Thread: Buying a New Set of Hones

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I'm guessing that the whole reasoning behind this is that you're concerned about cost.

If that's the case, you probably won't do any better than this set at amazon.

That's the one I was talking about that includes the 220/1000 combo, 4000/8000 combo and a flattening stone. (You will need some sort of flattening stone if you're working on razors anyway) That will get you all the way from repairing major damage up to the minimum you can shave off of.

Follow that up with whatever finisher your budget allows, whether that's a Chinese 12k, Escher, 16k, or just pasted strop.

Another vendor I have found:

Japanese Water Stones

Would any of these stones work out if a set was purchased, perhaps 1200/4000/8000? I will probably just break down and get a norton three stone set, but I'd like to look at some actual japanese whetstones to use as they seem to be of much higher quality.

Once again, you cannot compare Norton numbers to Naniwa or King numbers.
That shop up there seems a bit overpriced.

What I would really strongly suggest, is that you spend a good long time reading posts in this forum.

There have been dozens and dozens of threads on which hones to get and why. Heck, I've started two of them myself.

There are MANY variables to consider.

As Olivia has pointed out, an 8000 grit hone from one manufacturer is not the same as an 8000 from another.

Some stones cut fast enough that you can skip from 1000 to the 8000 range directly. The razor I shaved with today went straight from a Shapton 1000 to the shapton 8000 with nothing in between, and it was one of my best shaves ever. (big point of pride there since I honed it myself, and only started honing very recently)

Some people are perfectly happy to shave off of a Norton 8000 with no finishing.

Some people are really not happy with their edge unless they hone all the way to 30,000 and then follow it up with an ultra-fine diamond paste.

You're not only dealing with all the variances between manufacturers and how they determine grit size, but also personal preference. In the end, there is no easy answer.

I'm curious why you are so stuck on the idea of buying hones from unknown vendors or ebay. The 1200, 4000 and 8000 you just linked to would only cost you about $10 less than the nortons, not give you something coarser for grinding out chips, and not give you a flattening stone which means you'll have to lap the stones with sandpaper. The norton set I linked is NOT a 3 stone set. You get 2 combo stones (like getting 4 stones) AND you get a flattening stone.

If you are just set on Japanese stones, which is fine, then go for it. If you're trying to save a buck, you're going about it the wrong way.



And just for the record, I'm not trying to sell norton stones. I've never owned one. It just sounds to me like you're looking for a bargain, and you don't find bargains by buying unknown stones from unknown vendors. That's called gambling. You might get fantastic stones that do an awesome job, or you might get garbage. Getting something like the norton set, you are not getting the "best" stones, but you're getting "good" stones that are VERY well known. Lynn used to use nothing else, and I don't think anybody around here has more honing experience as Lynn.

Here let me put this the non-PC way that everyone else is dancing around OK!!!!

NEWBS should stay away from EBAY it is that fastest way to waste money you will ever find....

I would Never Ever in a million years recommend any newb to buy any stone off e-bay unless it were a Barbers hone...

Almost every Honemiester on this Forum started with a Norton set keep that in mind, and many of us still run right back to it when we have a problem razor....

You will not go wrong with it and when you are ready, all you need to add is a finisher...

The reason most of us are pointing toward the Norton is the price you wanted, and the fact that we know it works...

if you change your price point we would change our recommendations

Listen to the experts. There's a wealth of information here between the forum and the wiki. I just started getting into honing so I'll tell you how I purchased my setup, which was based on available information and price.

Lucky to find a Norton 4k/8k in the classifieds so that was my first purchase. Had I not seen it there, I would have opted for the Amazon set which is a great value. Since then I purchased the DMT D8C, Naniwa 1k and Naniwa 12k from SRD. You know Lynn sells good stuff and his prices and service are great.

I think the total was around $210 (say $60 for Norton, $100 for two Naniwas and $50 for DMT), and that gave me a setup I'm happy with.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

NEWBS should stay away from EBAY it is that fastest way to waste money you will ever find....

Thanks, I couldn't have said it better myself, and I typed 800 words trying.

I have a Norton 4/8K with very little use, flattened, and in perfect condition that I am going to put up for sale maybe next week. If you are interested in this stone pm me.

Ray

Norton 4k/8k is all you really need, unless you are really looking to sharpen a few razors. Honemeisters and those sharpening A LOT will get a full set of Shaptons or Cocheras or Super Stones, because they need them and can afford them. I personally will be sharpening a few razors a month, and I will be getting the 3k and 5k Naniwa Super stones to start (comparable to the 4k/8k, just a little more expensive) and tehn adding in the 1k and 8k (= what would be norton 2k and 10k) and eventually the rest of the stones. But I plan on getting the full set, and have tried the nortons and a King and coticules/BBW (that other people owned). The Nortons work perfectly well. I dislike the fact they need soaking and are limited to 3 micron (Norton 8k=3 micron, Super Stone 8k = 1.2 micron, and the 10k and 12k are even finer...) If you are not planning on buying a lot of razors (= sharpening a lot) get the 4k/8k and a nice finisher or barber hone. I spent a chunk of b-day money on a japanese natural and its probably the best money I spent so far (well... razors... but you can use one stone on all your razors). I also have a vintage Thuringen from Kees (~$50 and compares well to an Escher, this has been tested) its only 5x1 but I think this is the second best money I spent (once again, I've got great bargains on razors, just I can use this on everything). Just a thought that initially a refresher is good for now and you WILL keep using it later.

SO long story short, Nortons for budget, if you do think you'll need more later (and are certain) visit either Lynn and Don over at SRD or Howard over at the Perfect edge and they'll hook you up. It's my opinion that an investment is an investment, "goed koop is duur koop"- buying cheap is buying expensive.

I have purchased the 4k/8k Norton Stone from Rayman and a chinese 12k as the finisher. Will it be necessary to get a starter such as a 1k and a filler between the 12k and the 8k?