PIF means Pay It Forward.
When I started messing around with honing straights – lots of people helped me out with advice, lending me things to try, etc.
Occasionally, I try to return those favors by sending some gear out to people so they can get better situated, learn more, experience new things, etc.
Usually, I use another avenue to PIF items out, but since I have this website I figured I’d give this approach a whirl. I’m not really sure about how the FB comments application below will work out yet though, so please be patient if there’s a glitch or two or if I overlooked something.
There are a some requirements to be eligible for this PIF.
1 – Must agree to pay total shipping fees. Conus will be $15.00.
2 – Must be somewhat new to honing straight razors, but committed to the craft.
3 – Must agree to not attempt winning the PIF for the purpose of selling them.
4 – Must be able to show/prove your commitment and desire to hone straights.
5 – Must shave with a straight razor daily or close to it.
One Caveat - there must be at least 50 applicants, otherwise it won’t be a fair PIF. So - if you are reading this, please send a link to your friends so they can enter also. If there aren’t 50 unique comments, then I’ll either extend the time frame for this PIF or explore other avenues.
Admittedly, most of the above is going to be based on the honor system. I do not want to send these two hones to someone looking to make a quick buck but at the same time I have no real control over that.
Do note that Karma is a bitch, and the wet shaving community sees all and remembers everything.
Payment for shipping will be handled through PayPal and that payment should be finalized within a week after I select the new owner of these Choseras.
The comments – keep it simple, just post a concise essay on why you think you would be the best new owner of these two fine water stones.
I’ll choose the recipient based on my gut feelings after reading the comments.
This PIF will start on 10/5/2014 and I will select the recipient on 11/5/2014.
Meet the Choseras
Here we have two professional grade water stones; the Naniwa Chosera 1k & 3k.
Recently, Naniwa obsoleted the Chosera series with the new Professional Series. I’ve tested the new Pro 3k, and while it appears to be a somewhat more advanced type of stone, the Chosera stones are awesome hones to work with.
The 3k C in this PIF shows light crazing marks, but they’re not felt and the stone performs flawlessly. The 1k shows a couple of similar lines on the sides; also not felt, and this stone also performs flawlessly. I suspect these stones will last longer than most users.
The 1k is what razor guys call a bevel setter, and the 3k is what I call a bevel-set refinement hone. Both are lovely stones to hone on, they’re fast and the cutting feedback is superb.
Both of these stones have been used – by me – often. They’re still nearly as thick as they were when brand new though. These are hard wearing hones that are made to be used daily in a working environment. Home-users will probably see several lifetimes of use from them.
Both are lapped flat and the edges alongside the top surfaces have been chamfered.
