Thread: Barber Hone Grit

I know that the grit of barber hones is very variable and often impossible to determine - but....are all barber hones finer than Norton 8k? Would any barber home be fine enough for finishing when honing or as touch ups in between honing, or are some actually not good for this (b/c grit is not fine enough).

Some "finishing" or "fine" barber hones are actually rougher than the N8k. Be careful with'em.

I don't have a barber hone, and I don't plan on buying one, but is there a way to figure out the grit size? Probably not, but just wondering

firestart is correct about the barber hones...many honers go farther than the norton 8000 to finish the hone either with a yellow codicle or esher or comperable stone...these other stones even though rated the same as a norton 8000 seem to make a significant difference in the final product...

I'm assuming an electron microscope might do the trick but wouldn't know for sure.