Thread: Seriously confused on the Norton 4k/8k

Originally Posted by newbiehippie

Hey guys,

http://straightrazorpalace.com/hone-...aterstone.html

This feels like beating a dead horse, but I am totally confused after reading through the review on the 4k/8k . I was seconds away from just ordering a stone, but am wondering about other options now.

I've been shaving for a couple months, have 2 razors that I've tried to get Shave-Ready using a King 1200 stone and stropping on newspaper. Is the Norton a good option if I'm also sharpening 10-inch kitchen knives?
--Barber hones and coticules seem too small to handle the serious steel.

Did you read the entire thread? The reviewer had a bad experience with a Norton (it happens) but the responses were overwhelmingly positive including the one that I think has the most credibility - from Lynn, who's probably honed more razors than I have whiskers. Anyhow, there are many options but the Norton 4/8 is a good one. I use one followed by a Chinese 12K and a pasted strop and am quite satisfied with the edges I can produce. I'm sure they could be keener but I'm not interested in seeing how far I can take it, just in getting a close, comfortable shave (plus I'm cheap - I've seen some beautiful stones I'd love to have but I won't pay the price). As to the kitchen knives, I've never put one on my Norton but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work well on any kind of cutting tool.

Originally Posted by clrobert60

Did you read the entire thread? The reviewer had a bad experience with a Norton (it happens)

Do we miss something ?

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

Do we miss something ?

Sham, in the original post there is a link to an old review where a fellow didn't like the Norton.

Originally Posted by newbiehippie

Hey guys,

http://straightrazorpalace.com/hone-...aterstone.html

This feels like beating a dead horse, but I am totally confused after reading through the review on the 4k/8k . I was seconds away from just ordering a stone, but am wondering about other options now.

I've been shaving for a couple months, have 2 razors that I've tried to get Shave-Ready using a King 1200 stone and stropping on newspaper. Is the Norton a good option if I'm also sharpening 10-inch kitchen knives?
--Barber hones and coticules seem too small to handle the serious steel.

Since you have some good feedback on the Norton 4/8, and I would also just tell you to get one, I'll speak to kitchen knives.

Honestly taking a kitchen knife to 4000 grit is probably overkill and 8000 way overkill, unless they are really hard Japanese steel. I use a 3 stone set when sharpening my carbon steel kitchen knives (whustof) and my pocket/utility knives (various). It is a simple Smith Tri-hone from the hardware store, the three sides are Amluminum Oxide (around 220 best guess) for removing serious nicks in the knife blades, Medium Arkansas (about 600 grit) and Hard white Arkansas (about 1200 grit) these stones get all of my knives extremely sharp, in fact sharp enough to earn comments from people, some of whom really know and appreciate sharp steel. A huge advantage of using oil stones for knives is that they don't dish out anywhere near as fast as a waterstone will making lapping an occasional chore rather than the constant struggle you would have when using the norton with curved blades.

I know everyone complains about how slow these stones are, but that with razors. You will find few decent knives that are as hard (and brittle) as most razors. On these the Arkansas works pretty quickly.

OMFG that review is still on the forum ????????

How to say this nicely hehehe

You know the expression "take it with a grain of salt" ???? from that guy just back up a truck load...

Anyway as you have already read, yeah the N 4/8 is a great stone...

But what's the story with lapping? There was a lot of talk on the review about lapping issues...do you need to own a lapping stone with it? As for over-honing a kitchen knife, I'm looking for something to clean up the scratches left from the 1200 grit.

sandpaper is fine.

i think that thread needs to go into the graveyard. it's clearly only serves to confuse and nothing else.
that's one problem with forums where every jerk feels they need to post complete BS only to draw attention to themselves without any regard of the harm they are doing....

yes i think that thread needs to go!

Originally Posted by newbiehippie

But what's the story with lapping? There was a lot of talk on the review about lapping issues...do you need to own a lapping stone with it? As for over-honing a kitchen knife, I'm looking for something to clean up the scratches left from the 1200 grit.

Scratches from 1200 grit? hopefully not microscopic. If you sharpened a kitchen knife to 8000 grit it wouldn't be "overhoning" per se it would be overkill, giving the knife a finer edge than needed or recommended for its job. A 1200 git edge will cleanly slice a tomato and slide though meat like butter going higher just gets you a finer and finer edge that can be more easily damaged.