Honing starter kit - Norton 4k/8k alternatives.

Hello all,

As i am unsure of winning the contest :rofl2: I was looking into some alternatives.

General opinion would have it that de Norton 4k/8k is a great all-round stone to begin with.
Being on a tight budget the idea of needing only a single stone for honing (apart from the coarce stone i already have) seems very appealing.

Alas the only way for me to get a Norton seems to be by having it shipped overseas, bringing various shipping costs.

So i was looking at some european shops and found the following:

Japanese Waterstones: Naniwa Super Stones

The NANIWA Super-Combination Stone caught my attention, its 3k/8k grain.
It would cost € 78,80 (103 USD) including shipping to get it to where I am.

Price-wise it would seem a great alternative, however I have no idea if this is the right stone for a beginning honer, or a good stone at all.

tl;dr is the NANIWA Super-Combination Stone worth having?

It is a good stone.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

It is a good stone.

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Any further info? comparison between the two?

I haven't used the Naniwa stones, so I can't speak personally, but doing a search on here brings up a lot of info.

Here's one thread:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...wa-stones.html

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cove5440

I haven't used the Naniwa stones, so I can't speak personally, but doing a search on here brings up a lot of info.

Here's one thread:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...wa-stones.html

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Thanks! After much reading i am leaning toward the Norton, it seems to be noob-friendly

I was in the similar situation, I was on a tight budget and don't wanted to spend a lot on shipping costs. And I have found a solution for me - I bought Noerton Hone Set from Whipped Dog and I spend only 75 $ (including shipping to Ukraine).
The set include:
1. Norton flattening stone
2. Norton Two-sided Hone 220/1000
3. Norton Two-sided Hone 4000/8000
Off course they are smaller, but I have already used 4000/8000 on my 2 razors and make perfect edge! Also, now, when I have 200/1000 stone I found my uncle old razor and start to restore it.
Whipped Dog Straight Razor Shaving Equipment

Hope it will help you!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bonbon

I was in the similar situation, I was on a tight budget and don't wanted to spend a lot on shipping costs. And I have found a solution for me - I bought Noerton Hone Set from Whipped Dog and I spend only 75 $ (including shipping to Ukraine).
The set include:
1. Norton flattening stone
2. Norton Two-sided Hone 220/1000
3. Norton Two-sided Hone 4000/8000
Off course they are smaller, but I have already used 4000/8000 on my 2 razors and make perfect edge! Also, now, when I have 200/1000 stone I found my uncle old razor and start to restore it.
Whipped Dog Straight Razor Shaving Equipment

Hope it will help you!

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WOW, that seems like a great deal, hovever i'm not so sure about the size 1.5" seems really narrow...

yes i have narrow and short coticules and barber's hones , that said i do not like cut down nortons and for serious edge repair you will probably not like it either.

Yes, they are narrow, but I'm very quickly get used (especially as I have no other experience). And instead of 20 laps on one side in pyramid I make 40-50. I think it's great starting kit.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ingiald

Price-wise it would seem a great alternative, however I have no idea if this is the right stone for a beginning honer, or a good stone at all.

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I would say so. I use the 1k, 5k, 8k and that's very comparable to the norton progression. Using 3k instead of 5k means you'll have a bit more work on the 8k, but it's a fast hone so it's not going to be a problem.
The main difference with the norton is the much softer feedback, and that the superstones are less porous. I prefer this to the nortons, hence that's what I've been using for the last several years.

I like the single grit norton 4 and 8k. The 8x3 size gets the job done more quickly than a more narrow stone because the edge is in contact with more abrasive throughout the stroke. If a warped blade is encountered they can be turned up on edge and the 1" side be utilized. In using the naniwas and shapton pros in the past I liked them but found I had to lap them more often because the polymer binder goes out of whack .... IOW ... not flat. I don't encounter that with the nortons.

So after trying a plethora of hones I've come to the chosera 1k for bevel setting, if it is even necessary, and the fore mentioned nortons. I've sold the rest of the synthetics. I happen to have a few eschers and coticules and I like them for the finish. Leaves a gentler edge for my sensitive skin. YMMV.

Well I came to honing razors from honing knives so I started by using what I had a 1k/6k King combo. The King was only about $35 shipped from an Ebay vender. I have since gotten a Norton 8k and I love it. The King 6k sent me to finish with pasted flat strops(crox). The Norton 8k will easily take my razors fine enough to be stropped and shave ready. Very light pressure and nearly dry stone results are mirrored finish and polish on leather to a comfortable shaving edge. If I was starting over a Norton 4k/8k would be my first purchase. Now I have some skill honing a Belgian Coticule is calling my name.

I also come from knife sharpening and have 15 to 20 hours of razor sharpening under my belt that being said I don't think you will go wrong with the naniwa 3/8k super stone originally i did not like this stone for my knifes and was going to give it to a friend due to the swarf build up in the stone.However since I've gotten into straight razor honeing i have found this to be a great stone for razors the stone has a soft touch that compliments the razors and there is very little swarf from razors that compliments the stone.It seems like the naniwa ss were made for razors plus they require no soak time they are a splash and go stone and this is nice. keith

Thanks for all the great tips, it seems norton would be best for me since I might want to use it for sharpening other knives as well.

Ingiald I wouldn't recommend using a razor hone for knives. The technique honing a knife doesn't require the lapped surface which works so well with razors. Knives tend to have edges which aren't very straight which causes the contact point of the blade to be changing across the stone. This can result in much greater uneven wear than the razor causes. You will find yourself lapping your stones frequently with the accompanying increased wear each time you work a razor. One 4k/8k Norton or the 3k/8k Naniwa SS should last several lifetimes of razor honing and while you will likely be infected with the HAD bug one of those stones is all you really need.