Hone Purchase Advice

Completely new to honing, but wanting to get into working on some vintage razors. I am fairly new to straight razor shaving, but have been getting some great shaves and am using a honed SRD Ralf Aust with great results. I know what it feels like and how to use a shave ready razor and recently picked up some vintage razors for cheap on eBay that are actually really good condition overall (clean Boker and Dovo). So, I am looking to add some hones to the collection ...

So my question is what would you guys recommend as a good economical startup set? My initial thoughts are the Norton 220/1000, 4000/8000 set (SRD carries at what looks like a good price) and maybe a Naniwa SS 12k? Any better suggestions for a newbie or better deals? I definitely want to play we at least one of these eBay razors to set a bevel and take up to shave ready, but I also want a good finishing set up to keep my Ralf Aust up to speed once Stropping with spray doesn't seem to work as well anymore.

Take a look here,,,,,,,

Beginner's Guide to Honing - Straight Razor Place Library

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Shaotzu

So my question is what would you guys recommend as a good economical startup set? My initial thoughts are the Norton 220/1000, 4000/8000 set (SRD carries at what looks like a good price) and maybe a Naniwa SS 12k?

---

The Nortons are what I began with, still use sometimes though I've widened my selection of hones out since then. Two of the best honers in the world, that I know, still use the Norton for the 4/8 part of the work more often than not. So for an economical setup I think that is just fine.

I would suggest holding off on the 12k until you find you're getting a DFS (damn fine shave) at the 8k Norton level. That is the way I was taught anyway. Also, though the Norton lapping plate works, a DMT D8C diamond plate will last eons, is much more efficient, chances are it will be flat, and you can also sharpen your kitchen knives with it.

You could not go wrong with that set up, except for the 220, you will never use it, or at least should not use it until you have much more restoration experience.

In place of the Norton 1K, I would spend the few extra bucks and buy a Chosera 1k, top of the line 1K.

The Chosera 1K, Norton 4&8 K, a 12K Super Stone and a D8c DMT plate and your set for life.

Norton are a good place to start. If you can swing the chosera 1k you will never need another 1k. I found a few razor I could not sat a bevel on with the norton. Never with the chosera. Setting a proper bevel is 99% of the honing. After the bevel its just poloshing. So whatever you go with you will great results. Norton 4/8 combo then a chinese 12 k is good. The chinese 12 k is cheap. Nanawa are great to. You don't need a 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9k stones. Its ok to go from 1k to a 4 norton.

My original synthetic stone set up was a King 1K (decent stone for less than $20) which I still use on occasion and a Norton 4K/8K. This humble set was all I needed to cut my chops in the art of honing and I was able to put some pretty good edges on my blades using nothing else but a strop.

After I knew what I was doing I sold the Norton and picked up a few Naniwa SS stones in 1K, 5K, 8K, and 12K. Pretty much end game here (as far as synthetics go).

Later on a Welsh slate (vastly underrated stones), BBW, and a Zulu Grey were added to my coticule kit. But that's another story. I have never used sprays, pastes, or film. Probably never will....

I'd skip on the 200/1k Norton and get a 1k Chosera instead, the rest of your list looks good.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I would suggest holding off on the 12k until you find you're getting a DFS (damn fine shave) at the 8k Norton level.

---

I'm mainly thinking the 12k to help maintain good razors . . . but good idea of working to get a good shave off the 8k.

That's part of the reason I was asking - the set of the Norton 4/8k comes with a Norton 220/1k, and I can't see using the 220, so is it still worth it? Going to look around and see what i can find, but might go to split the set and go with an individual Norton 4/8, Chosera, etc.

That would be best. After getting my chosera the norton 1 k has never been touched. Actually my 1 k shapton as well. The chosera is the best bet for a 1k

There is no doubt that the Chosera 1k is the best bevel setter but in the OP you had specified 'economical.' An ideal setup to my mind would be the Cho 1k, single grit Norton 4k & 8k, the Naniwa 12k, and either a DMT D8C for economy, or if you want to go whole hog, an Atoma 1200 diamond plate. The single grit Nortons are 1" thick, can be turned on their side for honing warped or weird grinds, and you don't have to soak the 8k. More $ for the initial investment but you'll never wear them out.

Really any 1k will work, but you will never regret the Chosera 1K or the 12k Super Stone purchase, they are one time purchases. The middle stones do not matter as much. Buying the best bevel setter and no brain finisher, is economical… in the long run.

First learn on quality synthetic stones… then once you got it down, if you wish, move into Natural finishers.

Minimize the variables and set yourself up for success.

looks like you have gotten many opinions, advice, and suggestions so far. Carry on.

Sometimes getting the norton 220/1000 combo instead of the 1000 could be a little cheaper even though the 220 side is not too useful. You aren't going to hone lots of razors so you could just get any solid set of hones a 1k (norton, king, naniwa), the norton 4k/8k and be done for now. If you end up getting more razors and honing them by the hundreds then you could try other hones and potentially replace some of the initial ones with others you prefer better.

Hopefully this is considered on-topic: would the "knife and tool guys" say that the 220 side has any use for non-SR purposes, or no?

I'm certainly not a knife guy, but it's a coarse hone that removes steel fast. Knives are usually softer than razors, so that removal is even faster. If there's a serious damage a coarse hone makes the job go much faster. This also applies to razors, but if there is a damage that needs 220 grit hone to be fixed in reasonable time I wouldn't be fixing it in the first place and throw it away.

Knives have a lot more metal than razors though so even a moderately deep chips are worth fixing if it won't take forever.

I came to razors from knives, and I'd say the answer is "no" in a word. I wondered why razor folks had such coarse stones and diamond plates. The reason is that if you need to cut faster on a knife, you can push very hard on a 1-5k stone and that works. If you push hard on a razor while honing, a lot of things can happen and none of them are good. So if you need to remove a chip, defect, niggle, whatever and don't want to spend the rest of your life doing it, you need coarser hones. JMO.

Cheers, Steve

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by deepweeds

Hopefully this is considered on-topic: would the "knife and tool guys" say that the 220 side has any use for non-SR purposes, or no?

---

Actually, just checked out a local wood place and found the Norton stones in the shop, and they are reasonably priced (and no wait on shipping) ;). However, they have all combo stones, but they have the full spread of them. Wondering if I don't start off with just the Nortons for now. Question though, I know I need a 1k, 4k, 8k . . . but if they are all reasonably priced combos, then what do you double up on? The set with the 220/1k means that 1 out of 4 of the grits is worthless, so why not buy two stones, four sides, all useable?

1) 1k/8k
2) 1k/4k
3) 4k/8k

So . . . any recommendation there?

To be honest here, I used to be the first to recommend the Nortons, but over the years I have started to drift over to recommending the Naniwa SS, they honestly just have a more SR friendly "Feel" to them.. The Norton 4k lapping issues have also been a source of problems for new guys over the past few years, once lapped they are fine but getting them dialed in can be frustrating

For a new honer their 1-3-8 would do you very well, the edge off the 8k is no better then the Norton 8k IMHO but the feel while honing is way nicer at the lower grits.. You can easily add the 12k down the road or do the buy in the reverse.. Get the 12k to learn routine Touch up / Maintenance the buy the lower grits as you get deeper into the hobby..

Spent my 2 cents


ps: Either way will work just fine :)

The Chosera 1K is on sale at Edenwebshops at the moment, they are in Europe so shipping may take 1-2 weeks but the price is nice. I think, with shipping over the pond, it's about $60-65.
Naniwa Chosera 1000 sharpening stone without stand | knivesandtools.co.uk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Proinsias

The Chosera 1K is on sale at Edenwebshops at the moment, they are in Europe so shipping may take 1-2 weeks but the price is nice. I think, with shipping over the pond, it's about $60-65.
Naniwa Chosera 1000 sharpening stone without stand | knivesandtools.co.uk

---

If that's the price with shipping to the US. That's a real bargain. I paid more

Before the sale went on I almost bought the Cho from Eden, after I invested in a Shapton 1.5K, which I'm really happy with, they went on sale. I mentioned it on B&B and a few guys have had them delivered promptly to the US at $60-65 with shipping.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gugi

If there's a serious damage a coarse hone makes the job go much faster. This also applies to razors, but if there is a damage that needs 220 grit hone to be fixed in reasonable time I wouldn't be fixing it in the first place and throw it away.

---

Please tell me you're not actually throwing away razors now are you !?!?

or maybe you have a different understanding about "reasonable time", personally I don't mind spending a few evenings on a single razor. I mostly use naturals and rarely have to lap my stones but I'm considering buying a coarse DMT partially because it will also help with the realy realy realy dammaged razors.

if you are serious about thorwing them away I might suggest the classifieds could use an additional section with people offering their razors they have given up all hope of ever restoring them