the shirt, btw did you notice the photo behind you?......same shirt!lol! Thanks for the discount code, I will definitely look into the web site. Cheers!
that is what i do like about it , the versatility, also the fact that it competes with the jnat market , but is a western stone completely. it is good to see the scope shots , i hope you have a very merry fourth of july Dr matt. cheers , -CAM-
Thank you Caleb and same to you. You’re a good American! I know you’ve done some work with the stone. I’ve since tried a couple of other razors and tweaked my technique and it’s come out shining every time. Thanks for stopping by. 😁
4:35 - I agree - Sir!! Same with hht I can tell if the razor will shave good or not based on it too.. There is always that small percentage that's may not read accurate, but for the most part like you said 90-95% of the time it dead on fool proof also..
Hey Dr Matt! Great to see you back at it with another video. Hopefully you made it through the holiday with all 10 fingers and toes. Thanks for breaking down the stone for us mortals and establishing the relationship to give us all a sweet discount!
so that is interesting seen a few videos on the stone . but here we can see a true difference in the type of edges you can get . what is also interesting is how versatile the stone is . great work there buddy . and all 3 edges looked a pretty nice shave to be fair 👍
I've got one of these stones and I just do a few passes under running water as a final finisher and the results have been good so far. Maybe I'll give try it with some oil and see if that improves things. I've not even touched the slurry stone yet.
I've had the stone a couple months, and slurry with water then oil as a finisher is the way to go. I tried soap and glycerine and running water none are better than oil. also I use a lot of passes on it as a finisher
Hey mike rose here, I started with a Shavette , it was the first thing I bought when I got into a Traditional WetShaving. I’ve been doing it for 4 years and mostly DE’s of every different kind. I just recently got into straights and I got to tell you from all that practice with Shavettes really helped!!! I got it in like 3 shaves where it will take someone else 30 lol
@@magnoliamike glad to hear that! I’m still waiting on my shaving cream and brush before I get to use my shavette for real. Just been practicing without the blade. Thanks for the encouragement! I’m excited to get my first straight razor but I’m going to enjoy my shavette for a while. 👍🏻
Another grear video Dr Matt, thank you. When you scope the blade after the initial laps, do you angle the edge towars the microscope? Or do you lay the blade flat on some felt?
Hi Dr. Matt. Greatly appreciate your reviews and what a fantastic stone ("fantastique")! Could make a video about the set-up of your microscope one day? How do you set up your LED control (light can make a big difference) and how do you position your straight razors to get comparable views? I use the same microscope as you, but I must say I struggle quite a bit with it...
hi matt! thanks for the video. i was considering picking one of these up after having seen your video a year or so ago, but decided against it because i already have a drawer full of "finisher" stones...from synthetics to jnats (a killer kiita, and a very hard asagi that takes 'sharp' to scary heights with a nagura/tomo progression) to coticules to eschers/thuris (the sharpest and MOST comfortable edge i have ever shaved with!). what i hear you saying about le lune is essentially that it will get you a little better than a coti and maintain a comfortable edge, but not quite as good as a jnat or a thuri. that le lune will improve a coti edge, my friend, is a good thing, since most coticules are really not that great of finishers. out of my entire drawer of coticules, there are only two stones of what i consider to be "good" finishers...with only one little 5x2.5" (glued to slate) coticule which is stellar, as in, very fast and very fine. 😁
@@drmatt357, hah! i think it's great that we have sooo many choices in sharpening stones these days. it seems like if anyone wants to "try" something, one can have it delivered to their doorstep within a few days...even from half-way around the world! recently, i have simplified my razor maintenance. i have a 5x2.5" blue escher that i keep in my shave drawer. 15 to 20 laps under running water after shaving, plus firehose (10 laps), horsehide leather strop (30 laps), and then cordovan strop (50 laps). it literally takes less than 3 minutes after each shave and my razor stays impeccably sharp and provides an ultra-comfortable edge with 0 razor burn. every. single. shave. quite literally, the perfect edge, 100% of the time. i haven't heard of many people who have this routine. most people simply have a honing session once in a while when their razors start to "pull a bit." why not just treat yourself to shave with a perfect edge every time?! while i do enjoy the 'honing experience' muchly, when it comes to razor maintenance, it really is a piece of cake.
Great session! I've made a video recently on stone and found that for the price it's a fantastic value! I'll probably test the oil technic soon. Thx ☺️
Great informative video. I prefer to use my scope. I like to see what's up. Thanks for taking the time to produce this video and break it all down. Appears to be an efficient stone. My oil technique is lacking.
Different purposes. The ILR is a finishing stone like a 12K Naniwa. The Le Lune is more of a polisher that you use after the finishing stone. Closer to an Arkansas stone. You can use the LL as a finisher with slurry and get a nice edge bit IMO it shines as a post finishing stone.
@@mattember5372 - yes, finishing is just that, what most people do. I say polishing but it just takes the edge a bit further. Not a necessary step but I now do it with my black Ark on most all of my edges.
Do you recommend this over naniwa 12k? Cant find any quality natural stones here and shipping/import taxes are crazy expensive 25% just for taxes alone. Also maybe weird question but can one overhone easy on the 12k? Also should one kill the edge before moving onto it?
Thanks a lot Mat for another great video. During the test you went from a Coticule edge to La Lune ob oil for 10 passes. My question is: are you sure 10 passes on oil were enough to replace the Coti-edge by Lalune-Edge? I see a good chance you‘ve shaved at least with a mixture of Coticule/LaLune edge, maybe even more with a Coti-edge. However I am looking forward to your upcoming videos All the best
Thanks Matt for that very nice and deep diving video! You‘re personal input and review is well appreciated for the „La Lune“ Team and for sure for all those interested people within the shaving and honing community….actually the vintage approach of the french company FGBC (F. Ghelfi, Birolleau & Cie.) which was a company set up from italian 🇮🇹 people who immigrated to france 🇫🇷, was to use the stone with oil. The old instructions give that advise….however its awesome to see a nice working french product, which was placed on the market from Italian Guys in France in the 20th century reviewed from a knowledgeable guy from the US…sounds very international to me ❤️ more on the historic background of the La Lune Story can be found on my page. Keep up the good work!
@@drmatt357 sure here is the approach of writing down the History of F. Ghelfi, Birolleau & Cie. (FGBC) razorlovestones.wordpress.com/2016/02/02/a-new-story-about-f-g-b-c/
I love the reverse engineering & various honing approaches you tried w/different razors. As I continue to learn how to evaluate a stones potential, I start from a base of familiarity and then make small incremental changes. What I've discovered is there's no substitute for patience & experience unless Caleb, Robert & you do the work 1st. 😄 Seriously, what a gift! I keep learning and enjoying more & more from what you share. Thank You!! BTW: Those images & straight shooting opinions are fantastic Keep telling it like it is and don't ever settle for a shit sandwich.🤣
Water when used as a lube cuts better (deeper scratches) oil polishes cuts shallower and more even, your Microscope bears this theory out. Also here's another tip on most stones you can fine tune them by putting your own surface Finnish on them. Also if you get the chance try a ancient Ocean Jadite or jasper stone, you put a polished above 1000 grit surface on it and then wear it in, use a fine slurry for quicker cutting and polishing off scratches use with water and then Finnish up on the stone clean & dry, I think that you'll find the results pretty interesting. 😉
can Whal clipper oil be used as a lubricant for this stone? and how would you go about getting slight nicks out that you can see at this sort of magnification like say 3 or 4 seperated between the whole blade?
@drmatt357 cheers for the quick reply I used the clipper oil, seems to be doing the job...finally got that little grin you get after the push through lol I might of hit a 400 grit by mistake and that may have done the damage, I don't have a 5k only 4k 8k and the la lune I'm using the hand held Carson 100x 250x.. Thanks for all your other help..shave on
Dr Matt, I would like to send me my Nakayama for testing,. How do I wrap it? Which carrier will handle it best. Of all the states you have which one is best? Do you like jnats to be super hard , hard or medium hard? Take care and thanks.
I have the big la lune stone,,, 8 x2.5, its an amazing stone,,, it makes a nice smooth but sharp edge and is flexible,,, smooth almost Thuri like, but sharp,,, i use 16x with glycerin , I also purchased several razors and stuff from Matt,,,, amazing stuff and awesome service,, How do we send razors to you for repairs and sharpening thx 🙏
Who is that in the black n white picture in the back? It looks like a jacked up mean version of you! lol. 100% is what I always said about the DE blades. They are paper thin. Same concept as a Japanese kitchen knife compared to a big western blade. Their thin! Thanks for showing that.
@@magnoliamike He certainly was and he admitted to all of it and more... but he NEVER ratted anyone else out! That's why his prison term was longer than anyone else's. Was pardoned by Jimmy Carter.
I was listening to this video while I was sharpening my knife on my new Black Shadow, and on the first look I had was at 14:48. Honestly, not a bad look on you 😂
@@morehn - LOL, thank you. My wife always used to tell me that she married me for my hands because it certainly wasn’t my looks so I’ll take what I can get. 😉
When you get to that level of edge refinement that both of those stones are capable of, they’re just different. A blond today and a brunette tomorrow. I’ll be a happy man for life!
Interesting stuff! What does a Feather DE look like? I also was under the assumption DE blades shave the way they do (ie glide "smooth") because of the coatings?
Matt, thanks for showing me CBN edge. This microscope image impressed me beyond words. This is 929x magnification and the edge looks like a mirror! I'm asking you. Please shot a video about CBN! Tell me about your process, how it shaves compared to JNS (or any other natural stone), what type of CBN you recommend etc. I've made some little research myself. People tell that CBN feels like a natural edge on the face. Plus it's probably the sharpest edge out there. People ranking CBN even higher than Diamond on balsa, because it's more comfortable and still as sharp. In your video I noticed you done 0.5 CBN edge, but I've seen 0.25 CBN paste! Imagine how sharp this edge could be!
That’s what started my channel nearly 10 years ago. ua-cam.com/video/PRMu-WEaFNE/v-deo.html You can go finer than 0.5 but there’s diminishing returns at an increase cost but the 0.5 is what I find most comfortable.
Do you use compounds for stropping? Have you heard of gunny juice? They make that down to 0.1 micron. Would love to hear your thoughts on the various grits and see some microscope shots of it.
I don’t use the compounds too much anymore. If I. Doing a razor for someone and they request a very sharp edge, I will use a 0.50 micron CBN. I do have a video with tons of slides of compound edges. It was my first video nearly 10 years ago. ua-cam.com/video/PRMu-WEaFNE/v-deo.html
Hello, I didn't understand a little because of the translation of the language, so I decided to ask how best to make a super finish on this stone after a hard Japanese, with suspension or pure stone, or with oil, and how many passes?
?Thank you, Can this stone be connected at some other stage for sharpening razors with suspension or clean, or is it only suitable for the very last final sharpening?
@@ЮрийКарпушкин-й9о - You can use a slurry as I showed and that can be done to re-sharpen it after the edge goes away. You wouldn't even need another stone. You can then finish on plain water or then even go to oil for the last 10 passes. It can be used in different ways so experiment and let us know what you find.
Great video. However what I gather about natural stones is that there are too many variables in stone quality and technique used. Money spent on stones may give variable edges and can be frustrating. Most people have polarizing views on one natural stone or the other and which is better. A question comes to my newbie mind in to SR shaving and debating in my head. When I can have a clear synthetic based predictable edge 4k/8k and naniwa 12k followed by 0.5u diamond paste, why not I look at the Suehiro gokumyo 20 k as next progression instead of figuring out if an equally expensive natural stone gives a predictable edge or not. I saw the video where shapton 16k chips the razor , would a gokumyo 20k also do.so or would it lead to a predictable sure shot super polished edge esch time? If you can answer or make a video, would be very useful 👍🏻
@@drmatt357 I guess I meant predictable. I am one of those nerds who picked up a set of hones as you advised 4k/8k and naniwa 12k , a few ebay razors. Used your ebay razor video watching it again and again, honed a razor for the first time ever and took it to my face again first time ever (and used both hands) and I got a clean smooth better than DFS shaves. The only hand moves which someone don't work for me is when you move ear to nose and lip with the other hand !
@@drmatt357 I know with these stone being natural they are subjective to how they perform but I get a more comfortable edge from the yellow lake than I did from the 3 different Arkansas stone I've had in the past. I'm aware of two yellow lake hones one as a yellow box that is more of a midrange stone and the red box one I have is a post finisher, I have never used the yellow box version but the red is fantastic but very slow at least 200 laps on honing oil, I purchased a razor from someone a few years back expecting to rehone it like I usually do, I was promised I would enjoy the edge so I had a shave and it was fantastic and after a conversation I was put onto the yellow lake hone and told to buy the one with the red box and told how to use it and that's the end of the story, definitely a post finisher like a Arkansas.
I’m late to this conversation. My progression has been cerax 1k, la lune slurry, la lune water, black shadow slurry, black shadow water, green shadow water. Keen edges that seem to last.
@@drmatt357 that's nice to know. One more question if i may, i have zero experience sharpening and i never owned a straight razor but shaved with shavette for 5 years, a few days ago i bought a vintage solingen for 15 euros, i own a coticule that belonged to y grandpa, it's about 1x4 inches. i sanitized the razor, cleaned it and sanded the rust away and since i only have that stone i started working on it and finished it. the razor cuts great and i've had about 5 shaves with it now. but as you can imagine the stone is a pain in the ass to work with because it's super small. now, i know i can work with it because i somehow managed but i woudl like to buy a good finishing stne and i don't have too much money, what should i do? the finishing on the coticule is good but i would like to get something better just for the final part as mine is quite soft, what stone should i get? is la lune worth it? or i should look for something else? sorry for the wall fo text and for y english i m not a native speaker
@@leon930 - there are several stones you can get as finishers. I’m a fan of always having a synthetic stone as a finishing choice and that would be the Naniwa 12K Super Stone. The ILR is a good choice, I have a video on that. Good price but by the time it ships to you maybe the same as the others.
@@drmatt357 thank you for your answer. the ILR is curious because i can't find it here, although the name makes it sound like it's from the city of Imperia, in the liguria region. i know that they extract a hard slate stone that is used to finish razors (ardesia ligure) i wonder if they extract it there as well.
Hello I'm thinking of getting into straight razors. I have very coarse and hard hair(i know that's redundant to say 😆 but it's for emphasis) and I am very prone to ingrown hairs. What would you say is a good brand for someone like me? I'm assuming a 1/4 hollow or half hollow sounds enticing but I'm not sure. I would love any advice. Thanks!
I would say you’re correct going towards the heavier grinds for coarse hard whiskers. Check my channel for a 2 part series called “Are straight razors really all that”. Hart razors will work.
@@drmatt357 great thank you! What's an affordable option that you have come across around $100-150 range that you think would work? Sorry that's what's in my budget as of now I appreciate your feedback!
Dr. Mat, i want to buy 1000/4000/8000 Norton stone, what should I a buy after 8000, 12000 naniwa or irl stone, which u suggested in another video, or maybe any suggestions. Thank in advance, Sir!
Great video, excuse my ignorance what type of oil do you use. I am using Welsh slate 8k & 15k and was wondering if like in this video if it might possibly enhance the edge as it has in this video. I have also just ordered an ILR and super stoked about that. Was prompted after watching your video about 4-5 time's on touching up. Have a great 4th of July. Very best regards Gordon 👍👌👊
@@drmatt357 cheers Dr Matt, I have just refreshed 3 razor's with Parker and Hale express gun oil. My Thiers Issard Le Dandy just straight on the 15k my Hamburg Ring 8k-15k and my Gold Dollar on the 15k and finished with 20 laps on my fire hose strop and 60 laps on my Colorado buffalo strop. Do you think it's adequate amount of laps on either strop. Thanks again for the knowledge. Very best regards Gordon😊🙏👍👊
@@drmatt357 I usually do 50 on fire hose and a 100-150 on the Colorado buffalo after honing. And 50 on fire hose and 70 on Colorado after I shave. The few folks that I know do 40 on linen and 100 on horse and another 100 on kangaroo after honing. As you can see I am still trying to find my way. Thanks again DrMatt 😌🙏👍
Dr Matt I forgot to tell you that the Arkansaw translucent stone you looked at for me as been brilliant, and I now get a extremely refined and very smooth edge on all my blades. Ps I burnished it the same way that you did. Cheers Pete
Ally Wojtaszek of Griffith Shaving Goods here! Thanks for taking so much time to really get to know the La Lune stone! We’ve already had several orders! Just so folks know, all of our vintage razors are restored by my husband Matt, the founder of our company which is based in Foster, Rhode Island. Thanks Dr Matt!
Thank you Ally and I appreciate you stopping by!😁
I've done some business with Matt and Ally and have nothing but good things to say about them.
hi…i have 2 fullsize razorstones to give away for half the price if someone needs them. a charnley forest and a very hard and very fine grey with yellow nakayama…and i have a few natural coticule combos to give away.
the quality is perfect but i dont hone razors.
Your Green and Black Shadows just came to my door today and I just got off of sharpening and polishing on them 10 minutes ago.
They were both fantastic how nicely they sharpened and finished my knife.
I'm extremely happy with the purchase.
It's well worth the money to get such good quality, since it saves soooo much time, and then also it saves the frustration of never getting a perfect edge with lower level stones.
I also bought a Japanese Nakayama nagura, but that'll be used another day.
Seeing you smile during that half shave and commenting was like a kid in a candy shop. I bet it made your day how nice it felt.
A big thank you for the effort required for something like this. Even included the clips of the finishing hone to help with replication. The microscope images were awesome as always.
Cheers and happy new year.
@@zionpsyfer - Thank you! I just watched it agin since it’s been a few years. There is some really good info in there. Sometimes I even impress myself. 🙌🏻😉
Good to see you again! Another great vid with good info on honing! Loving the shirt, btw did you notice the photo behind you?......same shirt!lol! Thanks for the discount code, I will definitely look into the web site. Cheers!
The shirt was different but close! Good eye tho!😉
Absolutely great as usual Matt. Happy Independence Day brother.
that is what i do like about it , the versatility, also the fact that it competes with the jnat market , but is a western stone completely. it is good to see the scope shots , i hope you have a very merry fourth of july Dr matt. cheers , -CAM-
Thank you Caleb and same to you. You’re a good American! I know you’ve done some work with the stone. I’ve since tried a couple of other razors and tweaked my technique and it’s come out shining every time.
Thanks for stopping by. 😁
Great presentation on the La Lune stone DR. Matt!
4:35 - I agree - Sir!!
Same with hht I can tell if the razor will shave good or not based on it too.. There is always that small percentage that's may not read accurate, but for the most part like you said 90-95% of the time it dead on fool proof also..
Good to see you again and another honing video! Very 4th of July shirt, and the Rigaletto still shaves great!
@@Bearcwy - Hey Brother, was just talking about you the other day.
Hey Dr Matt! Great to see you back at it with another video. Hopefully you made it through the holiday with all 10 fingers and toes.
Thanks for breaking down the stone for us mortals and establishing the relationship to give us all a sweet discount!
Between you and Caleb, you've got me sold. When I get one, I plan on starting with a light slurry and finishing with a glycerine mixture.
Using water glycerine was another approach we discussed on several boards…i like both results, i mean Oil or Water Glycerine…
so that is interesting seen a few videos on the stone . but here we can see a true difference in the type of edges you can get . what is also interesting is how versatile the stone is . great work there buddy . and all 3 edges looked a pretty nice shave to be fair 👍
Thanks Paul. That’s how I roll!😉
Thanks very much for doing the review Matt much appreciated 😊
You’re welcome Gary and I appreciate the ideas and feedback. 😁
Thank you Gary 😉
Good to see a new video from you. Always helpful.
Good to see you doing vids again Doc
Dr. Matt, been missing the videos, once again another great vid and review. Enjoyed the technical breakdown.
Thanks Brendan. Always good to hear from you Brother!!
I spy the G-man in the back. Miss his radio show. Happy Independence Day, Dr. Matt thanks for the review. Didn’t realize the seller lives in my State.
I've got one of these stones and I just do a few passes under running water as a final finisher and the results have been good so far. Maybe I'll give try it with some oil and see if that improves things. I've not even touched the slurry stone yet.
Dr.Matt , how do the Arkansas stones compare Le Lune? from a sharp aspect, but also from feel while shaving.
I'm impressed with your shaving and razor sharpening techniques🤓🤓🤓
I've had the stone a couple months, and slurry with water then oil as a finisher is the way to go. I tried soap and glycerine and running water none are better than oil. also I use a lot of passes on it as a finisher
Thank you my Friend Ryan ! 😉
What tupe oil?
@@ronelljones3327 i used some honeing oil. But its basicly mineral oil
Thanks Dr Matt. Your perspective is always appreciated. Keep up the good work!
Thank you! Welcome back!
Happy thanksgiving brother!
Been a while but same great stuff. Thanks for the test on this stone. Very helpful to me. Best
Good to see you doc ! Hope you are doing well =)
Great info and knowledge for someone just beginning with a shavette! Thanks!
Hey mike rose here,
I started with a Shavette , it was the first thing I bought when I got into a Traditional WetShaving. I’ve been doing it for 4 years and mostly DE’s of every different kind. I just recently got into straights and I got to tell you from all that practice with Shavettes really helped!!! I got it in like 3 shaves where it will take someone else 30 lol
@@magnoliamike glad to hear that! I’m still waiting on my shaving cream and brush before I get to use my shavette for real. Just been practicing without the blade. Thanks for the encouragement! I’m excited to get my first straight razor but I’m going to enjoy my shavette for a while. 👍🏻
Great vid Doc, greetings from the Rock of Gibraltar
Another grear video Dr Matt, thank you. When you scope the blade after the initial laps, do you angle the edge towars the microscope? Or do you lay the blade flat on some felt?
Actually I angle it away a hair. If you email me, I can send you a video.
Hi Dr. Matt. Greatly appreciate your reviews and what a fantastic stone ("fantastique")! Could make a video about the set-up of your microscope one day? How do you set up your LED control (light can make a big difference) and how do you position your straight razors to get comparable views? I use the same microscope as you, but I must say I struggle quite a bit with it...
email me - drmatt1911@gmail.com
hi matt! thanks for the video. i was considering picking one of these up after having seen your video a year or so ago, but decided against it because i already have a drawer full of "finisher" stones...from synthetics to jnats (a killer kiita, and a very hard asagi that takes 'sharp' to scary heights with a nagura/tomo progression) to coticules to eschers/thuris (the sharpest and MOST comfortable edge i have ever shaved with!). what i hear you saying about le lune is essentially that it will get you a little better than a coti and maintain a comfortable edge, but not quite as good as a jnat or a thuri. that le lune will improve a coti edge, my friend, is a good thing, since most coticules are really not that great of finishers. out of my entire drawer of coticules, there are only two stones of what i consider to be "good" finishers...with only one little 5x2.5" (glued to slate) coticule which is stellar, as in, very fast and very fine. 😁
You read between the lines well John!😉
@@drmatt357, hah! i think it's great that we have sooo many choices in sharpening stones these days. it seems like if anyone wants to "try" something, one can have it delivered to their doorstep within a few days...even from half-way around the world! recently, i have simplified my razor maintenance. i have a 5x2.5" blue escher that i keep in my shave drawer. 15 to 20 laps under running water after shaving, plus firehose (10 laps), horsehide leather strop (30 laps), and then cordovan strop (50 laps). it literally takes less than 3 minutes after each shave and my razor stays impeccably sharp and provides an ultra-comfortable edge with 0 razor burn. every. single. shave. quite literally, the perfect edge, 100% of the time. i haven't heard of many people who have this routine. most people simply have a honing session once in a while when their razors start to "pull a bit." why not just treat yourself to shave with a perfect edge every time?! while i do enjoy the 'honing experience' muchly, when it comes to razor maintenance, it really is a piece of cake.
Excellent video.
Great session! I've made a video recently on stone and found that for the price it's a fantastic value!
I'll probably test the oil technic soon. Thx ☺️
Great informative video. I prefer to use my scope. I like to see what's up. Thanks for taking the time to produce this video and break it all down. Appears to be an efficient stone. My oil technique is lacking.
Thanks for stopping by Doug!
Matt? Does the Maas metal polish work well?
Love this video. Got any opinion of the Le Lune vs the Imperial La Roccia stone?
Different purposes. The ILR is a finishing stone like a 12K Naniwa. The Le Lune is more of a polisher that you use after the finishing stone. Closer to an Arkansas stone. You can use the LL as a finisher with slurry and get a nice edge bit IMO it shines as a post finishing stone.
@@drmatt357 I get lost on the terminology. Isn't a "finishing stone" the one you "finish" on? What's a "post finishing stone"...?
@@mattember5372 - yes, finishing is just that, what most people do. I say polishing but it just takes the edge a bit further. Not a necessary step but I now do it with my black Ark on most all of my edges.
Do you recommend this over naniwa 12k? Cant find any quality natural stones here and shipping/import taxes are crazy expensive 25% just for taxes alone.
Also maybe weird question but can one overhone easy on the 12k? Also should one kill the edge before moving onto it?
Thanks a lot Mat for another great video.
During the test you went from a Coticule edge to La Lune ob oil for 10 passes. My question is: are you sure 10 passes on oil were enough to replace the Coti-edge by Lalune-Edge? I see a good chance you‘ve shaved at least with a mixture of Coticule/LaLune edge, maybe even more with a Coti-edge.
However I am looking forward to your upcoming videos
All the best
Good question but I wasn’t trying to replace the coticule edge with the LL edge, just enhance it.
Thanks Matt for that very nice and deep diving video! You‘re personal input and review is well appreciated for the „La Lune“ Team and for sure for all those interested people within the shaving and honing community….actually the vintage approach of the french company FGBC (F. Ghelfi, Birolleau & Cie.) which was a company set up from italian 🇮🇹 people who immigrated to france 🇫🇷, was to use the stone with oil. The old instructions give that advise….however its awesome to see a nice working french product, which was placed on the market from Italian Guys in France in the 20th century reviewed from a knowledgeable guy from the US…sounds very international to me ❤️ more on the historic background of the La Lune Story can be found on my page. Keep up the good work!
Wow! Great info. How about a link so we can all checkout your site.
@@drmatt357 sure here is the approach of writing down the History of F. Ghelfi, Birolleau & Cie. (FGBC)
razorlovestones.wordpress.com/2016/02/02/a-new-story-about-f-g-b-c/
I love the reverse engineering & various honing approaches you tried w/different razors.
As I continue to learn how to evaluate a stones potential, I start from a base of familiarity and then make small incremental changes. What I've discovered is there's no substitute for patience & experience unless Caleb, Robert & you do the work 1st. 😄
Seriously, what a gift! I keep learning and enjoying more & more from what you share. Thank You!!
BTW: Those images & straight shooting opinions are fantastic Keep telling it like it is and don't ever settle for a shit sandwich.🤣
LOL Doug! Lots of shit sandwiches out there. 😆
Thanks for stopping by Brother!
Hi Matt, thank you for sharing! great job! What kind of microscope you used, please? Thank you
Here you go Mate!
ua-cam.com/video/49ERZiDbDj4/v-deo.html
Water when used as a lube cuts better (deeper scratches) oil polishes cuts shallower and more even, your Microscope bears this theory out.
Also here's another tip on most stones you can fine tune them by putting your own surface Finnish on them.
Also if you get the chance try a ancient Ocean Jadite or jasper stone, you put a polished above 1000 grit surface on it and then wear it in, use a fine slurry for quicker cutting and polishing off scratches use with water and then Finnish up on the stone clean & dry, I think that you'll find the results pretty interesting. 😉
can Whal clipper oil be used as a lubricant for this stone? and how would you go about getting slight nicks out that you can see at this sort of magnification like say 3 or 4 seperated between the whole blade?
I imagine clipper oil would be fine. To get little nicks out, start with a 5K and see if that removes them. You can always go lower if needed.
@drmatt357 cheers for the quick reply I used the clipper oil, seems to be doing the job...finally got that little grin you get after the push through lol
I might of hit a 400 grit by mistake and that may have done the damage, I don't have a 5k only 4k 8k and the la lune
I'm using the hand held Carson 100x 250x..
Thanks for all your other help..shave on
Dr Matt, I would like to send me my Nakayama for testing,. How do I wrap it? Which carrier will handle it best. Of all the states you have which one is best? Do you like jnats to be super hard , hard or medium hard? Take care and thanks.
You still want me to do this Barney? How's your Boris razor?
I have the big la lune stone,,, 8 x2.5, its an amazing stone,,, it makes a nice smooth but sharp edge and is flexible,,, smooth almost Thuri like, but sharp,,, i use 16x with glycerin ,
I also purchased several razors and stuff from Matt,,,, amazing stuff and awesome service,,
How do we send razors to you for repairs and sharpening thx 🙏
Thank you. You can email me or click the end screen box that will take you to a video with all the details.
@@drmatt357 thx DR
Who is that in the black n white picture in the back? It looks like a jacked up mean version of you! lol. 100% is what I always said about the DE blades. They are paper thin. Same concept as a Japanese kitchen knife compared to a big western blade. Their thin! Thanks for showing that.
G. Gordon Liddy!!
He was convicted of conspiracy, burglary, an illegal wire tapping In the Watergate scandal
@@magnoliamike He certainly was and he admitted to all of it and more... but he NEVER ratted anyone else out! That's why his prison term was longer than anyone else's. Was pardoned by Jimmy Carter.
I was listening to this video while I was sharpening my knife on my new Black Shadow, and on the first look I had was at 14:48.
Honestly, not a bad look on you 😂
@@morehn - LOL, thank you. My wife always used to tell me that she married me for my hands because it certainly wasn’t my looks so I’ll take what I can get. 😉
@@drmatt357 I'm sure she only wanted to help you stay humble
What up my brother!!good to see you pal
Thanks Frank. Always good to hear from you!
How would you compare the oiled La Lune edge to a Les Latneuses one? Nice to see another video on this stone.
When you get to that level of edge refinement that both of those stones are capable of, they’re just different. A blond today and a brunette tomorrow. I’ll be a happy man for life!
@@drmatt357 Amen to that!
Dr.Matt, the test to see if the blade is cutting well, is it through the microscope or is there another test?
The best test is the shave Sandro!
@@drmatt357 Thank you very much! the Lord is a reference.
Interesting stuff! What does a Feather DE look like? I also was under the assumption DE blades shave the way they do (ie glide "smooth") because of the coatings?
Coatings have something to do with it but not as much as you’d think. The coating wears off after a few passes but still shaves decent.
Matt, thanks for showing me CBN edge. This microscope image impressed me beyond words. This is 929x magnification and the edge looks like a mirror! I'm asking you. Please shot a video about CBN! Tell me about your process, how it shaves compared to JNS (or any other natural stone), what type of CBN you recommend etc. I've made some little research myself. People tell that CBN feels like a natural edge on the face. Plus it's probably the sharpest edge out there. People ranking CBN even higher than Diamond on balsa, because it's more comfortable and still as sharp. In your video I noticed you done 0.5 CBN edge, but I've seen 0.25 CBN paste! Imagine how sharp this edge could be!
That’s what started my channel nearly 10 years ago. ua-cam.com/video/PRMu-WEaFNE/v-deo.html
You can go finer than 0.5 but there’s diminishing returns at an increase cost but the 0.5 is what I find most comfortable.
Hi, la lune stone is better finish than coticule or naniwa 12k?. Thanks
Ur back!!
Yeah Bitches!
Do you use compounds for stropping? Have you heard of gunny juice? They make that down to 0.1 micron. Would love to hear your thoughts on the various grits and see some microscope shots of it.
I don’t use the compounds too much anymore. If I. Doing a razor for someone and they request a very sharp edge, I will use a 0.50 micron CBN. I do have a video with tons of slides of compound edges. It was my first video nearly 10 years ago. ua-cam.com/video/PRMu-WEaFNE/v-deo.html
Can you take a DE to half micron and make it pretty too? THAT is the real experiment I want to see.
Hello, I didn't understand a little because of the translation of the language, so I decided to ask how best to make a super finish on this stone after a hard Japanese, with suspension or pure stone, or with oil, and how many passes?
10-15 with oil
?Thank you, Can this stone be connected at some other stage for sharpening razors with suspension or clean, or is it only suitable for the very last final sharpening?
@@ЮрийКарпушкин-й9о - You can use a slurry as I showed and that can be done to re-sharpen it after the edge goes away. You wouldn't even need another stone. You can then finish on plain water or then even go to oil for the last 10 passes. It can be used in different ways so experiment and let us know what you find.
Great video. However what I gather about natural stones is that there are too many variables in stone quality and technique used. Money spent on stones may give variable edges and can be frustrating. Most people have polarizing views on one natural stone or the other and which is better.
A question comes to my newbie mind in to SR shaving and debating in my head.
When I can have a clear synthetic based predictable edge 4k/8k and naniwa 12k followed by 0.5u diamond paste, why not I look at the Suehiro gokumyo 20 k as next progression instead of figuring out if an equally expensive natural stone gives a predictable edge or not.
I saw the video where shapton 16k chips the razor , would a gokumyo 20k also do.so or would it lead to a predictable sure shot super polished edge esch time?
If you can answer or make a video, would be very useful 👍🏻
The gokumyo doesn’t chip the edge like a Shapton glass.
… and there’s no such thing as a “sure shot super polished finish every time”.
@@drmatt357 a video on the gokumyo stone would be so awesome!
@@drmatt357 I guess I meant predictable. I am one of those nerds who picked up a set of hones as you advised 4k/8k and naniwa 12k , a few ebay razors. Used your ebay razor video watching it again and again, honed a razor for the first time ever and took it to my face again first time ever (and used both hands) and I got a clean smooth better than DFS shaves. The only hand moves which someone don't work for me is when you move ear to nose and lip with the other hand !
Is the last razor you used with the white scales an ALE custom razor from Montreal
Or is it the HART?
@@kgpax - You have a time marker?
@@drmatt357 at 15:57
@@kgpax - that’s not an ALE custom. Brian Brown.
@@drmatt357 Cool...thanks for the insight
Great stuff!
How would you compare against the ILR?
Hi Dr Matt
Have you used a yellow lake (red) whetstone as a post finisher on honing oil ?
I haven’t…
@@drmatt357
I know with these stone being natural they are subjective to how they perform but I get a more comfortable edge from the yellow lake than I did from the 3 different Arkansas stone I've had in the past.
I'm aware of two yellow lake hones one as a yellow box that is more of a midrange stone and the red box one I have is a post finisher, I have never used the yellow box version but the red is fantastic but very slow at least 200 laps on honing oil, I purchased a razor from someone a few years back expecting to rehone it like I usually do, I was promised I would enjoy the edge so I had a shave and it was fantastic and after a conversation I was put onto the yellow lake hone and told to buy the one with the red box and told how to use it and that's the end of the story, definitely a post finisher like a Arkansas.
What grit would you say it looks ? From your micro scope pictures?
That’s always a tough one but at least a 12
I’m late to this conversation. My progression has been cerax 1k, la lune slurry, la lune water, black shadow slurry, black shadow water, green shadow water. Keen edges that seem to last.
hi drMatt, if you use oil on the stone then can you go back using water on it? or once you use the oil you should always continue with that?
You can go back and forth, no problem. I use dish soap to clean the oil off.
@@drmatt357 that's nice to know. One more question if i may, i have zero experience sharpening and i never owned a straight razor but shaved with shavette for 5 years, a few days ago i bought a vintage solingen for 15 euros, i own a coticule that belonged to y grandpa, it's about 1x4 inches. i sanitized the razor, cleaned it and sanded the rust away and since i only have that stone i started working on it and finished it. the razor cuts great and i've had about 5 shaves with it now. but as you can imagine the stone is a pain in the ass to work with because it's super small. now, i know i can work with it because i somehow managed but i woudl like to buy a good finishing stne and i don't have too much money, what should i do? the finishing on the coticule is good but i would like to get something better just for the final part as mine is quite soft, what stone should i get? is la lune worth it? or i should look for something else? sorry for the wall fo text and for y english i m not a native speaker
@@leon930 - there are several stones you can get as finishers. I’m a fan of always having a synthetic stone as a finishing choice and that would be the Naniwa 12K Super Stone. The ILR is a good choice, I have a video on that. Good price but by the time it ships to you maybe the same as the others.
@@drmatt357 thank you for your answer. the ILR is curious because i can't find it here, although the name makes it sound like it's from the city of Imperia, in the liguria region. i know that they extract a hard slate stone that is used to finish razors (ardesia ligure) i wonder if they extract it there as well.
Thank you taking a look at the la lune and giving a honest unbiased review DrMatt.
Thanks for stopping by L2S Scott. You were right!😉
@@drmatt357 😎
Hello I'm thinking of getting into straight razors. I have very coarse and hard hair(i know that's redundant to say 😆 but it's for emphasis) and I am very prone to ingrown hairs. What would you say is a good brand for someone like me? I'm assuming a 1/4 hollow or half hollow sounds enticing but I'm not sure. I would love any advice. Thanks!
I would say you’re correct going towards the heavier grinds for coarse hard whiskers. Check my channel for a 2 part series called “Are straight razors really all that”.
Hart razors will work.
@@drmatt357 great thank you! What's an affordable option that you have come across around $100-150 range that you think would work? Sorry that's what's in my budget as of now I appreciate your feedback!
Dr. Mat, i want to buy 1000/4000/8000 Norton stone, what should I a buy after 8000, 12000 naniwa or irl stone, which u suggested in another video, or maybe any suggestions. Thank in advance, Sir!
Either of those would work
What do you think about the cheap Anself 3000/10000 stone
On Amazon? Is it useless or perfect smal traveling stone and how do you use small stones?
Never heard of it. Just looked on Amazon and sold as a knife sharpener so I’d say not for razors.
Thanks
I was looking on shaving cream and it popped up and I thought it was a nice price, so I bought it don't realise that it was so small 😂💕
Love your shirt 🥰
Thanks Gurl! Great to hear from you!😁
La Lune vs surgical black arkansas as a finisher?
Bay watch Pam Anderson vs prime Brooke Shields as a hump?
@@drmatt357 LOL! I understand, either will do an acceptable job. Thank you for your videos.
Great video, excuse my ignorance what type of oil do you use. I am using Welsh slate 8k & 15k and was wondering if like in this video if it might possibly enhance the edge as it has in this video. I have also just ordered an ILR and super stoked about that. Was prompted after watching your video about 4-5 time's on touching up. Have a great 4th of July.
Very best regards Gordon 👍👌👊
@Devan Jackson Thank you Sir, I appreciate it 👍
@@gordonchristie246 - Yes, what Devan said. But you can pretty much use most any oil. I’ve heard of guys using vegetable oil to WD40.
@@drmatt357 cheers Dr Matt, I have just refreshed 3 razor's with Parker and Hale express gun oil. My Thiers Issard Le Dandy just straight on the 15k my Hamburg Ring 8k-15k and my Gold Dollar on the 15k and finished with 20 laps on my fire hose strop and 60 laps on my Colorado buffalo strop.
Do you think it's adequate amount of laps on either strop. Thanks again for the knowledge.
Very best regards Gordon😊🙏👍👊
@@gordonchristie246 - have you ever tried less passes on your strops?
@@drmatt357 I usually do 50 on fire hose and a 100-150 on the Colorado buffalo after honing. And 50 on fire hose and 70 on Colorado after I shave. The few folks that I know do 40 on linen and 100 on horse and another 100 on kangaroo after honing.
As you can see I am still trying to find my way. Thanks again DrMatt 😌🙏👍
Dr Matt I forgot to tell you that the Arkansaw translucent stone you looked at for me as been brilliant, and I now get a extremely refined and very smooth edge on all my blades. Ps I burnished it the same way that you did. Cheers Pete
Glad it worked out for you Pete. They are incredible stones!!
🤘🏼
Yeah! Dr Matt so good to see you again ! Interesting stuff as usual ! Proverbial Shit Sandwich LOL ! 🤣
Yeah, a lot of those out there JB. Watch where you step!
You must be as Smooth as Baby Oil.