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TheJapanBlade
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| Testimonials |
I first "met" Alex through a tool purchase on eBay a few of years ago. I was impressed with the research and documentation (something he provides for all his products) which accompanied the tool, along with its quality. As someone who has lived, worked and been trained in Japan and regularly travels there to select the items he offers for sale, I believe Alex really knows through experience what quality is and therefore can offer superior products. He is very willing to share his knowledge through personal correspondence, documentation with his products and on his blog, which is something I appreciate very much. He is also a regular contributor on various Japanese woodworking forums. I can whole-heartedly recommend him. Steve Mitchell, Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia Canada Hi Alex I am happy to give you a testimonial . I always enjoy going to visit your shop . i like your knowledge , honesty and enthusiasm for the stones . I have been very pleased that you let me try out so many different stones and I am pleased with the one that i purchased. Thank you, Richard Mifsud My dealings with japanblade have been very rewarding in many ways, firstly the response time by email and or mailing of the items purchased was prompt and efficient . But I think most importantly Alex knows his stones, from their heritage to their use. Unless you had a chance to use every kind of stone that is out there (which few if any one in the country has) we need some one to guide us in choosing , other wise it is a gamble , Alex has a great return policy so there is no risk. Alex gave me good advice and I chose nakayama #9 a lovely pinkish stone that felt like I was sharpening on a pad of butter and left a far better edge than the made mades I had been using up to that point,it even took care of a rather trouble some blade that nothing else seemed to tame. I love it and even though it was very expensive I am happy to own it . Also I recently purchased a suita one of the cheaper ones because of a flaw. this thing is smoother than any 8ooo manmade and much more aggressive than a shapton 4000. try one you will love them. Nice stuff Alex thanks. Gregore, Santa Barbara, Ca Professional Craftsman Dear Alex, The razor hone arrived today, safe and sound. Thank you for the care you took in packing it. Thank you for including the written "care and handling" instructions. And a special big thank you for the qualities of the stone itself. I immediately rehoned a Dovo 6/8 razor according to your recommendations. And of course I shaved with it immediately. If I had not experienced it physically, I would have been loath to believe that this hone could make such a difference on an already sharp blade. Regards Vince M. Labrador, Queensland Australia Alex loves these stones, their history, beauty, capacity for exceptional work. I know Alex through our correspondence around the purchase of several stones, and I've come to regard him as a man deeply involved in the art of living, generous and intelligent. The awase toishi I've bought from him are the finest I've used. Michael Miller. Ellsworth, Maine professional woodworker I do like the stone very much. As a very long time user of man made stones, this opens an interesting new window on sharpening. It's obvious that I have a lot to learn. After a little more time with this stone that I have, I would like to experiment with a different one, just to compare notes. I can tell you that the stone that I have makes it possible to see details in the blade that I have never seen before, and the blades may be sharper than they have ever been, cool. Mike L. San Mateo, California professional woodworker. Hi Alex, It's funny, I was pretty certain (before their arrival) #205 and #219 would be staying. I tried #202 first, to get it out of the way, but once the steel hit the stone....it was all over!:) I put water on the Nakayama's surface...... here too it was all over instantly!!! I just went; "oh my God". It's beauty is just remarkable. I had a tough time at first with the Nakayama, my blade would stick sooooo tight. I have a worn out Atoma 400g I keep for just such stones. After that.... ahhhhh, all three of us were very happy campers!:) Nakayama; Truthfully, I have never been a big fan of Nakayama stones, their qualities, are undeniable, but I've just never been crazy about them, hard ones, or soft. I just don't like the way they "feel". Here again #12 is absolutely the best one I have, it's so uniform, and creamy feeling, not hard, not soft, perfect density, extraordinary cutting power!!! Thank you for the update!! 202; After a week of use, and getting the entire surface dead flat, I can say this has got to be the finest stone in my collection. Having the surface perfectly prepared, the stone is harder, and finer, than I previously thought. The entire surface feels exactly the same, I've never experienced that before, always there's a little variation, not on 202! The only exception is the spot of Renge that was below the stamp in the corner....that little patch produces black like I have never seen.... it is just out of this world!! The whole stone is actually. At $1100.00, it was more of a gift, than a purchase!! Thank you!!!! Always redundant; I can not thank you enough for the Awase stones. A month ago there was an army of natural stones around me when I sharpened. Now, there's an Iyo, (about 3500g) a Tsushima, #202, #12, and a huge Okudo Tomae, for ura oshi and that's it! I've had/have great stones, but all of them were the slightest bit off, in one way or another. As you know sharpening is all about feel, I knew exactly the feel I wanted, but just couldn't find it...close, but not quite right. Yours are perfect in everyway!!!! Thank you!! If my reputation proceeds me; then you know then I can be very blunt too, I am as tight as the bark on a tree when it comes to spending money on stones, to complicate that, I have ridiculously high expectations for a stones performance. You can quote me if you like; "these are two of the finest stones I have ever used, or seen! Dollar for dollar, pound for pound, this transaction with you, tops my stone buying experience". Scott N. Townshead, VT professional woodworker |