Hone instead of pasted strop?

[funklab]

So I am still a newbie at this. I've only shaved a half dozen times or so, but eventually I am going to need to do something more than just strop my razor.

I don't really like the idea of a pasted strop... I can't really explain it, I just would really rather not bother if I can avoid it

So my question is, if I get a hone (12K or so?), could I use that instead of a pasted strop? Would a 12K and then stropping on fabric and leather bring my blade back to as sharp as it can be, or would my edge really suffer if I left out the pasted strop routine?

Anybody out there who uses just a hone and unpasted strop?

Thanks again for all your advice SRPers, your making my learning curve much shorter than it could have been.

[Utopian]

Yup.

I don't use pasted strops. I don't like the idea of them either. For eight years I kept a set of straights in my gym locker and maintained them with nothing but a barber hone. I have a lot of other hones at home since finding SRP and learning about so many other hone options, but I continued to maintain those 7 razors with nothing but barber hones. So in my experience, a single barber hone is sufficient to maintain a razor indefinitely.

[funklab]

Yup.

I don't use pasted strops. I don't like the idea of them either. For eight years I kept a set of straights in my gym locker and maintained them with nothing but a barber hone. I have a lot of other hones at home since finding SRP and learning about so many other hone options, but I continued to maintain those 7 razors with nothing but barber hones. So in my experience, a single barber hone is sufficient to maintain a razor indefinitely.

Any advice on a good quality hone?

What grit?

I saw a ton of super cheap ($6) barber hones on ebay, but I don't really know what makes a good hone.

I would just be using the hone to touch up my one razor that I shave with daily.

[red96ta]

If you've got a good 12k hone you shouldn't need a pasted strop. If you're looking for options on 12k stones, there's the Naniwa 12k at SRD, any given barber hone, or the Chinese 12k at Woodcraft. Any of these options are completely viable. If you're looking at barber hones, let me throw this out there to see what you think. Get yourself a large size C12k and head out to a masonry shop that cuts ceramic tiles and have them halve or even quarter it for you...viola, either two or four barber hones for $25.

[Scipio]

Welcome to the club. I don't like pasted strops either.

Barber hones are all different and while I have used only two which were rather different both in terms of feedback and finish; I prefer the edges left by a Naniwa 12K.

I have in addition read by many, that Barber hones are not as high in grit as many believe them to be and do be careful off the bay, as some though few, are in 4-6K range. Most I suspect around 8-10K.

Then there is maintenance of the hone - a 12K Naniwa will require lapping every couple of times it is used IMHO and will certainly require a really good lapping before its initial use if you buy it brand new. A Barber hone may never require lapping once proven flat.

There is cost to consider also, Barber hones may be considerably cheaper than a 12K with a lapping plate.

Sorry to digress. In short answer to your question, yes I'd go for a Barber hone, but a known one such as an Austrian Swaty.

[jbcohen]

Personally paste seems to go against the whole reason why I started with a straight to begin with - to buy less. Seems to me that this is an expense that I can avoid.

[Scipio]

And it is certainly an expense you can avoid. Some love it, I prefer hones. Not to mention you need a dedicated strop for paste, or balsa.

[zib]

I was the same way when I started, I didn't want to deal with pastes...Lot's of guys here, including me, have expensive finishers...Nakayama and assorted J nats, Charnley Forest, Escher...I think pastes can offer an edge that a new guy might not be able to get off a 12k. Let alone their experience level. Chinese 12k is around 100 lapps, that gives a new guy plenty of time to screw it up. I'm quoting a very senior respected member here...A Naniwa is a much better choice...Even a Shapton 16k can be pricey...Diamond pastes, or sprays can really put a keen edge on a blade with very few lapps. It can take it to the next level. Crox and Ceox can also smooth out a blade...I use both, that is to say, stones, and pastes from time to time...

However, you can most definitely get a great shave off a 12k...

[M Martinez]

It’s not about the cost or the extra work involved, but more about getting tailored results that work for you. For years I honed with just a few natural stones, then slowly migrated to some synthetics as they improved and became more popular. Then to pastes as my razor collection grew and the quest, to make all of them shave equally and be “go to razors”. What I discovered was that it raised the level of sharpness of all my razors and dramatically improved the quality and comfort of my shaves.

Clearly you can maintain a razor with just a few or possibly only one stone and a strop. But there is a learning curve, a big learning curve.

My experiment with paste began as a quest to get one stubborn razor to become a”go to” razor. I could never get this one razor quite as sharp and comfortable as the rest, until I used paste.

Now I probably could go back to hones, but why? Paste, gives you so many more options and the ability to sneak up on a level of sharpness and comfort that work for you, for each razor. Sharpness and shaving comfort are almost mutually exclusive, and that is the ultimate balancing act. Add to that everyone’s skin and beard combinations are different and the ability to fine tune the edge to your face with each razor is the difference between using paste and any old C-12.

You don’t need to use paste, I know people who still carry pagers and scratch their head trying to figure out how to get email on the damn thing.

Marty

[Lynn]

I agree with Marty.

A lot of this is definitely personal preference. As I have said before, I honed for a couple years with noting but a Norton 4K/8K and had very good results. As I started to play around with finishing stones and pastes, I found that my results got a lot better. Yes, you can simply finish on a stone. Definitely a "Can Do". But, in the continuing quest for the perfect edge, the pastes and sprays always seem to add that little bit extra that improves my edges and makes for more comfortable shaving. You can maintain an edge for a long time before needing to go to a stone by using the pastes particularly when you have a few razors in your rotation.

What is available to us now in terms of pastes, sprays and stones including the advancements in knowledge over the last 10 years is actually quite large.

Have fun,

Lynn