Thanks Tom and V76. I was also born in Montreal, but have moved to Laval - lot more quiet .
I appreciate all your comments. It is good to know that it is best to not mix hones brand. I would have been tempted to do just that. I did not rule out the Norton 4K/8K since this used to be the de facto standard before and people were happy with it. If i were to go the Norton route, would a Naniwa 12K polishing stone be a good one to add or should i stick to the Naniwa set?
I am asking a lot of questions about hones because i am still learning to use the straight razor . I shaved with a Shavette before and i have the impression that the Shavette was doing a better shave. My Dovo came shave ready, with the warning that the seller was not a honemeister and that he did not like razors that are real sharp. I have a dense beard and i find it is more work to cut the whiskers with the dovo than it was with the Shavette. Hence, i wanted to know if the 12K hone would eventually help. Looks like it may indeed help.
I also find interesting your comment that you use a 1/4 hollow. I read this was harder /longer to hone though. I originally wanted to buy a 1/2 hollow and the advice i got were that it did not really matter which one i would use anyway. The technique and how well it is honed really makes the difference apparently.
Thanks again,
Michel