Thread: New hones beginner learning

For about $200 go with a king 1k, Norton 4/8k combo and the Naniwa 12k. They will last a lifetime and never let you down. From there you are on your own.

Originally Posted by Hacker7

For about $200 go with a king 1k, Norton 4/8k combo and the Naniwa 12k. They will last a lifetime and never let you down. From there you are on your own.

How about for lapping. I was looking at dmt or just discovered the atoma. How long do they last compared to the stones? I've been seeing that they do wear out.

I do like that set up you said. I had in mind the Naniwas or maybe Shapton 1.4.8.10 since it's a commonly used progressions that can be referenced for help with the consistency. Both could go for pretty much same price. 300-360 including the dmt lapping. I surely think I am over thinking all of this.


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On most* synthetics the DMT will probably last a looong time. You get into hard naturals, then you might run into longevity problems. Just remember to lap under running water and you'll more than likely be fine with the DMT. Better off than with sand paper, that stuff isn't cheap like it used to be. Just a packet each of 320, 600, 1000 and 2000 grit paper runs about half what it costs for a single DMT. Loose grit SiC might be more affordable than sand paper, dunno if it'll outlast a properly cared for DMT though.

Either the dmt or atoma will last a really long time if cared for and not abused. I prefer the atoma because of no stiction and a bit faster plus you can buy replacement grits for it.

Diamond plates are fairly inexpensive and pretty much all perform the same with in similar grits.

The DMT is the Gold Standard at around 55 bucks. Some plates may be a bit flatter, but for our purposes extreme flatness is not an issue.

For 35 buck, a 400/1,000 dual grit diamond plate, from Chef Knives to Go is a great plate. The 1k grit comes in handy for repair work. They are also diamond gridded for less stiction.

How long they last depends on how well you care for or abuse them. Most all will last many years. I abuse mine and they all have still lasted years, I do clean them frequently.

The best hone for beginners in my opinion is the norton 4/8k.

You can set a bevel on it and finish a razor on it. All you need besides that is a strop and a dmt325 for lapping.

Originally Posted by Disburden

The best hone for beginners in my opinion is the norton 4/8k.

You can set a bevel on it and finish a razor on it. All you need besides that is a strop and a dmt325 for lapping.

That was my original plan to go for the Norton set but I don't want to be wanting later I want to be one and done get the ones I will learn on and use indefinitely.


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All the stones mentioned are good. When i started it was with 1K 3/8K 12K naniwa SS. I've not honed as many razors as some but i have used the a lot. The 1K you can barely tell it's been used and the others you can't tell they were used. This combination gave a very good edge. since i started i have added a 5K to the mix. and when restoring a blade with a nice little chip in the edge i use a 800 naniwa. The 3 supper stones mentioned first would be a very good system to start with. Also they came highly recommended by one of the best hone masters I know.

You will be, just fine.

Honed on a 4/8 Norton, till I wore out the 4k side, took years…

That stone is hard to beat… The Naniwa is just as good, have those too.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

You will be, just fine.

Honed on a 4/8 Norton, till I wore out the 4k side, took years…

That stone is hard to beat… The Naniwa is just as good, have those too.

This. When I wore out the 4K side of my combination 4/8 I spent a lot of time researching other options. I decided I didn't want anymore combination stones, just a preference thing. The decision I came to was, for my purposes, there was no appreciable benefit to switching over to another sharpening system. In the end I picked single grit 1, 4, and 8K Norton stones. For me that was the cheapest option. From there you can strop and shave, or go to any finisher you want. Naniwa 10/12K, Shapton 16K, pasted strops, lapping films, or whatever natural stone makes you happy. The world is your oyster.

Shapton would be way more expensive at $327 for the 1/2/4/8 progression (granted they're aggressive and you could* save 63 bucks and skip the 1k). The typical Naniwa Chosera 1K, SS 3/5/8 at $255 would cost 60 bucks more than Norton hones and I would still only be at 8K - and at 3/8" thick the 3/5/8 stones would be less than half as thick as the Norton 4K and 8K stones. To get 3/4" thick stones would be about $288 VS $198 for 1" thick Norton hones. I don't know what the wear rate is for Naniwa stones over Norton stones, but I suspect a single grit Norton stone should outlast a 3/8" Naniwa stone and be in the same ball park as the 3/4" stones. I do know that the Norton 8K doesn't wear too badly, the 8K side of my original combination stone still has 3/4 of it's original thickness in good condition.

Now if you're OK with combination stones 125 bucks for a Norton 1K (I wouldn't get the 220/1000 combination stone because the 220 side is kinda worthless) and a Norton 4/8 is hard to beat. Harder still if you're OK with moving outside the brand and using a Naniwa Traditional 1K or King 1000 grit stone. You can pick up a traditional for 30 and be ready to make a razor shaving sharp for $110, or a King for 15 and do the same for $95. Add $10 to any of those figures if you go with a Naniwa 3/8 combination stone. With the caveat that at some point you'll probably get curious and add a Naniwa 5K to the lineup for another 60 lol.

I don't think you'll be left wanting for anything with any of the 3 systems. They're all proven performers that will get you in the same area. Between the cheapest 2, the Naniwa system may beat out the Norton system in some fashion, but for my purposes - casual/hobby razor honing from bevel set to (pre)finish - I don't think it does so by 90 bucks. YMMV.