# What is up with Shapton Glass



## galvaude (Aug 3, 2017)

Some vendors from Japan don't sell them anymore saying they are discontinued. The Shapton website is down, their YouTube channel is removed and some vendors in North America are having back order issues. Someone here knows if they are discontinued for good ? Discuss.


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## LoneWolfGang (Aug 3, 2017)

Maybe this isn't so helpful, but I recall hearing some buzz that the Shapton Glass line has been discontinued


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## bryan03 (Aug 3, 2017)

realy ? 
need to buy/find some 500 ...


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## JBroida (Aug 3, 2017)

Japanese website looks up to me And the Sharon glass is still up there


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## dwalker (Aug 3, 2017)

This is all that is left of my double thick 500. I'm surprised I have not hit glass yet. Gonna need to find something to replace it soon. If they are gone, I'll be sad. I really like the 500.


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## mqphoto (Aug 3, 2017)

Agree on the 500, love that stone as well.


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## tommybig (Aug 3, 2017)

Rumor about that has been out there last year too. Because one Japanese vendor could not get them anymore and wrote that they "may be" discontinued. That was never confirmed.

But since then they still kept showing up back in stock regularly, at least in multiple shops Europe.


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## Mucho Bocho (Aug 3, 2017)

dwalker said:


> View attachment 36500
> 
> This is all that is left of my double thick 500. I'm surprised I have not hit glass yet. Gonna need to find something to replace it soon. If they are gone, I'll be sad. I really like the 500.



No doubt love this stone too the 240 not so much.


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## Ruso (Aug 4, 2017)

What so great abt the SG 500?


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## dwalker (Aug 4, 2017)

Ruso said:


> What so great abt the SG 500?



Splash and go, not overly muddy, plenty fast, good feedback, even finish that is easily followed by 2k or more. The only negative I can think of is price per mm of stone.


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## Mucho Bocho (Aug 4, 2017)

dwalker said:


> Splash and go, not overly muddy, plenty fast, good feedback, even finish that is easily followed by 2k or more. The only negative I can think of is price per mm of stone.



Yup. I'll add it stays flat and excels at all steels especially SS.


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## K813zra (Aug 4, 2017)

Yep, I love my SG500 but that is about the only stone in the line I actually like to use. Don't get me wrong, the others work well but I don't like using them. Regardless, at the very least it does seem that US vendors are having supply issues. All of the vendors I frequent are out of stock almost all of the time on the glass stones over the past year or so. Pro stones seem to be in stock at least a little more regularly. Some US vendors seemed to have quit carrying specific stones from the Glass lineup as well or at least they are no longer listed. 

I have no idea if there is any validity to the claim that the stones are being discontinued but if you can't get them then, to me, it is the same consequence.


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## Mucho Bocho (Aug 4, 2017)

K813zra said:


> Yep, I love my SG500 but that is about the only stone in the line I actually like to use. Don't get me wrong, the others work well but I don't like using them.



Yup Yep.


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## Ruso (Aug 4, 2017)

Gotta have one then... Will close a gap between 320 and 1000 nicely.


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## dwalker (Aug 5, 2017)

Ruso said:


> Gotta have one then... Will close a gap between 320 and 1000 nicely.



It would indeed. The finish it leaves would allow you to skip the 1k if you wanted. I routinely go from the 500 to a 3k ish Aoto with fine results.


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## loong (Aug 5, 2017)

dwalker said:


> View attachment 36500
> 
> This is all that is left of my double thick 500. I'm surprised I have not hit glass yet. Gonna need to find something to replace it soon. If they are gone, I'll be sad. I really like the 500.



SG500 is denser than other brands. I don't know how many years I could use out mine.


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## copperJon (Aug 7, 2017)

When my 16k never shipped after 2 months of waiting, I cancelled my order at Woodcraft, and they told me that there was family drama at Shapton. Doesn't sound like it's resolved...


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## Chicagohawkie (Aug 7, 2017)

Ken Schwartz everyone's ex business partner says he has the complete glass line in stock - for what it's worth.


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## Yet-Another-Dave (Aug 8, 2017)

While we're listing suppliers, Sharpening Supplies also lists the double-thick 500 in stock.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Aug 8, 2017)

Maybe it has to do with that "Seven" series that some stores now seem to offer for preorder?


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## K813zra (Aug 8, 2017)

LifeByA1000Cuts said:


> Maybe it has to do with that "Seven" series that some stores now seem to offer for preorder?



I've not seen these. However, shapton usa states that stones are no longer available on their site. I suppose that could mean a lot of things but you can not navigate the site at all.


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## tommybig (Aug 9, 2017)

K813zra said:


> I've not seen these. However, shapton usa states that stones are no longer available on their site. I suppose that could mean a lot of things but you can not navigate the site at all.



Note that they wrote "shapton products", that is not specific to shapton glass.


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## no_one_just_Roy (Aug 10, 2017)

No official infomation available on the web, but there are a few sources imply that the glass stone lineup has been discontinued since, well, around 2014 actually. 
They said that the product lacked appeal and didn't go well in the domestic market, (a thin and expensive stone never goes well...) although overseas markets do not have preconceived bias about the synthetic stone and valued its performance.

I have no idea why Shapton US official site should go out. 
And... hm, Shapton Glass Stone Seven? I don't know but they should hire better web manager maybe?


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## K813zra (Aug 10, 2017)

tommybig said:


> Note that they wrote "shapton products", that is not specific to shapton glass.



Yeah, I didn't mean to imply that it was just the glass stones but I could have written that better. 

I have seen a few vendors state that they could not get stones because Shapton USA is no longer a distributor of shapton stones and that the dealers had to wait to get stones directly from Japan. Take that for what it is worth, though.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Aug 11, 2017)

That is the interesting question: is "Shapton USA" shapton or just some distributor that was given rights to the name?


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## no_one_just_Roy (Aug 11, 2017)

Oh, on their official Japanese webpage there's a footnote on the glass stones which roughly translates as 
"distribution in Japan is not determined", which most likely means they are still planned for the overseas market.



LifeByA1000Cuts said:


> That is the interesting question: is "Shapton USA" shapton or just some distributor that was given rights to the name?


A search yielded unfamiliar names like "HMS Enterprises INC." and "Japanese Tools.Com". 
sort of interesting indeed, though I don't know who they are.


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## TurboScooter (Aug 11, 2017)

LifeByA1000Cuts said:


> That is the interesting question: is "Shapton USA" shapton or just some distributor that was given rights to the name?





no_one_just_Roy said:


> Oh, on their official Japanese webpage there's a footnote on the glass stones which roughly translates as
> "distribution in Japan is not determined", which most likely means they are still planned for the overseas market.
> 
> A search yielded unfamiliar names like "HMS Enterprises INC." and "Japanese Tools.Com".
> sort of interesting indeed, though I don't know who they are.



For whatever reason I always got the impression Shapton USA wasn't really an arm of Shapton, but just a distributor who had rights for the NA market.

HMS probably just stands for *H*arrelson *M* *S*tanley, who was the head of Shapton USA.


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## bennyprofane (Aug 11, 2017)

Aren't they mostly very popular among wood workers?


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## PalmRoyale (Aug 11, 2017)

bennyprofane said:


> Aren't they mostly very popular among wood workers?


I like my Glass 3000 to put a polish on my chisels and plane blades. And fwiw, several shop here in the Netherlands and Germany as well have the full Glass line in stock.


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## K813zra (Aug 11, 2017)

LifeByA1000Cuts said:


> That is the interesting question: is "Shapton USA" shapton or just some distributor that was given rights to the name?



I figured that they were just the distributor for North America. If other vendors claim to be able to once again order stones but directly from Japan, I don't see as to how this will have any real impact on those who want the stones. I could be wrong, though. Maybe we can see product flow again soon rather than everything being out of stock.


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## Yet-Another-Dave (Aug 11, 2017)

bennyprofane said:


> Aren't they mostly very popular among wood workers?



I'm not sure I have a broad sample set, but it seems to me most wood working Shapton Glass fans have moved to the Sigma & Sigma II stones. Either as "better" or as "better value". But, Shapton Glass still have extremely loyal supporters too.


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## PalmRoyale (Aug 11, 2017)

Sigma stones are good but for A2 and PM-V11 the Glass stones are a better choice. The rate of metal removal with the 3000 stone on A2 is just ridiculous, the surface of the stone turns black in no time.


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## shipbuilder (Aug 12, 2017)

They no longer have a US distributor (it was Hap Stanley), and so his site and all associated videos are down. But I have heard nothing about them discontinuing SG - they just need to get the US channel open and flowing again.
Tom


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## K813zra (Aug 12, 2017)

shipbuilder said:


> They no longer have a US distributor (it was Hap Stanley), and so his site and all associated videos are down. But I have heard nothing about them discontinuing SG - they just need to get the US channel open and flowing again.
> Tom



I have written a few vendors and have been told the same thing by them, they are ordering direct from Japan now and will only be allowed to sell Shapton products within North America. Shouldn't be a worry as the EU and I assume the rest of the world has its own vendors.


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