Thread: Norton 8000 feature or flaw?

Being new to straight razors and even newer to honing, coupled with honing an extra, non-shave ready razor to practice on, leaves me with limited judgment skills when it comes to looking at the razor under magnification. My best estimation using a 16x loupe and also 60-100x Radioshack microscope is that edge damage has been negligible to minimal.

I will run a test using a marked section of blade over a specific hole on the stone and see if several passes leave a variation on the edge of the blade. If nothing noticeable appears, I'll just assume these holes are a feature of the stone's finish and carry on. (note: it's really a two-part question: 1-should the holes be there? and 2-do the holes affect performance? but if the answer to 2 is "no", then I guess I won't be so concerned with the answer to 1. I should have the answer to 2 shortly.)

Thanks for the patient advice.

Jonathan

I have heard that this is typical of the newer Nortons which are made in Mexico. I have also heard that if you give them a good lapping, you'll get past the crap and into good hone.

But this is just what I have heard.