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I see a lot of reference to barber hones around here but not sure what to look for. When someone refers to hones(Norton4K/8K for example) I understand the grit values. Now when you say barber hone I understand it is a much smoother stone, but are there different values or are the "carborundums" and "old swatys" on eBay what a guy should be looking for?:shrug:
Thanks in advance
yes both stones you mentioned are barber hones
is any one brand better than another?
IME the Swaty made in Austria is very good. Swatys with Yugoslavia or where ever marked on them may be good too but I have no personal experience with them. Other barber hones I've tried that I've liked are itsapeech, C-Mon and the 00 Frictionite that came with the little rubbing stone. I've also got a dubl duck and a couple of Carborundum 101A and 102 but I've never got around to trying them.
Forum member Utopian liked the Carborundum hones but said that the 101 and 102 were the numbers to look for and maybe the 103. Higher numbers are more coarse. What grit any of these are is up for debate. I don't guess anyone knows for sure. I've read from 6k to 12k depending on whose opinion it was. These were meant for touching up a razor between regular honings as far as I know.
Edit; Here is a thread with some more info and grit estimates on some of the barber hones.
Answer to your question is yes.Quote:
Originally Posted by jerald1978
They are a lot differences among them.
from best to worse
frictionate00
cmon
panama
etc etc
Lynn has a video around here somewhere on barber hones if you wish to bone up on the subject, but you cant go wrong with a swaty. Other good names are Pike, itsapeech, shumate, keen kutter,boss. There are many others, but too numerous to mention. Being a barber hone advocate, I thank you for doing your research.
thank god u put up this post! i was wondering the same thing about what a barber's hone is! thank u!
This place is a plethora of information, without everyone here I would be drowning in a sea of ignorance.:beer1:
This forum has a couple good threads, but I haven't been able to find anything more than opinions based on use.
I own three barber hones and I plan to use each and compare the edges they give as well as their surfaces under magnification. I'll be using my 4k IceBear as a reference point. I hope to get this done next week and hopefully some of the other Barber hone collectors will follow suit and we can get a decent database going. As it is, I have one barber hone that is clearly finer than the 4k bear, one that is clearly rougher, and one that is about the same.
Im hoping I can give a bit more thorough detail once Im done.
I look forward to it.Thanks:beer1:Quote:
Originally Posted by IanS
I've been trying to get my hands on a barber hone for some time now, I just can't seem to get one. I've scoured eBay but haven't seen one come up at all. Maybe there just easier to acquire in the US. I appreciate the post as it has given me more info on what to look for should I ever come across one.
there are a lot on ebay.com are you just searching .ca? also many of the people who say they only ship to the US will ship to Canada if you message them and ask. I'm guessing you are in London England not London Ontario, but maybe they will ship there too
You will have to search worlwide on eBay and you'll have more luck searching for " razor hone " rather than barber's hone. Even then the postage costs quoted are often as much, if not more, than the cost of the stone itself unfortunately. You can try putting a Want To Buy ad in the classifieds here, or just keep an eye on the classifieds and wait for one to show up. That's how I got mine.Quote:
Originally Posted by 7om
Thanks guys for the advice, I will just keep looking. Danny you're right about shipping cost, it can often make a purchase enviable.
Sorry I meant unviable!
i have 2 barbers/razor hone and both work well. i have an EZY-EDGE PIKE and i have a KEEN KUTTER. both i got on ebay around $15 u.s....they are nice for touch ups. it only takes about 5 laps to refresh the blade...good luck
At the last gun show here in KC I picked up 2 barber hones from a knife grinder, he asked 3$ each for them, I talked him down to 5$ for both, one was a Swaty, I cant remember the other. You can also find them at antique stores, estate sales and flea markets.
A good alterantive to the barber hone although it takes longer is the good old chinese 12k stone with a little slurry built up and take it a step thurther with just water for a polished edge.
Works for me and to very consistent
As you are UK based any info on where i can get a Chinese 12k. Thanks
i am not in the UK but, woodcraft.com sells them for about $35 U.S. you would have to see if the shipping is worth it to get to you as it is a little weighty for shipping purposes...hope this helpsQuote:
Originally Posted by 7om
Yes good old ebay has now got them check out under barber shop shaving there is a guy from poland selling them one comes with a slurry stone and one with out which is much cheaper.Quote:
Originally Posted by 7om
Yes, all the other eBay sellers want 2x what the retailers sell them for here. But this guy showed up yesterday asking the same price as retailers (as well as international shipping).
360211941367
Only offers the 6x2 as far as I can tell though, no 8x3. Also claims to have lapped every stone he sells.
Yes thats the one I have and that is the dealer I used.
Yes they only do the 6x2 but that is more than enough and it handles what ever i have thrown at it, in fact I would go to say its even higher grit than this by the way it polishes the edge say a 20K
At the price it was when I bought mine, I was suprised how good it worked and even more so with a slurry made up!
I have used the norton 4/8k and yes it is very good but the price is crazy and to me it is not worth it I would rather spend that on a coticule and the chinese 12K as I could just about get both.
Or a 1/6k combo King + china 12k for laughably cheap.