Thread: First hones : do i need a 12 k hone ?

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

You should get the edge as perfect as possible on the 8K and be able to get a nice shave off it, remember that. The Naniwa 12K will be VERY nice to your edges and improve the polish and results of it, but please don't try to improve an edge with a 12K if the 8k edge isn't good enough, you will be frustrated. I own the 12K Super Stone and I am in love with it. Any questions, please ask and have fun!

Originally Posted by Disburden

You should get the edge as perfect as possible on the 8K and be able to get a nice shave off it, remember that. The Naniwa 12K will be VERY nice to your edges and improve the polish and results of it, but please don't try to improve an edge with a 12K if the 8k edge isn't good enough, you will be frustrated. I own the 12K Super Stone and I am in love with it. Any questions, please ask and have fun!

+1 exactly...
The decision is as much a budget choice as any.
The Norton 4/8K plus the 12K Super Stone are my
stones of choice for my shavers. Most days I only
pull down the 12K.

I can't thank you enough all of you who responded. You responses were very useful. I am now convinced that i need to order the 12K super stone AND either the Norton 4K/8K stone set or the Naniwa 3k/8k set. I also clearly understood that i must get a good shave off the 8k stone before i even consider using the 12k stone.

Thanks, i am going to order in the next couple of days after i have compared prices. When i get the stones, i will open a new thread if/when i need help when i first use them.

Best Regards,

Michel

Originally Posted by v76

But from an investment standpoint, if you know you'll stick with straight shaving, a naniwa or shapton set is tough to beat. I still use my chinese "12k" alongside a swaty barber hone with good results and don't feel the need to buy more stones. Also, I noticed that a lot of people have been "flipping" barber hones... meaning that they buy them for very cheap and resell them for 5-10x more. I'm all for capitalism but I just don't want to encourage those behaviours and markets. While I love my "sought-after" 3 lines swaty... I wouldn't pay 60$ for one.

I think $20.00 to $30.00 is a reasonable price for all but the most rare barber hones. I was very surprised to see what they're selling for now. I got most of mine for $10.00 to $15.00.