Thread: Matching hones to razors. Certain brands work better with certain hones?

While I would agree that some razors may respond better to certain hones, I would also add that the differences are not by any means major, and no particular hones are necessary for any given type of razor. And by the same token, no razor should be impossible to hone well on any given set of hones.

The differences may be in how far you can push the edge on, say, the 4k level (such as Razor X may be a little better off hone y than hone z at the 4k level), or small differences in the finish.

But since many of us on here are into chasing the ultimate edge and not just getting great shaves, the differences in steels/hones comes up with a frequency that makes it look like a bigger deal than it actually is.

Some differences may be due to the hardness or the specific alloy (various stainless, carbon, or regional/age alloys), and probably other variables as well.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

While I would agree that some razors may respond better to certain hones, I would also add that the differences are not by any means major, and no particular hones are necessary for any given type of razor. And by the same token, no razor should be impossible to hone well on any given set of hones.

But since many of us on here are into chasing the ultimate edge and not just getting great shaves, the differences in steels/hones comes up with a frequency that makes it look like a bigger deal than it actually is.

That bears repeating, chasing edges is an obsession and has nothing to do with getting a good shave in the morning... To many of us the process is as much if not more fun than the results...

Okay...Let's think of this outside of most hones will do their job and give a good edge. As perfectionists...which just seem to match up better. For conversations sake.

Originally Posted by jcsixx

Okay...Let's think of this outside of most hones will do their job and give a good edge. As perfectionists...which just seem to match up better. For conversations sake.

Holly and Glen pretty much summed it up, there is no such thing as best, all stones that are considered razor quality by the community will work.
For example my 1-12k line up is a mixed bag of choseras, super stones, Norton 4/8k and a shapton GS, I use them however I feel like and always get good results.
For me finishers are another category in its own. I use mainly Jnats and I have not had a razor yet that does not finish well on them, it just comes down to how you use the stone for the particular razor. I have gotten great edges off eschers, CF, and coticules too. So for me pretty much it boils down to what you prefer to using and what kind of edge you like , because IMO that is the difference between Jnat, Escher, Coticule etc. when you deal with finishers.

Moved to the advanced honing section...

Originally Posted by jcsixx

Any combos that you've found work particularly well?

Every razor I ever honed worked pretty well with the Norton 1k, 4k, and 8k, except for the Tomahawk razor I bought on eBay. It was a bad egg

This is always going to be a "moving target" issue,,,

First there is the differences in the techniques to contend with, so even if you were honing sitting next to me at the table with the same stones we are going to get slightly different results...

Then you have the Natural Stone phenomenon, where regardless if people want to admit it or not no 2 natural stones are the same, ie: Stefan's example of getting great edges on his J-nat doesn't mean anything to the rest of us, as we can't hone on his J-nat... Same as me talking about my J-nat edges doesn't mean much because I ain't selling it

Now I could make a general list of where I head with most razors to get the best results according to my customers, and to me, but it just means that is where I go, and it might not work for you even with the same razors and stones...

All that being explained yes razors and stones/hones can be matched to give each individual behind the razors edge the best results... But I doubt many of us will agree on what those combo's are

If you look at just the example that you started with which is actually most any NY steel, I head to the Shaptons, you have to understand that the techniques I use on the Shaptons are different than most... If you just take a NY razor and hone it on the Shapton system it doesn't mean you are going to achieves those results, until you work through those tiny nuances to get it there...

Originally Posted by gssixgun

This is always going to be a "moving target" issue,,,

First there is the differences in the techniques...AMEN Brother!

All that being explained yes razors and stones/hones can be matched to give each individual behind the razors edge the best results... But I doubt many of us will agree on what those combo's are Again, couldn't have said it better myself.

I look at three variables we are working with. The person using the razor, the razor itself, and the person behind the stones. I have yet found a good razor that wouldn't shave well off any of the synthetic stones to 8K followed by an Escher, high quality Thuringian, Naniwa 12K or Shapton GS 16K. I follow every blade I hone by stropping on .5 micron diamond on leather (10x) and then plain leather. I have found that the hard steels like TI's, Japanese, and the later razors made here in the US are about the only ones that can handle a Shapton GS 30K. Most English razors I finish on Naniwa 12K, Thuringian, or Escher. I am still learning my Asagi, but have found that I can produce a very nice finished edge with pretty much any German or US razor...but I am still experimenting with my method. As of now, it's a very light slurry of Thuringian/Escher diluted twice, then a clean stone...20x with only the weight of the blade pushing the slurry/water. When I am on the water only pass, the first 10x are with a backstroke.

I hope I haven't muddied the water, but this is what works for me...but I am always learning and trying different things. I too have really been chasing the ultimate edge with each and every razor of my own. I've got to start documenting sometime or another.

I guess you could design some scientific experiment, double blind where you didn't know what razor you were using and what hone you were using and use the precisely similar technique to hone all of them but I think that is impractical since the conditions of the razors and hones could be different or you might be different.

For me in the lower grits I don't think it matters. Once you get to 8K and above I find some razors seem to do better with certain hones but I've never seen any pattern I could ascribe to certain steel or hones or brands on any consistent basis. I agree theoretically it shouldn't matter unless you are using some strange hone with peculiar characteristics and you have a strange razor with matching characteristics but I've never seen this.

I guess in the end this is one of those things we will discuss forever.

Maybe some people just have a "lucky hone".

I'd agree that it is less about the razor/hone interaction and more about the nexus between razor, hone, and honer. And when you start adding individual variations into the mix like that it is no wonder we end up with so many threads and so many varying opinions. And it is probably also why the generally accepted answer to most stone/honing questions boils down to "whatever works for you".

James.