Thread: Barber hone vs Escher/etc

I see so much talk about barber hones, but I can't seem to figure out why I would want one? Where it would fit in? I have a vintage thuringian that is giving me absolutely fantastic edges, so I'm not sure if a barber hone would be useful to me?

If you already have an escher or vintage thuringian, or other fine finisher -- nakayama, shapton 16k/30k, naniwa super 12k, or even a chinese 12k and possibly even just a coticule, is there any reason to have a barber hone too? From what I've read, they are typically estimated to be in the 8-10k grit range, right? So if you have a finer finisher already, do you really need the barber hone too? I'm talking swatys and just in general all of the other random barber hones too.

Do those of you with barber hones and eschers/vintage thuringians (for example) use both? Why?

I probably have around 30-50 barber hones laying around. I used to experiment with them all the time. They were just fun. At the same time, people were honing razors with them, but they spent a ton of time on them not to mention the small size is not the best set up for extensive honing.

Most were actually made to refresh the razor and when you find one with instructions, they always say 4-6 strokes. Some folks use water, some oil, some shaving lather. Some little circular strokes some X strokes.

Usually you can pick them up fairly cheap and clean them up with little trouble.

I think it's worth having at least one, but that is only my personal opinion.

Have fun,

Lynn

In 1980, I went into Chicago Cutlery on Clark Street and said I wanted to try shaving with a straight. The clerk sold me a Dovo 41 Fritz Bracht and an Illinois 814 strop and gave me a few instructions. The razor ripped up my face and I went back to the store a couple of times asking if, possibily, the razor wasn't sharp enough. The clerk insisted that "no" it was my technique. The second time I was in the store, a customer overheard the discussion and said, "he needs a hone". The clerk said "no, the razors come sharpened". The customer said, "I've been shaving with a straight for 30 years and he needs a hone." So, I bought a Swaty Three-Line barber hone and that solved the problem. The razor, strop and barber hone were all I had for 28 years, until I found SRP. Then, all hell broke loose and now I have a whole lot of hones and razors. That's why I have a barber hone.

I have a half dozen and have only actually used two of them. One being a Swaty with three lines of text that I got from a 70 year old barber 25 years ago and the rest in the last year or so.I used the Swaty as a finisher before I got my Shapton pros and than Eschers among others. It worked well BTW.

I have put the brakes on as far as getting more barber hones because I can see myself ending up with dozens of them if my track record is any indication. OTOH, for those of us for whom honing is a hobby experimenting with different hones is part of the fun.

I too probably have 1/2 dozen or so, 3 or 4 are Swaty's. I have one very large gray Swaty from Yugoslavia. They're wonderful, kind of nostalgic things to have on your counter. I use my Swaty's, around 5 strokes just to refresh a blade, no fuss, no muss. Heck, I don't even use water or later. You can find them cheap on Ebay, all kinds, but be prepared to do some work, These things are the hardest hones I have ever come across. If you find one in good condition, it can take very little effort to clean it up, However: if it's chipped up pretty bad, and some of them are, be prepapred.

Even with a DMT D8XX 1 or 2 mm chip can take hours to get out. Don't even think for one minute that a D8C will work, The barber hone will eat it up and spit it out, it'll just laugh at your D8C, Once you get out the chips, progress to 1000 grit wet sandpaper and you'll have a fine touch up hone and a small piece of history that doesn't cost you 500 bucks.....Rich

I saw a nice Dubl Duck Barber hone on Ebay, looked remarkably like a Swaty. The guy wants 125 bucks for it, "buy it now" no bid.
I thought it was kind of expensive. I'd love it for my Dubl Duck collection, I have Strops, Cardboard boxes, Barber Boxes and razors of course. No duck hone yet....

I don't know for sure, because I've never counted, but I am certain that I have more than 30 barber hones. I think in this one instance, I have as many of something as Lynn!

Anyway, I'm going to relay something I have told on this forum many times but I think it bears repeating. I have a set of 7 razors in my locker at a gym. For the past 4 years, I have maintained them exclusively with barber hones. I first used a Carborundum, then a Swaty, and most recently an ItsaPeach. Those razors have never come home and have not touched my more recently acquired Eschers, Naniwas, Chinese 12?K, Spyderco, Asagis, Namita, or Coticules. They have never been pasted either. The only thing I have used to maintain them for 4 years is a few passes on the barbers hones.

I keep them in a leather pouch with the tail up. If a shave is less than satisfactory, I put it back in the pouch with the tail down to remind me that it needs to be honed. When I get back to that razor in the rotation, I take maybe 30 seconds to hone the razor, but the only reason it takes that long is that I have to walk from my locker to the sink. Then I strop and shave. If the shave is fine, then the razor goes back into the pouch with the tail up. If not, then it goes back into the pouch with the tail down to remind me to hone it again on the next go round that will also cost me 30 seconds.

This is the simple strategy I have used for 4 years. I am completely convinced that if you have a razor with a properly set bevel, a barbers hone is all that you need to maintain that razor for years, if not for the rest of your life.

Originally Posted by Utopian

I am completely convinced that if you have a razor with a properly set bevel, a barbers hone is all that you need to maintain that razor for years, if not for the rest of your life.

My point exactly.

I pack a Swaty in a Dopp kit as its so small when I go away for more than a week. It will restore a dull edge very quickly. Its probably the least expensive hone you can buy but very effective.

Thanks for the input guys.

I'll probably end up with a barber hone at some point, I'm just waiting for the right deal.

What I was really wondering is if the barber hone is sitting right next to your escher, which would you grab to touch up the edge?

I can understand the draw to buy a barber hone as your first/only hone, and use it to touch up your edges forever, but I'm wondering more the reverse, where you already have an escher/vintage thuringian, do you need a barber hone also?

I want to buy one because they are cheap enough, and I want to experiment, but I just see a lot of mention of them here, and I'm wondering if it's a case of they are actually better at some particular jobs than the more expensive finishing hones, or if the people preaching them simply do not own the more expensive hones? Or if they are equally good and that variety is the spice of life?

As an example, Utopian, if your razor was tail down, and you reached into your bag for a hone to quickly touch it up, but you had both the itsapeech and an escher next to each other (same size stones, for arguments sake), which would you use for the touchup? Why?

Originally Posted by pjrage

As an example, Utopian, if your razor was tail down, and you reached into your bag for a hone to quickly touch it up, but you had both the itsapeech and an escher next to each other (same size stones, for arguments sake), which would you use for the touchup? Why?

I'd still grab the Itsapeech, because
1. There is no way in hell that I would leave an Escher in my locker!
2. The barber hone is faster.

I can't think of anything else. I guess that's not much of a list! My main reason for using them was simply that I wanted to keep it simple and traditional. I'll tell you what, I'll bring a relatively cheap Escher into my locker and use that for the next few months. I'll continue to use the same 3 to 5 strokes and see if I frequently have to repeat the touch ups. If so, I'll bump up the stroke count and see just what it takes to use only an Escher for touch ups.

I will hypothesize that it will work just like a barber hone but will likely require more strokes. I base this on the apparent difference in grit size when viewing the hones under a microscope.

So, I'll try to remember to report back within 6 months!