The most important hones in your sequence are the 1K bevel setter and the 12K (or higher) finisher. Stones in the middle just help get rid of the scratches/stria from the 1K.

When you use the 1K stone it is an absolute must that you take whatever time is necessary to achieve an apex where the bevels on both side of the razor converge. You cannot set a specific time, nor can you count strokes; it takes as long as it takes. On a vintage razor, you may have to remove some "rotten" steel before it will take an edge. Although I do not like doing so, I have gone all the way back to a 400 grit stone to remove metal on some vintage razors.

When you finish with the 1K hone, you should be able to shave arm hair at skin level. Although some folks say you never should do it, I usually test to see if the 1K edge will slice through 15# tablet paper with no snags from one end of the blade to the other. If the bevel is not set, it won't pass both tests. You need to go back to the 1K and continue until it will. The paper will do minor damage to the edge, so go back and add a few strokes on the 1K after the edge passes that test.

Ideally, when using a synthetic stone progression, each step upward to finer grits should no more than double the previous grit. Thus, a sequence of 1K, 2K, 4K, 8K, 12-16K would be ideal. Unfortunately, Naniwa offers a 5K stone rather than 4K. The reason for this is that by going from 1K to 5K, the 5K stone will have difficulty removing all of the 1K scratches and replacing them with 5K scratches. Thus, when you budget will allow, try adding a 2K or 3K stone to the sequence. I use both of them in my sequence.

A lot of folks say you should be able to shave off an 8K Naniwa or Norton stone. I have a tough beard and sensitive skin, so I want a blade that is both sharp and smooth; the 8K won't achieve that for me.


You have to be careful not to over-hone on the Naniwa 12K as it can cause some razors to develop microchips. When you are jumping from a 5K to a 12K, it will take a lot of work for the 12K to remove all of the 5K scratches. Thus, you might want to consider adding an 8K stone at some point. It is probably more important than a 2K or 3K.