Thread: I Have A Question About Norton Hones

If these hones are so good and people pay so much money on e-bay for them why doesn't Norton make them. Surely Norton still has the recipe for these hones right ?
RARE Antique Norton Combination Barbers Razor Axe Hone Sharpening Stone Box | eBay

That's an old vintage piece and the price reflects the rarity. Current production hones are way cheaper and they are good hones.

Do you know for sure Norton doesn't make them? They come from different countries but that doesn't mean they aren't made for them with their recipe.

That and the market is so small, how many would they sell to offset the cost of starting new production?

We have to remember, that we as razor honers are a very, very small part of the sharpening market and make do with stones designed for other markets, which is why so few stones work well with razors.

So how big is the racing ax market, yea even smaller? They too have probably switched to paste and sprays like many of us.

No! I don't know if Norton doesn't make them, but I have been to sites that sell Norton products and I haven't seen these hones. I assumed that these hones really did a job that the other hones could not do. And I was thinking that the company might be missing out on some money by not reintroducing these hones. If they have not already and I just missed them some where.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

So how big is the racing ax market, yea even smaller? They too have probably switched to paste and sprays like many of us.

They might ought to stock up on the paste and spray, because I just seen a commercial of the "new DR wood splitter". There not going to have to spray their axes much longer.

They likely make something better. Full disclaimer, I've never ownd the vintage Norton barber hone, but I can't imagine there is nothing better today. Like Suehiro Gokumyo 15/20k, Shapton, etc. The one attribute vintage barber hones may have versus modern abrasives is that they seem to be very fast for their relatively fine grit.

Cheers, Steve

Steve thanks for you input. I don't own a Norton barber hone either, and there might be something better out there. I was just wondering if the Norton Company noticed what those little hone are selling for on e-bay. I don't know about cost either but I did not think it was something new for Norton. Make some poor minimum wage employee go dig around in storage and get that mold that produces a hone that sells for $500.00. As for as demand I do not see a lot of corn cob pipes when I go to town but there is a company in Missouri that produces them. I believe there in business still. Mostly I would not mind seeing a line of products made here in a America again. Just a thought !

Originally Posted by AlienEdge

No! I don't know if Norton doesn't make them, but I have been to sites that sell Norton products and I haven't seen these hones. I assumed that these hones really did a job that the other hones could not do. And I was thinking that the company might be missing out on some money by not reintroducing these hones. If they have not already and I just missed them some where.

I cannot imagine this doing something modern synthetics cant do... For half that price. The selling point is rarity, that's it, the seller's target group are collectors, not honers.

I've read that those are great for quickly sharpening the edge on an axe. The Aussies who buy them are in pro, or semi pro axe competitions where they seem to think the cost of those vintage Nortons gives them the edge (no pun) to win.

One very experienced honer I know had one of those and claimed that with razors it was equal to an Escher. Shortly thereafter he listed it on ebay and cashed in. Whether one had anything to do with the other I don't know.

It’s all about the dollars, in the day Genco advertised making 6,000 razors a week, back in the day. That is just one razor company in the US, so thousands of razors were being made each day. Everybody used a straight razor, it was a huge market. It why they sell cartridge razors when even a double edge is a much better shaver, they make more money.

Is the Norton hone that much better, probably not, it is a lot of hype, just like stones today? And if they made them, could they get those prices today?

It is hard to compete with $10, lifetime supply of Chrome Oxide. The GS20 and Shapton 30 are nice stones, but really how many have they sold?

I’m sure Norton is doing just fine selling sandpaper.

I know guys have some old formulations and have looked at doing it, and even made bathroom prototypes, but I suspect there is just not a large enough market.