Thread: Starting to Hone ... Advice Needed

Hey guys,

I've been straight shaving for about 6 weeks and am loving it. I'm getting the technique and my stropping is improving. Eventually though, when it's required, I will need to hone my razors. They don't need to be honed now - but since it takes so long for stuff to get here by mail, by the time my stones get here, it will be time.

I'm trying to figure out what hone(s) I need. Both of my razors came shave ready - I have no eBay junkers or those in need of restoration. I want to be able to keep my edges sharp. I live out in Western Canada - sending off a razor to be honed is not an option.

From what I understand, I can get away with a polishing stone (Chinese 12k?) and be fine. However, it seems that everyone is recommending a Norton 4k / 8k. Why is that? It's a much lower grit, so wouldn't it only be needed for heavy duty work on a razor? Can you comfortably shave off of that? I'm trying to figure out if I need a Norton 4k / 8k, Chinese 12k, or both.

Speaking of Chinese 12k, I'm only interested in that specific stone since it's so cheap and a lot of people like them. Would I be further ahead getting a coticule, even though they are much more expensive? Is the edge they leave much superior?

Thanks,
Pug

A Chinese 12k is an edge polisher, not an edge restorer. Edge restorer hones go by the names, Norton 8k, Yellow Belgian, Shapton 8k, Swaty Barber Hones etc.

Beyond those are the polishers, Escher, Chinese 12k, Naniwa 12k, Shapton 16k and Nakayamas etc.

Before you buy any hones, do some more reading here on SRP. Don't make any snap decisions. Keep reading on a daily basis. Things will soon make more sense to you.

If you ding your edge, a finisher/touchup hone won't fix things. You could have to go down as low as 1k (or a lot of time on a 4k) if you ever need to reset your bevel. If you only want to do touchups, I'd recommend the Naniwa 12k - that's just my preference based on price, cutting speed, finish, availability, and the limited number of hones I have tried.

If you want to be able to address possible damage, the Norton Starter kit on Amazon is probably the cheapest way to go. I happen to prefer Naniwas, though I still like my Norton 1k for setting bevels because it is aggressive. I use Norton 1k, Naniwa 5k, Naniwa 8k, and then either Asagi or Thuringian (gift and luck in that order). Before those, I was using the C12k and really liked the edges, though I wasn't crazy about the speed. I would have bought a Naniwa 12k to replace it by now if I didn't have the others.

For completeness' sake, here is the full run down of hones: What hone(s) do I need? - Straight Razor Place Wiki.

I completely agree with holli4 on the choices for a basic setup. Coticules or other naturals can be added later for variety but holli4's suggestions are on the money IME.

There are a dizzying array of honing media out there. Personally for someone starting out you can never go wrong with the Norton 4k/8k combo. It's kind of the Swiss Army Knife of hones and is a classic. Is it the best? Probably not but it's like the house wine of hones.

I have a shave ready razor what kind of stone is require for daily or weekly shapen?

Have a read of this from the Wiki:

What hone(s) do I need? - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Hey guys,

I read those articles you posted and I'm even more confused. For example, it says that for touch ups, all that is needed is a finishing stone. But is that true? Everyone recommends a 4k / 8k, which is not in the finishing range. In the pyramid honing guide, in the pictures, it mentions that they're only performing a touch up, so they won't use many strokes on the 4k side of the Norton (a conservative pyramid). They then use the pyramid - no finishing stone anywhere. Doesn't this seem contradictory? What is going on?

All I want to do is ensure I can take care of my razors and the information is so scattered and decentralized it's almost impossible to figure out what one needs. Is the safe newbie bet to get a 4k / 8k and use the pyramid to get the blade sharp again, then use a finishing stone for extra smoothness? I don't get this at all.

Originally Posted by Pugflop

All I want to do is ensure I can take care of my razors and the information is so scattered and decentralized it's almost impossible to figure out what one needs. Is the safe newbie bet to get a 4k / 8k and use the pyramid to get the blade sharp again, then use a finishing stone for extra smoothness? I don't get this at all.

If you want to sharpen a dull razor starting with a 1k stone to set the bevel and then a 4/8 to sharpen is all you need to get the razor shave ready..... if you know what you're doing. If you want to polish it further for added sharpness/smoothness a 12k or up is what you want.

If you have a shave ready razor (already sharp to the max) and want to maintain it, as in a touch up, a 12k stone or equivalent barber hone (Swaty, Frictionite, other brands) or a pasted paddle will do the job..... if you know what you're doing. A bit of a learning curve so be patient once you figure out what you want. A DMTC 325 8 inch plate is a good idea to keep your stones flat.