New to shaving, which Hone do you guys recommend?

I've recently purchased a vintage Bradley Bro's extra hollow ground razor from eBay to start my straight shaving journey with (not sure if that's any good :/). I've been told it's in need of a hone and strop but from what I can see the blade is in good condition.
I'd like to give it a go at honing it myself as overtime I would like to master the skill of honing razors properly and as the razor was fairly cheap I don't mind If it gets a little beaten up in the learning process.
I truely(clearly) have no idea where to start in regards to which honing stones to buy? Any info would be greatly appreciated! Cheers!

You need a strop right away as you should strop before every shave. "IF" the razor is truly shave ready you won't need a hone for awhile. A vintage Swaty barber hone and CrOx pasted paddle should be all you need for quite some time unless you get into antique store/flea market/Ebay restores


I would highly recommend sending it to be honed as you are new and don't really know what shave ready feels like yet.

Cool, thanks for letting me know. I've already ordered a strop, I'll take a look around for a Decent honing service and send it away. Thanks for the info!

Add your location, you might find some local help. A one on one honing demo/lesson is the best way to go

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Originally Posted by TerryTurbo

Cool, thanks for letting me know. I've already ordered a strop, I'll take a look around for a Decent honing service and send it away. Thanks for the info!

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When you get your razor back from honing, carefully wipe any oil off the blade and use it. Don't strop it, this will already have been done. A recurring post comes from new SR shavers complaining that their professionally honed razor is not sharp and the stock standard reply is, "Did you strop it? You shouldn't have stropped it"

Welcome aboard,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Straight Razor Place - Beginners Tips: November 2014

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Originally Posted by TerryTurbo

I'll take a look around for a Decent honing service and send it away.

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You won't find any better than some of these fine gentleman from right here on the forum. You'll find contact info, etc. in their ads.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/class...wcat.php?cat=4

:gl:

Best Regards,

Howard :)

Hi Terry. what part of the country are you in? That way local guys to you, can know that you might need a hand.

Thanks for the info guys, I'm living in Bristol UK at the moment, so any info on anyone near by who can help would be massively appreciated!

http://straightrazorpalace.com/membe...y-haywood.html might be worth shooting a pm for UK honing, coticule master and probably another few stones in his arsenal too.

When/if you decide to take on honing for yourself, the first step is learning how to use a maintenance hone. There is a mantra that goes "it is easier to keep a razor sharp than it is to sharpen a razor."

You can start with a barber hone as rodb suggested. I am a big fan of them, they work well, and they are relatively easy to use. They won't give you the finest edge but it will be a perfectly serviceable edge.

You can also try a coticule, or a thuringian, or any number of other natural hones. However, all of these are a crapshoot as to the particular hone you get. A great alternative that has been mentioned many times for good reason is the Naniwa SuperStone 12k. It is an awesome finisher and, as a synthetic hone, is consistent and predictable.