Thread: Is a 12000 grit equal to a barbers hone or coticule?

in the future i may decide to go all out and buy everything for straight razor shaving and repairing. i will get the 220/1000/4000/8000 norton kit. then i will get a pasted strop. but my questions is as follows: Is a naniwa 12000 grit equal to that of a barbers hone? is it equal toa coticule? and is it equal to a balsa wood hone? do you need a blasa wood hone if u have a pasted strop? im just a little confused any help would be appreciated thanks! : )

i have all 3 barbers hone and naniwa are manmade coticule is natural stone the 12k naniwa is very good and quik and works as touch up hone plus great polisher the barber hone is more of a touch up hone and may vary but normal 4 to 5 stokes will get shave ready razor back to shave ready. Same with coticule nice finisher and also with slurry can do the work of your 4k 8k and 12k all in one but can be inconsistant and takes practice on getting to no your coticule. If i were you i'd learn how to get a great shave of your 4k 8k before you get any thing else the shave of 8k i think is goodenough once your honing is good. then i'd go for a nice bbw/coti with slurry stones i often finish bbw slurry (light slurry) then yellow coti water after my 8k it gives smooth edge also great for maintance on your edge its up to you i brought all three in time i like the naturals for some reason its harder to over hone on natural if at all i never have and i no many people would agree some may not

My coticule doesn't leave an edge that is as keen as the edge I get off my People's Hone of Indeterminate Grit (aka C12k), but both are natural stones so there is variation among them. Razors off my ChromeOx paddle are also keener than my coticule. Don't get me wrong here, shaving off my coticule is very comfortable, but I can get a keener edge with other hones.

With barber hones, it's going to depend on which barber hone you are talking about. I think my three line swaty left a keener edge than my coticule, but the edge off my two line swaty was not as keen. I've not ever experimented with any other barber hones.

With regards to the balsa wood hone vs pasted strop, it depends what you paste them with. The balse wood is not used by itself, it is pasted. Personally, I prefer pasted balsa to a pasted hanging strop, but that's just my own preference. ChromeOx is a popular paste, but there are a bunch of others too.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

With barber hones, it's going to depend on which barber hone you are talking about. Great and correct point I think my three line swaty left a keener edge than my coticule, but the edge off my two line swaty was not as keen. I've not ever experimented with any other barber hones.

With regards to the balsa wood hone vs pasted strop, it depends what you paste them with. +1 The balse wood is not used by itself, it is pasted.Perfect .

I would like to add.
Some barber hones will leave very sharp edge example frictionate00.You can use courser side and sharpen blade.