Thread: Friend new to razors looking for a Natural finishing hone

My favorite natural finishing stones are: Greek Vermio, Zulu Grey, and Imperia La Roccia.

I got my Vermio from Griffith Shaving Goods, but they have been sold out for a long time. I do not know when or even if he can still get them from Greece.

I purchased my Zulu Grey directly from the vendor in South Africa. It seems like the owner has been missing in action for a while. Many people who placed orders never received them. No one seems to know what is going on.

I love my Imperia La Roccia (ILR), but it is a very controversial stone as the vendor will not reveal where they are mined. As with all natural stones, they vary in quality. If you get a good one like I did, they will produce a fantastic edge without a huge learning curve like you can have with Coticules and Japanese naturals. However, some people have tried them and do not like them.

For someone new to honing, a synthetic finishing stone may be a better option as they are consistent. Thus, others can share their experience with the hone.

Purple Welsh slate used with sewing machine oil after a coticule used with water, no slurry, has always delivered the goods for me.

I'd recommend an 8x2" or 8x3" black Arkansas stone from Dan's Whetstone, alternatively you could pick up a Charnley Forest stone at a reasonable price. Both deliver similar edges which are keen and friendly to the skin. Coticule are hit and miss in ease of use IME. The two stones I recommended are pretty bullet proof but a bit slow.

Originally Posted by s0litarys0ldier

I'd recommend an 8x2" or 8x3" black Arkansas stone from Dan's Whetstone, alternatively you could pick up a Charnley Forest stone at a reasonable price. Both deliver similar edges which are keen and friendly to the skin. Coticule are hit and miss in ease of use IME. The two stones I recommended are pretty bullet proof but a bit slow.

I love my Charnley Forest stones - though if you're not in the UK the shipping can be a bit pricey.

I'm going to mirrow a few people here and say coticule. Firstly, if it's already on his radar then at some point curiosity will get the better of him and he will buy one so might as well jump to it. I'm with Pieter in that I exclusively us a coticule as a finisher and absolutely love it.

I think Bronotsaurus makes a great suggestion too with the Purple Welsh slate. It can also be controversial but compared to all the others it's a really reasonable price and not at all a bad way to get one's feet whet.