I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on how modern hones have influenced changes in shaving practice and razor maintanance. For example, if anyone has read the Book on Standard Barbering even though that book is only a few decades old many things have changed. Synthetic stones were available but limited to carborundum and such. Coticules are mentioned as well as a German stone that sounds like an Escher but I am not really sure. If you read into the book, you might get the same impression I did about barbers of the time maintaining there razors but not doing any major work to set bevels beyond what an average barber hone could do. Then it goes on to say that if the barber hone could not do the job send the razor to a professional honemeister(they did not use the term honemeister). Apparently barbers were not even "honesters" and never reached the higher "Honemeister" level.
So what exactly were their bevels like compared to ones today that get refined to the level of a 16000 Shapton or the 30,000? Bevels are set on diamond stones that are generally as flat as you can get. There are so many choices and communication today it would be difficult to stay in the darkness of ignorance in a sharpening system that was not superior. Well, I could go on, but you get the idea. How have the newer hones changed the shave and the working end of the razor?
Mike