Thread: Antique barber hones

I guess I just have a general question about antique and vintage hones. Are these types of hones still usable? If so, are there certain brands of antique and vintage hones that are recommended?

Yes, and yes, but usable Barber hones aren't just limited to whatever the it brand is. They should be used for razor maintenance rather than initial honing, with the exception of a few of the finest.

Maintenence with them generally means few strokes and not removing the razor edge. You're thinning the edge but not removing the very edge.

There are quite a few out there. Some are definitely better than others. Modine has done a lot of work testing barber hones. There is a pretty large number of them that he has reviewed and his results can be found here Barber Hone Reviews. It give you a little more information when you are out looking. Some of them are really great and can finish or refresh an edge to a very high level.

Originally Posted by DaveW

Yes, and yes, but usable Barber hones aren't just limited to whatever the it brand is. They should be used for razor maintenance rather than initial honing, with the exception of a few of the finest.

Maintenence with them generally means few strokes and not removing the razor edge. You're thinning the edge but not removing the very edge.

+1...Dave is right on. There are a few Barber Hones that can be used to completely hone a razor to a wonderful edge...like the Frictionite '00' for instance. BUT...most are used simply to refresh a slightly dull edge with a very few fine strokes.. I've honed many a razor to an absolutely wonderful shaving edge by simply using a 1K to set the bevel and then finishing on a double sided Barber Hone.

Read the links in our library related to barber hones,,,,

Barber Hones - Straight Razor Place Library

I only have two hones: an 8" Swaty, and a standard sized Velvet Edge. And I'm most certainly NOT a honemeister.

But I've been able to bring newly purchased razors who's edges were in good, but not quite shave ready condition up to the point where they are very comfortable shavers. Although those Seekers of the Perfect Edge probably wouldn't be satisfied, I'm content, and my wallet's fatter!

I'll say this- from a practical standpoint, having used a frictionite, it has made me question owning several fine natural finishers. But then that's not as much fun

Frictionites are nice. They are sort of like a natural stone in that if you let them load a little bit, they cut finer than they do when just lapped.

I bought the bench stones (821 and 825) off of a friend, for big $$ of course. I wouldn't say they do anything that other stones that I have don't do, but they allow you to use a barber hone like a regular hone and work all the way to removing the edge that's there and still get a comfortable shave.

I'd say this about all barber hones - follow the instructions that come with them. I see a lot of posts about how this or that razor hone isn't very fine and doesn't create a comfortable edge, but if you read the instructions with most of those hones, they tell you straight up to do 3 or 4 strokes only, and that any more will "over hone". They are not intended to work to the edge, they're intended to thin a fat edge a little bit and do it very quickly. If used per the instructions, any decent barber hone works fine - very well actually, especially if used in conjunction with a decent linen and good leather.

I think a lot of us have restraint problems as far as that go ("oh...i can just do 10 more strokes to make sure it's good" kind of thing).

The only caveat I would add is that some of the old b-hones can dry out and crumble. I can't give any specific brand but I've read of members who in lapping their b-hones had the surface fall apart more or less. Not a common occurrence but something to consider when looking at the prospective hone.

Yeah, they do, and some of them lose their surface treatment and reveal themselves to have quite large particles under the burnished surface that was put on them at the factory.

It's better for most to get a good hone in good shape that doesn't require any lapping or clean up of the corners. That often means paying twice as much, but it's worth twice as much if you want to sell it, too, and no risk.