Thread: Questions on buying e-bay barber hones

Hey guys!

I am new to straight shaving, my razor is off being honed so I haven't even had my first straight shave yet. I know though that sooner or later I will have to hone it up. I also know that since I sent the razor to a honemeister unless I drop the razor or clang it on the sink I shouldn't need anything more than a strop and a barber/razor/polishing hone for quite a while.


I see alot of new guys get excited and rush into buying a whole set of expensive norton waterstones, when from what I have learned from doing research on this site, they don't really need anything more than a polishing stone to upkeep thier one razor, they had proffesionaly honed, unless doing a full restore.

and we're back...

There are many threads on SRP about honing : how to hone, pyramid honing, what are the best brands, natural versus man made, etc.

but unlike razors I have seen little to no info on things to watch when buying hones on E-bay. Occasionaly I'll see someone post a e-bay link and ask if this particular hone is any good, but that doesn't help anyone else learn . I have read and watched Lynn Abrahms and Bill Ellis tutorials on buying razors online and learned alot and am hoping to learn as much in this post.

I have learned a few things by searching the forums for example : millions of "swaty" hones were made so never pay over $40 for one, just be patient. These useful tips are buried deep in the archives though and are a pain to search for. So I would like to bring them back into the light and all in one place. I have compiled a short list of questions, if you think anything should be added or can answer any it would be appreciated.

So here goes.....

It would be ideal to buy hones with no chips/cracks etc. sadly though most have at least some damage.

Q:My question is how deep and big can a gash/crack/chip be and the hone still be usable?

Q: Does it matter where the crack/gash is?

Q: I have seen some hones sold in the classifieds that have chips but have been deemed usable because they have been rounded/sanded down and don't interfere with the honing process. Is this just stated because one edge is usable and thats all you need?

Q:Can you repaire it?

Q: So how do you go about "repairing" one of these chips?

We all know (or are learning) the big razor names so...

Q: What are some of the well known hone brands/types like swaty, norton, coticule (spelling?)

Mr. Abrahms and Mr. Ellis warn us to watch for subtle things when buying razors online that newbs (like me) might miss. such as smiles, frowns, overhoning, shortened blade, light pitting on the blade edge.

Q: Does anyone know any subtle things to watch for when buying hones?

Q: I know some high end japanese and natural hones go for hundreds of dollars but for the average barber hone what is a good standard-max price?

Okay this one is kinda just for me

Q: Are the DD barber hones any good? has someone used them and had favorible results? compared to a "swaty" how does it rate?

aaarrrggg! I know I have more questions but they have been forgotten while typing this. So I will end with thanking people in advance for thier time and knowledge!