Thread: My modest collection.

I just wanted to share with you guys what stones I have kept around and why. Not that you'd care but I'd like to tell my story anyways.

So I started honing a week after shaving. I wouldn't recommend going ths route because it takes super long to know if you've got it and really you need shaving experience so you can tell if an edge is shave ready.

I also started with a coticule/bb instead of a recommended water stone. I also got a DMT 600/1200. I then added a Whetstone cutlery 400/1k and a Taidea 3/8K. . I didn't like those stones at all and sold them. Even my beloved little coticule.

I then picked up another 2 coticule and a bbw. I struggled with them and ended up trading them. I bought a naniwa 10k specialty stone and didn't quite enjoy it so I got rid of that also.

I then got a naniwa gouken Hayabusa 4k and Fuji 8k. Two excellent water stones but never got the hang of the whole progressive honing thing..

I then bought 3 barber hones, a DMT 8k, a black Arkansas 8x3 from Dans, another hard Ark. I ended up trading/selling them all.

I am not sure if this is the completed list but it's what I remember lacking photos of a table full of hones. I used to have pictures on my old phone but not anymore. I'm sure there were more I am forgetting..

My point is ive gone through quite a few hones... I don't recommend that either as I'm just getting to the point where I'm really learning my stones.. and there's nothing better than really knowing your stones, or so I've read on someone's signature.

As promised what I have slimmed by collection of 30+ hones down to.

I am no hone meister or expert or even good at honing. I will never claim to be. I do however hone my own and they are on par with what I've received from a few different pro's. However that is only on the blades I can hone some prove far beyond my skills.. those I send to somebody.




So I've got 2 coticules. The coticule/bb geezer sent me. It's an excellent stone and no longer is smooth one way and gritty the other. Smooth sailing both ways. The other I got off a fellow in Sweden. It's what people call a les latenuses of an old quarry. Just an unreal finisher. Smooth as glass both sides and quite fast on the coticule side.

I've got one washita stone I quite enjoy for knives and the occasional razor. I can shave off it. I've burnished one side of the stone with an old razor so it's quite a fine stone.. could it be improved on yes.. but if I was stuck I would use it.

I've got 4 barber hones. A keen kutter kombo K20, 00 Frictionite, Three line of text swaty SRD, and a pike ezy edge. All are excellent stones to shave off of. I've had about 5 or 6 other BH but these I couldn't let go of. The double sided hones are very versatile at bringing an edge to shave ready.

What isn't pictured is my king 1k. I really like that hone too. Super slow and dishes like nobody's business..

Last but not least not pictured is my faithful lapping plate from DMT.

Hopefully my story isn't too boring. I was trying to bring about the lesson of don't go hone crazy until you've successfully learned one set of stones or stone. Jumping from stone to stone hopefully looking for the magic stone isn't a great idea it makes you more frustrated in the long run and sets your honing back time wise..

YMMV.

Hone on!

Thanks for sharing.

You progression to finding the right stones for you is probably very similar to a new wetshaver in that, he then has to work out whether he likes DE or SR shaving. If DE, what blades work for him. If SR what size blade is he comfortable with.

Sometimes it can be a long journey but what is most important and we mustn't lose sight of, is that you have to enjoy the ride!

Good show!

Good to hear about your journey, I think a lot of us have been there.
I started off with a combo coticule, liked it, but wasn't skilled enough yet to get the best results.
Ended up spending some money for a whole naniwa set, I quickly figured out synthetics just weren't my thing.
I collected quite a few natural combo coti's, but in the end all I really need and will thin out to is:
1 coti, 1 bbw and 1 thuringian; (or maybe 2 of each, just because I like to have pairs of everything) that's all I need from setting the bevel to finish the razor. I like to collect a lot at first and thin out a lot to my preference.

Keep up the good work man, you'll get experienced enough to hone those difficult ones somewhere in the future!

Sometimes it is a matter of finding a system you like though. If you dislike a stone, you may not want to deal with it. For example, I've decided I dislike the Norton hones. 220/1k, and 4k/8k. I just do not like them. If I could I would happily replace them with a set of Arkansas stones.

My disdain for them has probably held me back for the simple fact that I get frustrated and impatient with them easier, and quit screwing with them, or put it off til later. But they're what I have, so they're what I use, and here I am a year later just starting to have some measure of reliable, replicable success. Might've been faster if I had a stone set I like and am more readily acquainted with. Water stones are new, I've been using small naturals for knives for decades.

Barber's hones I'm finding an affection for. They're not half bad for a synthetic stone.

Yes it helps if you like working with your stones. I figured out a really repeatable way to hone 2 months ago and it's all been uphill from there.

It just goes to show we are all different. Our choices are based on our circumstances. For instance with my stone set I could never hone professionally even if I wanted to..

Some people it's a money thing, others just get set in a groove, and some like myself wanted a taste of everything and was searching for a magic stone.

Marshal,

Barber hones are only as good as their manufacturer, condition, the way they are stored etc. When you find a good one take care of it.. and keep it out of the sun.

I think I got lucky with my first Barber hone purchase. It was a lot of 3, 2 for straights and one that has a funny shape to it - dished on both sides. The Swaty works very well. I'll have to play with the one made by American Hone co. some more, but it looked really good as well when I looked at the edge it left under a 60x loupe.

I'm aware that some of them don't hold up well to sunlight. I think it's primarily the ones using shellac and sun cured clays as binders, but better safe than sorry considering no one makes them any longer. Have to care for the ones we have left.

I started with a 1k King naniwa 5,8,12k and have been really happy. The learning curve was steep as they were all I had so I spent a lot of time with them with a lot of different razors with varying degrees of issues. Bee entry I have gotten some interest in naturals. I picked up a PHIG that is disappointingly poor for finishing and shaves as well as my 5k naniwa but much slower. It's been relegated to knives. Have what I'm hoping is a thuringian on the way. For what I paid I don't care if it becomes a paper weight. Most likely I'll end up with a gok 20k and a chosera 1k and call it good. I love synthetics for their reliability, but my curiosity concerning naturals keeps distracting me.

Personally HAD is only a means to an end which is a good comfortable shave as I would rather buy more razors with the money I would spend looking for the perfect rock.

Originally Posted by jfk742

I started with a 1k King naniwa 5,8,12k and have been really happy. The learning curve was steep as they were all I had so I spent a lot of time with them with a lot of different razors with varying degrees of issues. Bee entry I have gotten some interest in naturals. I picked up a PHIG that is disappointingly poor for finishing and shaves as well as my 5k naniwa but much slower. It's been relegated to knives. Have what I'm hoping is a thuringian on the way. For what I paid I don't care if it becomes a paper weight. Most likely I'll end up with a gok 20k and a chosera 1k and call it good. I love synthetics for their reliability, but my curiosity concerning naturals keeps distracting me.

Personally HAD is only a means to an end which is a good comfortable shave as I would rather buy more razors with the money I would spend looking for the perfect rock.

Ha, interesting. I'm rather the inverse of this. I'm relatively content with the razors I have, but I enjoy the challenge of getting things as sharp as I can. I'd rather have a few more hones than razors at this juncture.

Been wet shaving for about 3 years now and I still don't quite know which I prefer more. DE or SR.