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Finding a Good Barber Hone
I suggest looking at the "Hones" forum. In one of the threads the posts bascially compiled a database of barber hones and compared them to hones of known grit. Lots of good info there to help you spend your $25. Some are single grit hones, others (my faves) are double grit, easily seen in the different colors on the different sides of the hone.
Off the top of my head, some known "good" brands would be:
Swaty
Pike
Norton (their old barber hones are quite rare and expensive)
Norton with the "Pike" stamp
SRD (S. R. Droescher)
A commonly found hone under several brands that I like a lot that is instantly recognizable by the sticker on the side (picture attached):
- Dubl Duck
- Reliance
- Gem
- O.V.B. "Our Very Best"
Regal
The Winner-actually my overall favorite, picture attached , posed with a couple of my razors
Simmons Hardware/Keen Kutter (usually comes in a cool metal case)
There are more, of course and I'm sure others will chime in. We newbies tend to overdo it, though. These hones are designed for a few touch-up strokes, not the cycles of 10 that characterize serious honing. Usually 4-7 strokes is all it should take to freshen up an edge.
A nice barber hone is a very useful tool in your kit.