Originally Posted by
Utopian
I honed my razors with nothing but a Carborundum or a Swaty. Which I used was random and pretty much irrelevant as they produced comparable edges. When I found SRP and learned about other hones, I started with a set of Nortons. I set aside 7 razors in a leather roll to continue to maintain them as an "old school" control group. That way I would be able to compare the edges of both groups.
Over the years I bought a few hundred hones, but I also got better at honing. The thing is, I got better at honing the "old school" control group as well. I can produce a perfectly good shaving edge off of my first two barber hones. Really, they still are all that I need. All the other stuff remains fun and experimental but not necessary for my face.
That does not mean that the edges off of the barber hones are as good as the edges off of many of my other hones, but they are good enough for me.