Thread: Can I use a cheap barber hone instead of 4000/80000?

Hi!.. I am a newbi and where I live is quite hard to find a str8 shaving supply,
I wonder If I can use a barber hone instead of 4000/8000grit to keep the edge sharp?

yesterday I bought this hone stone from a barber supply shop but the owner know nothing about honing, Can anyone tell me if can use this chinese whetstone

when i feel the surface with my fingers its fine smooth but the size is very small and quite thin. only 12cm/4.5cm

THANK YOU for your help!
(sorry the picts are blur, I dont have a cam, instead I used my blackberry cam)

What do the instructions say on the box. ? Does it say it is for razors ?

it says
" smoothand fine, whet stone is made of natural stone. It is easy to carry, and suitable for sharpening tapping knife. It may also be used for sharpening other kind of cutlery."

I would be cautious about using that hone with a straight. Any stone that has instructions saying smooth and fine... sharpening... knife... also may be used for sharpening other kind of cutlery, may very well be far too coarse. Barber hones are relatively cheap and easy to find on ebay. They can be used to maintain a razor that has already been professionally honed. But if you want to repair damage, or hone a razor from bevel setting all the way to polishing you will need an assortment of hones.

Tapping knife ? Could that mean chisel ? Nonetheless it is a gamble.

Originally Posted by ndw76

I would be cautious about using that hone with a straight. Any stone that has instructions saying smooth and fine... sharpening... knife... also may be used for sharpening other kind of cutlery, may very well be far too coarse. Barber hones are relatively cheap and easy to find on ebay. They can be used to maintain a razor that has already been professionally honed. But if you want to repair damage, or hone a razor from bevel setting all the way to polishing you will need an assortment of hones.

ic , thank you man, anyway one my friend told me that ebay stopped servicing indonesia(where I lived) bcoz many indonesian hackers used to hack credit cards n buying stuff from ebay. it sucks I cant buy anything from ebay

please visit classified in SRP. YOU CAN buy anything you like.

I just posted something earlier about a bad quality strop... Lemme say I would hold out for a reputable honing stone... trust me, it beats having to go back later to get it anyway.... Quality... and quality doesn't always mean expensive.... trust in these guys you will be thankful..

Hi Siggit you may want to ask one of the mods to move this thread to one of the hone sections to get some more traffic to it. While I agree with onimaru that you should be careful with this stone. However since it is a natural stone you still may be able to use it but I am not sure what would be the best way to go about it. One of the resident honemiesters might though.


PS With you not being able to purchase from ebay you may want to check the member map (http://straightrazorpalace.com/vbgoo...987087&zoom=19 ) for anyone near you and ask who they get there supplies from by pm

To the best of my knowledge , barber/razor hones have not been made for many years . When (most) people stopped using straight razors , there wasn't enough of a demand for them , and you will only be able to find old ones . I would be wary of any new hone that claims to be a razor hone .