Right Now?

I have 6 straight razors. 1 shave ready 1 in restoration and four more waiting to be restored. I'm considering buying the Norton set up on Amazon. I can get the Norton Waterstone Starter Kit: 220/1000 grit stone, 4000/8000 grit stone, SiC flattening stone 119.99. NORTON PREP STONE 15.99 and the Steelex D1091 Sharpening Stone Holder 15.95. All for 151.93 plus 7.70 for shipping of the stone holder. Bit steep for shipping on the holder alone as it comes from another vendor. I get free shipping on the Norton products so basically it's 159.63 for everything. My question is is the stone holder more than a convenience or more like a requirement in your opinion.
The holder is 15.95 should I just save my money, or splurge on the holder?

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Originally Posted by Icemanxxxv

My question is is the stone holder more than a convenience or more like a requirement in your opinion.

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convenience .gl

I'm going to have to differ to someone with more norton experience.. I usually don't use any fancy holders (but I am usually using natural stones), and if I recall correctly the norton container functions as a stone holder. :shrug:

you could always see how the container works and add the holder later, since you don't gain anything from ordering it at the same time that is.

The holder is definitely a convenience. Nortons are tall enough that they can be used without it. Also, the cases can be used to hold the stones up a bit higher than the countertop. The DMT's come with little rubber pads that will keep it from sliding around the table when you are lapping your stones.

Or a simple block of wood chizeled out to hold the stone and a wet towel to stop it sliding?

I sit my Norton hones on top of the boxes, which have raised corners which are designed to hold the stone while honing. To make things better, the bottoms of the boxes have black no-slip feet. A few people have said they can't fit their Nortons on top of the boxes, but mine fits nicely. Even if you can't use the boxes, you can use pretty much anything - plastic placemat, swiffer box, cookie sheet, etc. You'll note my preferences are waterproof "containers" because water and swarf will run off/through the stone and having something to collect is benificial.

+1 on using the Norton boxes to set the hones on when in use. I like the stone holder for my DMT though. Not a necessity but very convenient. The prep stone is unnecessary IMO.

Purchased the Norton set from Amazon. Uh oh?

Yes its all about convenience. I never used any holder and it never seemed a big deal to me and then I used a Norton mini station and realized it did make things easier but it kind of moved around and the rubber feet kept falling off. Now I have the shapton station and with the height and stability for me its the best.