Does anyone just use hones and strops

**JeffR** · 02-21-2014, 05:01 AM

Stone & strop for me as well. And hardly ever stone, even; mostly strop. Like cudarunner said, it's all about personal preference. And that's a wonderful part of wet shaving.

**K37** · 02-21-2014, 08:57 AM

Mostly stones and strop. Ever since someone here advised me to shave straight from the stone for comparison, I realized I could get an almost equally sharp razor from the stone with more smoothness. Every once in a while, I'll touch up with .5 diamond on felt or CrO3 on a nylon strop.

**gssixgun** · 02-21-2014, 06:08 PM

Originally Posted by hillbillyhession

Just wondering if anyone out there just uses hones and strops to get shave ready and how do you do it?

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

As opposed to?

Same question, tons of responses about pastes etc: but no clarification

**hillbillyhession** · 02-21-2014, 06:18 PM

Gssixgun,I was wondering if there was anyone who just used hones and strops only,as opposed to spays and films after honing.And how do you get a nice mellow or smooth edge using only this method?

**Proinsias** · 02-21-2014, 06:35 PM

Originally Posted by hillbillyhession

I was wondering if there was anyone who just used hones and strops only,as opposed to spays and films after honing.

Me, most of the time

Originally Posted by hillbillyhession

And how do you get a nice mellow or smooth edge using only this method?

Practice

**gssixgun** · 02-21-2014, 07:04 PM

Originally Posted by hillbillyhession

Gssixgun,I was wondering if there was anyone who just used hones and strops only,as opposed to spays and films after honing.And how do you get a nice mellow or smooth edge using only this method?

I think I would agree with Proinsias he put it about as direct as possible

From your other thread you said you had a Norton 4/8 and a Swaty plus an unknown Either the Norton 8k or the Swaty should be more than capable of delivering a CCS with a simple leather stropping after a proper honing... In fact my recommendation it is sit down with just the 4/8 and learn how to use it until you don't need anything else, then it is the time to start exploring farther

Once you master what you have it will give you the experience to judge the next steps yourself...

Now comes all the rest of the suggestions of how to get just a touch better shave

and yes you can get just a touch better it all depends on your wants and needs...

**cudarunner** · 02-21-2014, 11:56 PM

I’m a firm believer that if you can’t get a Clean Close and Comfortable shave off of an 8k hone, then you need to keep learning the hone!

Only after getting to that point did I go with a higher grit hone. A Naniwa 12K to be exact!

Now with that said, if I were to drop and break my Naniwa 12K and I couldn’t come up with the money to replace it, I could shave off of the Norton 8K for the rest of my life!

However if I were to drop and break the Norton 4/8 I’d eat peanut butter sandwiches day in and day out for how ever long it took to save up to replace it!!!

Here’s a couple of links to Glen using the Norton 4/8K.

This is one that I watched initially and is how I developed my style of honing! It’s not exactly like his but the basics are there!

gssixgun Honing on a Norton 4-8 - YouTube

**rhensley** · 02-22-2014, 12:12 AM

I really don't know about anyone else but with some blades I would used cow patties if it got me a good edge. I use stones strop's paste canvas . with a couple of my blades stones and strop is all that's necessary but others are not so willing to give up that good edge.

**Pithor** · 02-22-2014, 09:12 AM

I use coticules, followed by a linen and leather strop. It gives me smooth shaves. But I also understand that not everybody wants to learn how to hone. That is fine, you don't have to.

I'm convinced that there are plenty of people who are actually put off by the amount of work they think is 'mandatory' or unavoidable for shaving with a open razor, which seems to include honing. It does not. There is nothing wrong with maintaining a shave ready razor with pastes (crox, diamond, whatever). In fact, it probably would be the less frustrating option for many people. Remember, most people are probably not active on a forum, and go by what they read and hear. The silent majority.

If you know one person who can hone a razor and have a crox strop, that's enough to last you a long, long time.

**JimmyHAD** · 02-22-2014, 01:12 PM

I rarely use paste or spray. Just a personal prejudice. After all, it is just another arrow in the quiver to get the desired results. Early on I was on a mission to get shave ready on hones and strops alone. I finally got there and the idea of using fifty cents worth of some powder following hones that cost hundreds of dollars just didn't set right with me. Now, I would use them if I felt like I needed them, but that isn't the case. Different strokes for different folks.

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