Originally Posted by
WetShaveObsession
This is what I did and is working well for me. Is it for everyone or even good advice, I dont know. What I do know is this, Im no honemeister by any means, that being said I have been able to achieve good edges that shave very well and even look pretty darn good under a 40x loupe.
If you are on a budget, ebay can be your friend, ebay and patience that is. I got stones that some would consider not the best (putting it mildly) but there are 2 places I made sure I got quality but I was even able to get them at a great price, but some work by me was required. My finishing stone is a 12000 natural stone out of california. Its actually somewhere from 12000-13000. I bought it for $35 BUT I had to spend about an 45minutes total lapping both sides of it. Now I prob could have just lapped one side and been done but that doesnt suit my ocd nature and I dont think thats the best way to go. So what I have is a good quality (IMO) finishing stone but I had to invest some sweat equity to have it. I also made sure I got a good flattening stone (and actually found a cheap solution later that probably would have worked as well). I bought a norton flattening stone that has one small corner broken of. It was brand new, just one corner was gone. It is perfectly usable and I paid $9.99 for it. Best $10 I ever spent.
So what I have is a 400/1000, a 2000/5000 and 8000 and my 12k finisher and the norton flattening. I shopped and negotiated hard, was patient and paid Under $200 for all of them. The stones are not small - that would have made things too difficult IMO (which is why I would not purchase the proposed stone in the OP) The stones, while they may not be the best in many peoples eyes, are impeccably maintained. I always make sure they are flat, I take great care of them, in turn they are working very well for me. I have since acquired a diamond combination 220/600 that I use when I have to deal with a serious frown in an vintage blade. I also acquired and probably could have gotten in place of the norton flattening stone and 8x8 diamond lapping plate. Both of these were dirt cheap but for as often as I use them they suit my needs. I also picked up a Boss Barbers Hone that was in the box for $20. I got this well mainly because I just wanted it and it was still in the box. I havent quite figured out where it fits in yet. It seems to leave an edge like my 8k does but it achieves it faster than my 8k. It is not a part of my honing routine, I mainly got it as I wanted a vintage barbers hone, I could , however ,see someone economically working one of these in in place of maybe an 8k if they absolutely had too but it is kind of a gamble as you dont rally know where these fall in on the abrasive scale until you use them. Id suspect they are mostly from 5k-9k but that is speculation.
My stones are a bit of an odd combo. I dont really use the 400. I wouldnt have to use the 2000, but I do. The meat and potatoes are the 1000 for setting/resetting bevel, the 5000 / 8000 / 12000. Many times If I buy a razor in good shape with a proper bevel I have found I can get by with 5000/8000/12000 - crox on leather / plain strop. I call it my get lucky hone. Sometimes I do it and I get lucky and it works like a charm.
My entire point is I spent under $200 and have a honing set up that is in all reality honing way more razors than I ever thought I would be and doing it well. At some point would I like to get a good quality 4000/8000 - sure I would, but the nice thing is I dont HAVE too. I can do it when I can comfortably do it as my honing set up is working and working well for me.
Did I waste money ? I dont think so. I could in all honesty, use these stones for a long time. In fact in all likelihood I will. I understand the idea of quality and I most often go the route of saving up and buying top quality, or the best quality I can reasonably afford. In this case I didn't. However I was patient, I negotiated prices, I got quality where I thought it was most important and wasn't afraid to do some work on my own to have a good stone to work with. All those things combined have me with a honing set up I am more than pleased with at the present time and the results are working for me and even for a few others I have honed razors for to date.
Right /wrong...good way to go...bad way to go...I dont know. I know I am personally happy and it is working.
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Not to play the one ups game. But I get hht passing results off a honing set up that costs less than 100$.
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