Thread: What is the difference between the different brands for whetstones ?

As a n00b just coming into the honing scene, I feel that there is just so much information out there, it could easily overwhelm a person new to the scene. One question that I have always wanted to know is what is the difference between the brands of whetstones ? There are your Naniwas, Nortons and even some brands that I have not heard of. Does the brand matter or should we only look at the grit of the whetstones when purchasing ?

One of the big issues with brands is sticking to a know brand. If you run unto problem when honing and you post, razor xx on xx brand and grit stone there will be people who know exactly what you are talking about. If you are using an unknown, not so much.

Any hones made for razors are capable of producing a shave ready razor. I started out with nortons as many do. Very good and you cant beat the price. I would be cautious at least on name brands that are not popular. Im not saying they aren't worth it, but there are many hones made for knives and tools that may not be the best choice for razors. Your 1k stone is the most important as you spend the most time on it. I would recommend a chosera 1k, very fast cutter, doesn't need a soaking, nice gentle scratch pattern. Then a 4/8 Norton and until you get a good shaving edge off the 8k, a 12k or higher is usually not recommended for beginning. You also need something to lap the hones with. You can certainly use 320 and then 600 grit wet dry sandpaper on a piece of glass for that, although a 325 dmt is a faster easier option or the atomas(about double the price though)

There can be quite a difference in hardness, feel, and speed of cutting between brands. For example, I have a Naniwa set of 1k, 3k, 8k, 12k, and there's a consistent feel to all of them. I also recently bought a Shapton 1k because it was going cheap, and it's very different to the Naniwa 1k - it feels a lot harder, cuts faster, and is actually coarser.

Couple of facts.

There are no Synthetics stones "Made" for us we are way to small a group to warrant a line

We just have to wait until one of us bites the $$$ Bullet and tests the hones on many razors

The most popular right now are
Norton
Naniwa Super Stones
Shapton Glass Stones

There are many others but those three have the most following and the most available help