Thread: Second razor vs finshing hone?

The Naniwa 3000/8000 is a great stone for honing. It's was the first stone I bought and it was great to learn on.

Russell

If you can't afford both , I would get the hone . The only way you are going to learn to touch up your edge , is by actually doing it . 5-10 strokes on the finish hone of your choice is all it takes .

The Nani 12k is just a wonderful stone. It was my first and I totally love it. If you do go the "new" razor route I would recommend Whipped Dog. If money's tight, Larry's blades will do you right, and they are very much shave ready, so you save the time and money on sending it back out.

Learn to shave.
On the average this takes about 30 or so shaves & you HAVE ARRIVED. Congratulations!

Learn to touch up a razor.
A quality barber hone, Naniwa 12K, Shapton GS16K, etc. will work well. This should keep you going for a long time.

Learn to hone a razor.
This is a whole new journey, you really need to be a veteran at the first two so you can understand where you need to get.

Learn to do repairs & restoration on a razor.
Correcting chipped edges, frowns, polishing, etc. and so on are much less daunting as you have learned a bit of patience and quite a few new skills by now.

Sure, you can jump around and not follow the order...but if you do learn in that order things will go much smoother.

So, to directly answer your question on another razor or a stone: IMO, you need both. Your first razor & the one you have been shaving with for these 30 or so shaves is most likely in need of a touch-up. I understand the funds issue, so if I were to have to make a decision for myself with what I know now, I would say a stone. Having a razor freshly that is freshly honed can be your "goal".

I would also recommend that you should also enter your location so that folks can know where you are from. I say this because if you are anywhere within driving distance of me, come on over and I will show you how to touch-up a razor & give you some hands on training.