Starting to Hone ... Advice Needed

[Pugflop]

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

[mrsell63]

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.

[holli4pirating]

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.

[BeBerlin]

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

[JimmyHAD]

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.

[thebigspendur]

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.

[hothotpot]

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

[Stubear]

Have a read of this from the Wiki:

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