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i have my razor set complete with all the nice soaps, strop, and all that dandy stuff. my next step is to by a hone but i have a couple different questions about them. should i go with a nortor waterstone, a glass stone, a chinese waterstone, or a coticule. and if i get a coticule how fine are they and how fast will they touch the razor up. or a old school barber hone but i dont know where to find those. a little help, i just want to get the best shave and it to last for a long time.
Buy what you can afford. Once your razor has been properly honed, all that is needed is a few laps on a barber's hone to refreshen the edge. I think I'm copying Lynn's words...if I am he deserves all the credit. Heck, he deserves all the credit anyway.
don't buy a hone yet.
concentrate on shaving and meanwhile read more. by the time your razor needs a hone you'll probably have an idea what hone to get.
the best place to get a barbers hone is from a member who has used it and knows how it works.
or you can buy a bunch on ebay and eventually some would be good.
gugi has a good point there. You may also enjoy reading What hone(s) do I need? - Straight Razor Place Wiki
From what I know now I would say it depends on whether you want to get to the point where you hone your own razors or not. If you are going to send them out to a honemiester then just get a good pre-flattened barber hone to refresh your edge or a flat bed hone with chrom ox.
If you plan on learning to hone for yourself then get a Norton 4/8 combo or Shapton glass 4&8. I have discovered lately that shaving off of an 8 is just fine. A 12 or a 16 is just icing on the cake. Just IMHO.
Depending on your shave conditions, you may need a hone as quickly as 2 months. You'd be surprised how fast a straight razor can dull. It's never too soon to be thiking ahead. The Nortons are a safe bet. Very dependable, easy to lap, and you know what grit they are for sure. They're also not to expensive. They'll get you sharp. You can also buy a Chinese 12k to finish your edge. You can pick one of those up for 20-30 dollars at Woodcraft. There's plenty of info on them here and the net. If your going to shave with a straight razor, you may as well learn how to hone one. As far as Ebay, goes, Be Careful, Pics don't always tell the story. Many sellers do not take returns, They figure you bid on it. So, know what your bidding on. You can get a hone, with a 2or 3mm chip right where your razor needs to go, and you'll be lapping for the next month trying to get it out, spending more money on diamond hones to do the job. I'd spend the money and get a new hone. Coticule and Eshcer's are great, but somewhat costly. Shapton and the Japanese Naturals can also be pricey....
Hope this helps and welcome to the forum....Rich