Ok, I know you guys get alot of honing questions so I will try and be as specific and clear as I can be in the hopes of an easy answer for those who know. I want to start learning to hone but am not sure exactly what hones I need.

First, I will tell you what sort of honing I would like to do. Most of my razors (all except for one which is one I was sent to practice honing on) have been sent to me shave ready. Since I live in Taipei I cannot find the Norton stones (I was recommended to get the Norton combination 4k/8k possibly with the 1k) and think I may be more successful getting the Naniwa since Japan is just next door.

1. Would a Japanese Naniwa Superstone 3000 & 8000 Grit Combo Stone be sufficient to get a a razor to shave ready conditions if it has already been professionally honed at one period in time?

2. Do I need a 1k stone? How do I know if I need to set the bevel. I.e. with the stone that has been sent to me to practice honing on?

3. Do I need a finer stone to finish on? I read that I may only need a coticule? Or perhaps a Barber's hone? Or (which would probably be easier for me to find here) a Naniwa 12k would do the trick? Or do I just need to paste the linen side (I only really use the leather side to be honest) of my strop?

So I guess I am really asking which of these options would you recommend:

A) A Naniwa Superstone 3000 & 8000 Grit Combo Stone ONLY
B) A Naniwa Superstone 3000 & 8000 Grit Combo Stone with a Naniwa Superstone 12000
C) A Naniwa Superstone 3000 & 8000 Grit Combo Stone with a pasted strop.
D) a Naniwa Superstone 12000 ONLY
E) Some sort of paste for linen side of strop ONLY (reccomendations?)


Or perhaps as Glen recommended I should just sit tight and shave and srop for about six months more - I'm into my 3rd month. I thought getting into honing would be something good to get into relatively early on and practice with razors I don't care too much for just so that when I really needed to later on I had some sort of experience with the motions - I've never sharpened any sort of blade before. Your thoughts and advice are most welcome. Thank you!