PDA

View Full Version : Naniwa Hayabusa 4k review



Matthew N. Masail
08-23-2015, 4:06 PM
---As always I write this review simply to help others when looking for info. I rely on the web to gather info when I'm looking for something so this is just a way to return a favor. Of course everything said is my opinion from my own experience, and as with everything YMMV!--


Not too long ago Naniwa introduced 3 new ceramic stones, a 1k, a 4k and a 8k. These seem to have got really good feedback and are price very well, so I decided to try the 4k Hayabusa stone, I have been using this stone for about 6 months both at home and at work.
at the time of writing this TFJ has it for about 33$. I will compare it to the Chosera 3k for reference since they fill about the same spot in a lineup, and taking into account the Chosera 3k is probably one of the best you can get, but much more expensive.


Hardness\feel:
- at first this stone seemed to be harder than it really is, in that is has a firm feel and doesn't release slurry in use. after a while I found that it is quite softer than the 3K Chosera, and it is possible to gouge it if you snow-plow into it with a chisels edge.


-it keeps it's flatness fairly well and flattens without any problem. it doesn't feel "ceramic", more like a hard version of the clay type stones, but it's not messy at all, rather it feels more dry. in fact it's one of the least messy stones I own. the Chosera 3k, which is harder, produces more 'mud' than this one.


Effectiveness\use:
A thing to note about this stone is how light it is. at first I didn't notice it, but compared to the Chosera 3k it is light as a feather! the Chosera is like a solid brick, very heavy. I suppose the pricing makes more sense now. Despite this it is still one of the most effective stone I have used in it's grit range.


At first use this stone blew me away, it is surprising just how many stones are only half effective at erasing the scratches from a 1k in a timely manner. by erasing I mean completely replacing them with a finer scratch pattern. coming of a fresh eze-lap diamond plate which leaves deep marks, this Hayabusa erased them in a heartbeat, leaving a polished edge with only the finest trace of scratches here and there. even more surprising was that there was hardly any slurry or swarf to account for, I was impressed. after using it over time it continues to give reliable results. it has much less cutting power than the Chosera 3k, and all in all the Chosera 3k is a much more capable stone, it's in a different league, but this hayabusa is amazing for how fast it works and how fine a finish it can leave while doing that.


it is a splash and go type, doesn't need soaking. it will absorb a little water from the first splash, so if you wish you can soak it for 30seconds or so or do what I do and just leave a little standing water on it. I have soaked it will no ill effects, but cannot say if it's ok for long term, but you would never want to soak it long anyway.


Finesse\loading:


it will load slightly but not badly like a shapton, and it had only slight stickiness when working a blade back. all in all nice to use. it is finer than the Chosera 3k, leaving a more polished edge, but it doesn't have that same cutting power so you must come to it with a edge fresh of a 1k or so. the edge is very good, good enough for 95% of woodworking.


Conclusion:
I am still a little baffled how this stone can be so effective, but at the end of the day it is a simple, effective stone at a very low cost. I do wish it was a little harder, but it's really not bad and for the price, It's fantastic value. I have used stones that cost twice as much and not be nearly half as effective, so the bottom line is, this stone simply works and does it for a extremely affordable price.