Does this blade require sealing Victas Koki Niwa ZF?

[Nick80]

So i just got a new blade. Its upper veneer is hinoki. The finish of surface looks like it is high polished. So i have no idea if it has sealing protection or not.
And if it is not sealed, does it require sealing with such a fine finish? I have made a research, and opinions on hinoki are different, but for example revolution 3 lacquer has warning in instruction, to not use it on hinoki wood. And in general, there is statement in inet, that hinoki does not absorb water, so it does not have problems with splintering.
I showed the surface on video.
Who can give some good recommendation?

 

[Dronnken]

I usually seal my blades. Once I skipped it and the thing splintered when I used Revolution No.3. Honestly, I think it also depends on the glue—DHS No.15 has always worked fine for me. Super easy to peel off, both from the wood and the sponge, no damage at all. I’ve never owned an outer Hinoki, but if I ever get one, I’d seal it right away, no second thoughts.

 

[boretennis]

i have a victas outer hinoki and it did not require sealing, i changed rubbers several times and it always went super smooth. but i can't say if that's due to the hinoki or if victas just does a good job in factory sealing.

 

[Sriver1]

I always seal my blades and sand them after. It takes a minute and protects the blade.

 

[mightymouse]

Long time ago I read that hinoki can't splinter. WRONG.... my hinoki blade splintered quite badly. But the odd thing is when you apply sealant to hinoki (water based sealant), it seems like they absorb the liquid quickly. It dried faster than on limba or koto.

 

[lodro]

I sealed my Kokutaku 9 layer Hinoki blade twice with fine layers of sealent................and it still splintered

 

[Conehead]

I own a Victas Koki Niwa ZC and its surface is so smooth that one could get the impression it is already well sealed.

 

[Gekko]

I didn't seal mine and it's been fine for me. Victas has sealant preapplied.

 

[NoSpin]

So how's the blade?

 

[sebi]

I own a Victas Koki Niwa ZC and its surface is so smooth that one could get the impression it is already well sealed.

Same got a koki niwa zc inner and its the best finished blade i ever had, smooth as can be and seems to be sealed

 

[Nick80]

So how's the blade?

I did not try it yet. Still waiting for official answer from VICTAS, but seems they will not answer on my email.
I think that gloss is from the factory lacquer, so i dont want to seal it over that layer, till i get answer.
This blade has arylate in it, and by frequency it is higher than xiom HAL which i own too. So probably it is slightly faster than HAL, and probably has higher control, because hinoki layer is thicker than koto layer on HAL.

 

[Kopp]

Once my blade was sealed, but the sealer peeled off when I removed the rubber. It seems the sealer didn't act as a primer the way I expected, so I never sealed it again. One thing I learned is that you should peel the rubber off at about a 45 angle to avoid splintering the blade.

Also the feel of the blade is quite different with and without sealer. I prefer it without sealer.

 

[belllfador]

Same observation for the 45 degree pulling angle. But sealing is a must. Don't bother with overpriced TT products that have questionable ingredients. Water-based PU lacquer is very cheap and has good adhesion to the wood. Even better is OSMO oil, 2 layers for soft wood like ayous and hinoki, one layer for walnut and koto.

 

[uppo]

I did not try it yet. Still waiting for official answer from VICTAS, but seems they will not answer on my email.
I think that gloss is from the factory lacquer, so i dont want to seal it over that layer, till i get answer.
This blade has arylate in it, and by frequency it is higher than xiom HAL which i own too. So probably it is slightly faster than HAL, and probably has higher control, because hinoki layer is thicker than koto layer on HAL.

So, what’s the frequency? Have you tried it yet? How does it compare to the HAL?

I'm currently playing with Hal and this blade looks very promising.