Thread: Barber hones characteristics

Beautiful Hones
I really like the look of the twin sided one, that seems like a perfect combination
Thank you for sharing
Best regards
Ralfson (Dr)

Here's one with the original instructions. Interesting that it specifies not to use lather. I found this hone to be a very nice finisher.

King also made razors. They were in Indiana, PA.

Have only used the boss for finishing. The others have not been touched. The finish with the boss is sharp but would like a finer polish.

I keep seeing one particular combination barber hone over and over--same look, same sticker on the side, but different brands. See the picture below. I have this one as a "Reliance" hone, but also have an identical one labeled as "Dubl Duck" with the box and embossed on the stone. I have seen other "brandings" of this stone as well. The typography of the sticker, the color, are all identical.

I like the "Reliance" because the brand is just printed on the side with no embossing of the honing surface, so you have the full length to work with.

Aam I safe in thinking that there was one manufacturer and that these companies all just put their brand on it? "Dubl Duck" I know is a great old razor, but may I assume the "Dubl Duck" combo hone is no different from the "Reliance" combo hone?

If so, what does anyone know the manufacturer? I'm just curious, and would like to know more about this hone.

I see also that in addition to Dubl Duck and Reliance, the same combination hone also was marketed as O.V.B. (p. 7 of this thread).

Sorry I'm so obsessive about this, but I am very interested in the different brandings of the same basic product, and whether there were actually differences in quality, i.e. tolerances and maybe one company got a "better" product while another got a cheaper one.

Tonight or tomorrow...I have a barber hone that looks like a Swaty but is labeled "SRD" "Straight Razor Designs?"

Except that it's really old. I'd love to hear all the historians of hones talk about that one.

I love this kind of thread, thanks for all the knowledge and pictures!

Originally Posted by m0isty

I have one of those Aloxite 200 hones, mine feels coarse and gritty. I was wondering if this is normal for these, or if the binder has broken down and allowing the grit to be released.

No, that is not normal. The Aloxite hone was similar in composition to the Sways. They are excellent hones. Without photos, I cannot speculate as to whether or not the hone is degrading, but if it is coarse, then you have nothing to lose by lapping it. Normally, I am loathe to lap a barber hone but you might as well lap this one as it might restore the surface.

Originally Posted by LawsonStone

I keep seeing one particular combination barber hone over and over--same look, same sticker on the side, but different brands. See the picture below. I have this one as a "Reliance" hone, but also have an identical one labeled as "Dubl Duck" with the box and embossed on the stone. I have seen other "brandings" of this stone as well. The typography of the sticker, the color, are all identical.

I like the "Reliance" because the brand is just printed on the side with no embossing of the honing surface, so you have the full length to work with.

Aam I safe in thinking that there was one manufacturer and that these companies all just put their brand on it? "Dubl Duck" I know is a great old razor, but may I assume the "Dubl Duck" combo hone is no different from the "Reliance" combo hone?

If so, what does anyone know the manufacturer? I'm just curious, and would like to know more about this hone.

For the ones you mentioned, they were made by the American Hone Company, first in Olean, NY and then in Moravia, IA. They certainly made frequent use of that side sticker but I have seen some two sided hones not made by that company that still had a similar sticker.

You are correct in your assumption that this company made hones for many other companies. Whether or not the hones were identical in composition or only subtly different is pretty much left to speculation at this point. I would guess that they were slightly but not significantly different.

Originally Posted by LawsonStone

I see also that in addition to Dubl Duck and Reliance, the same combination hone also was marketed as O.V.B. (p. 7 of this thread).

Sorry I'm so obsessive about this, but I am very interested in the different brandings of the same basic product, and whether there were actually differences in quality, i.e. tolerances and maybe one company got a "better" product while another got a cheaper one.

Tonight or tomorrow...I have a barber hone that looks like a Swaty but is labeled "SRD" "Straight Razor Designs?"

Except that it's really old. I'd love to hear all the historians of hones talk about that one.

I love this kind of thread, thanks for all the knowledge and pictures!

The SRD stands for S. R. Droescher, Inc., which was an importer and retailer of razors and hones. The coincident acronym with Straight Razor Designs is confusing but I would assume it to be a simple coincidence.

The SRD hones were also made by the American Hone Company. The SRD hones were not genuine Swatys. The hone that is labeled "Swaty Three Line Hone" also is not a genuine Swaty.

Thanks for that good information! I had a feeling the "SRD" wasn't "Straight Razor Designs" but it still brought a smile to my face to see that on this old hone.

For fun, I post here a couple pictures of the SRD. It comes in a really cool wooden box, which alone makes it fun to own.

the best Enjoy SRP MEMBERS