Thread: Barber Hone - cool tool to have?

Hey guys! As usual, HAD is rearing its ugly head again.

I have been recently been thinking about trying out a barber's hone - something like a Swaty or similar. However, I've already got Coticules, Shaptons, J-Nats, etc so WHY oh WHY do I have this desire to try out a barber's hone?! Is it just the desire to try something new?

Anyone have one that they use from time to time, even they have other more expensive, higher grit stones?

(if you could convince me that I don't want one, that would be great)

I've had a few Swaty's - a two line one, a three line one, and an 8 inch two line one. I have since gotten rid of all of them, because I didn't use them. Normal length barber hones are alright, but I don't like that they are so short; it means having to do more passes. The longer one fixed that issue, but I never really reached for it. I think barber hone's are a great, inexpensive option for minimalists who just want to maintain an edge, a very useful tool for anyone, and a possible AD to boot. But, if you already have other stones that will do the job, what's the point?

To be honest, I try to keep my hones to a minimum. I have three that I use in my normal progression - King 1k, Dragon's Tongue, Asagi. I also have a PHIG (People's Hone of Indeterminate Grit aka C12k) that was my finisher before the Asagi (the Asagi was a gift - I never would have spent that much on a hone for myself). I also have a BBW/Coti glued combo (also a gift). I don't use the combo anymore (replaced by the DT and Asagi), but it was a gift (and I don't think I could sell my only coti...).

I have a Fensler's Ruby Hone that I quite like. I used to use it following the Spyderco Ultrafine, but I haven't really bothered with it since getting a Nakayama. Still, I kept it even after I'd gotten rid of the Spyderco hones, and I keep it by my bathroom sink and use it if a razor starts to pull mid-shave and I can't be bothered to get my other stones out.

Regards,
Alex

I have a small collection of them and I find them useful to refresh an edge. I have played around with them by honing a razor to shave ready on a 4/8 Norton or the equivalent and on the second shave used a Swaty or a Frictionite, an itsapeech or a carobundum to improve the edge.

Back in the old days barbers ... and others used them with good results but now that we know about chrom ox and diamond paste or spray there are cheaper alternatives. A vintage barber hone may cost $20 to $50 or more. That is a lifetime supply of balsa wood and chrom ox.

A barber hone at the shaving sink's no bad thing, and they're good for travel too I suppose (I use a DE on the road).

So if you're looking for permission from us to buy more of what you don't need, consider it granted!

But I'm with Jimmy, there's nothing in a barber hone that chrome-ox-on-whatever can't do better.

Holli4pirating's post resonates with me; I think I may have transitioned from HAD to MD, minimalization disorder. Anything I can justify getting rid of I do it. I have one brush and one strop (with chrome ox on the linen) and as regards hones I'm basically down to my DMT 1200, a big Belgian combo, and an escher, and if I had Bart's coticule chops I'd sell the first and last in that list.

I use one of several barber hones as a finisher about 90% of the time. Trying to convince you not to buy one has little chance against HAD...

Edit: When traveling, a barber hone is the only finisher that I take.

A barbers hone is great for touch ups, 3-6 laps depending on the steel and/or the grind and your razor shaves like new. IMO a barbers hone should be the first hone anybody buys or tries, it will teach the basics without harming the razor(too much).



I wish Ron were here.

My limited experience has been that a barber's hone has a better effect than CrOx and balsa when it comes to refreshing a blade. Plus, it's mo're convenient to keep in the bathroom.

I tend to limit balsa and CrOx to the finishing stages of honing a blade from 5k on up.

I think it's worth trying out; you can always sell it if you don't like it.

Originally Posted by Basset

My limited experience has been that a barber's hone has a better effect than CrOx and balsa when it comes to refreshing a blade. Plus, it's mo're convenient to keep in the bathroom.

I tend to limit balsa and CrOx to the finishing stages of honing a blade from 5k on up.

I think it's worth trying out; you can always sell it if you don't like it.

Excellent point and you are 100% correct.
You just need to have a good barber hone.

Originally Posted by Basset

My limited experience has been that a barber's hone has a better effect than CrOx and balsa when it comes to refreshing a blade. Plus, it's mo're convenient to keep in the bathroom.

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

Excellent point and you are 100% correct.
You just need to have a good barber hone.

Exactly what Lynn told me as a cost cutting method.