Thread: First hone- which should I get?

Originally Posted by pjrage

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With respect to the hones you mentioned, I'm not sure if they are or are not good hones for razors, but even if they were, a couple things that stood out to me when looking at them... First, they are very narrow for a beginner. At less than 1" wide, it would take some skill to keep the razor flat. I think it takes the same degree of skill regardless of hone width. The geometry involved is identical.Not good for a newbie IMO. They are also pretty short, not that that's the worst thing, though. It's easier for most newbs to hone a warped razor on a narrow hone. The w4 series is only 1/32" shorter than some barber hones. I see the size issue as a non-issue, preference mainly. Although; the size "minimum" for me would be around 1/2" by 3".Second, the W4E is rated at 1200 grit and the W4EE is rated at 8000 grit. I believe you would need something in the 4k range in between, but I could be mistaken as maybe with the diamond plates it's ok to make this jump.My normal razor progression is E 1200 to EE 3 micron, works fine. The EE will remove striations from an E in 15 to 35 laps. Finally, if the edge the W4EE leaves is similar to the edge the D8EE leaves, which is also rated at 8000 grit, I think you would need another stone afterward for a more comfortable shave, although chromium oxide may be enough.Chromium oxide would be enough. However, I use newspaper instead of chrome ox (don't like pastes). I've heard that the D8EE, while rated at 8000 grit, leaves a rougher finish than the norton 8k that is also 8k. Those are just a couple things I noticed. I'm sure Glen will chime in with the real reasons why they aren't good for razors in the first place.

I think many new users want to try something different, or try to find something better to start with or whatever, but the fact is that the norton has proven itself time and time again.

I'm not sure if it's a cost thing, but the cheapest prices I could find for the W4E and W4EE combo is like $45 and the Norton 4k/8k combo is $75.OR, this might still be available for $60: Buy Woodcraft DMT 80th Anniversary Diamond Stone Boxed Set, Woodcraft DMT 80th Not too big of a difference, really. Especially considering you can comfortably shave off the norton 8k, but may need more work to shave off the W4EE.I always use newspaper and/or something else after the EE.

Originally Posted by gugi

The review is from a member who is using exclusively DMT and barber hones for decades.22-23 years for the DMT's. 5 decades for Norton Indias, Norton Arkansas, barber hones, and a bunch of others over the years. I did not see in the review a recommendation that it would be suitable for new guys.I actually would recommend the w4's for a new user, as long as they know to break them in first. Look at it as the only time you'll ever have to "lap" them. Actually last year the DMT-EE was recommended by somebody on another site as a single hone solution to new people and I witnessed a lot of newbies immediately jumping on the bandwagon. The 3 people I know who bought one on that recommendation had a lot more problems than those who take other the alternative options.

There are several experienced guys who really like DMTs, more than most, but I have not seen them recommend those instead of the usual fare, certainly not the DMT-EE.I would (and do) definitely prefer/recommend the DMT EE, in any size, over the Norton 4k/8k.

The bottom line is, reviews and endorsements should be taken critically and evaluated properly in context.

In answer to the thread's original question of "First hone- which should I get?": Get a good maintenance hone/paste/film finer than an 8k finish... Any of the usual list of finishing hones will work fine. If the straight-bug bites, you will get more than one anyway. If you are going to do all of your own razor maintenance, you will eventually need more than one hone. I like Bart's above answer a lot, too. Good luck with whatever your choice turns out to be.