[Forzato]

QUICK REVIEW:
HandAmerican leather bench hones are considered by some to be the best of their kind. While the reviewed example of the magnetic Corian base was well made and worthy of the $40 US price, the several magnetic leather hones ($20 each) purchased were made with low quality (for stropping/honing that is) leather pieces that make the bench hone unacceptable.



A MORE IN DEPTH REVIEW:
As stated some users report that the HandAmerican leather hones are second to none. For this review a Corian base and several full-grain horse leather hones were tested. It is believed that HandAmerican does not recommend the use of diamond pastes on their leather hones - however it is considered by the industry as a legitimite use of the HandAmerican leather hone.

The Corian base is well designed and well made. It is big, heavy, precisely cut, and (other than sharp edges) very pleasing to handle. The leather hones were cut sloppy (or assembled sloppy) such that the magnetic pad and the leather were not in alignment. The same construction/assembly misalignment was visible on the Corian base as well. The leather used displayed minute areas of scarring and when the leather is stroked presents a surprisingly lumpy surface. The scarring had very small visible cracks in the leather. If not used for razor stropping/honing this would be beautiful leather... let's say perhaps for a saddle. The lumps were separate from the scarring. All the surface irregularities made for a very poor leather bench hone/strop. Some of the hones had fewer errors than others - but none were truly viable. Attempts were made to reduce to acceptable the surface irregularities... compression, abrasion, rolling pressure, stropping - all to no avail. It seemed that if the HandAmerican leather were only scar-free and lump-free it would make for an outstanding hone/strop.

HandAmerican is being contacted regarding the leather issues, and this post will be updated to inform you of the results with HandAmerican customer service (which thus far has been exemplary).

The reviewer welcomes any feedback.

[ernestrome]

Surface of the leather would be a problem, but those alignment issues seem extremely small to me.

Can you quantify them? It doesn't appear to be much more than a mm or two out.

[Forzato]

ernestrome,

Thanks for the feedback.

Yes indeed the alignment errors mentioned in the review are slight and purely cosmetic - they do not impair the function of the hone. A millimeter or two is all the parts are misaligned.

The lumpy/scarred texture is not as easy to quantify... feels like the lumps couldn't be more than a few thousandths of an inch deep (but this is enough to impair function).

Thanks again.

[Tony Miller]

It's not my product so I need to tread lightly here but I will say a few thousandths does not sound like anything out of the norm when dealing with leather. Every hide I buy or have seen will have very slight uneveness to it's surface, even in what would be called "clean" areas. Most tanneries would call "clean", a side of leather with minimal raised, healed scars or wrinkles that have defined creases. Shallow variances in the surface would be considered inherent in any leather product.

On a pasted strop, as long as the inconsistancy lies below the surface it should really not really affect use. On both strops and hones I think we often get carried away on just how perfect the surface needs to be. Our grandfathers sharpened on far less technology than we have today.

Not trying to challenge you concerns but just commenting from an industry standard we are dealing with a natural material.

On a personal note I would always hope a customer would contact a vendor first for clarification on an issue before going public. If it were my product I would much rather see an initial post stating Tony's strop had issues but he made it right (or didn;t make it right) up front rather than people forming an opinion from the first post and maybe never checking back to see how it all ironed out in the end.

Thanks,
Tony

[Forzato]

Tony,

Thanks for your feedback.

I've never seen any of your leather with this lumpy and scarred surface. All my experience with Tony Miller leather is good (no lumps or scarring).

Each day a business is open it has a choice... to deliver it's goods/services at a level of quality consistent with it's claims... or not to. When they don't they risk negative publicity - that comes along with this choice.

As a business owner you exercise this choice everyday.

The retail consumer should be able to know the truth. And while I cannot say that a problem is delivered with every single piece of leather ordered from HandAmerican - the truth is that the several that I received were indeed delivered with a sub-par surface.

When they resolve this it will be posted.

Thanks again - keep it coming.

[Tony Miller]

Forzato,
Thanks. I didn't want my comments on reviews to be directed to you but an in general comment. I have seen so many guys come straight here first with "so and so sent me this!!!", often before the vendor even had a chance to correct things. I realize this isn't exactly the case.

We do all make a choice daily in what we send and I slip up just like the next guy. I know all of mine are not perfect and a few slip through especially with leather being a natural product and it variations.

I am sure Keith will get you fixed up right.

Tony

[Don]

Originally Posted by Tony Miller

It's not my product so I need to tread lightly here but I will say a few thousandths does not sound like anything out of the norm when dealing with leather. Every hide I buy or have seen will have very slight uneveness to it's surface, even in what would be called "clean" areas. Most tanneries would call "clean", a side of leather with minimal raised, healed scars or wrinkles that have defined creases. Shallow variances in the surface would be considered inherent in any leather product.

On a pasted strop, as long as the inconsistancy lies below the surface it should really not really affect use. On both strops and hones I think we often get carried away on just how perfect the surface needs to be. Our grandfathers sharpened on far less technology than we have today.

Not trying to challenge you concerns but just commenting from an industry standard we are dealing with a natural material.

On a personal note I would always hope a customer would contact a vendor first for clarification on an issue before going public. If it were my product I would much rather see an initial post stating Tony's strop had issues but he made it right (or didn;t make it right) up front rather than people forming an opinion from the first post and maybe never checking back to see how it all ironed out in the end.

Thanks,
Tony

Tony you are 100% right. Going to the Vendor first is the Gentlemanly thing to do.

[junkinduck]

I received mine on Friday. I got the base with four pads horse, bovine, water buffalo, and hard felt. I also got CrO paste and sil carbide paste the second Keith rates as a 12000 grit. To this point I have used the CrO on the hard felt followed by the horse naked. This has improved the edge on the three razors I tried. The first a champion wedge, the second a clauss, the third a dovo. The only issue I have had is the felt seem a little bumpy the edges didn't seem to suffer though. I think I will try pasting the bovine to see if it feels any better. I found the fit and finish to be good and in spite of recent postings the shipping to be prompt. Keith followed up wit Email. I think this is a good product I would buy again.

I also think I have a problem with hones. They say all you need is a norton and strop. I am up to two nortons (220/1000 and 4000/8000), a coticule bout, two DMT,s (corse and fine) couple of barber hones, and now the hand american not to mention hanging strops. I am considering a spyderco UF, a 2x8 cotucile and 2x8 blue, a chinise 12k, and a, DMT Xfine mabe a DMT 600 to round out the set.