I am in the candy store of hones

I want to swim in the deep end with the big boys by that I mean I want to hone. I have had several people tell me don't do it at all or have someone else do. I love straight razing (love at first sight) I love my straight razors I want know and learn everything with straight razing. I know I know there is a thread about this but I have searched and could not find it. Thank you for taking the time to help me out.

I have done my homework with honing but now I am at stopping point because I not sure which one to buy. I know that choosing a hone means what do you want to do. Well I want to take my dull blades and make them ready to strop and shave. From what I know and read the best to start is the Norton 4k/8k. However, durning my search I found "Belgian Blue Whetstone" and the "Chinese 12k grit waterstone." Which I don't think I need the "Chinese 12k grit waterstone" though I may be wrong not sure. The "Belgian Blue Whetstone" I am seeing and reading all the razzle dazzle but I am not reading the meat so what is the meat? Oh I keep reading barber hone and quite frankly I am lost on those. Do I need a barber hone instead of a Norton?
Also if anyone knows a great deal on a Norton I would appreciate it. I am a college student and the Nortons I have seen have cost the same as my books! Once again thank you thank you for your time and for answering this probably for the millionth time.

I know the feeling. That was my attitude and I started right at it too. IMO for bang for the buck you best bet is the Norton Waterstone Starter Kit here. If you google in under shopping you may find it cheaper. With this you can get a razor from dull as a butter knife to shave ready. Start with that and once you get proficient with it you can look at a higher grit finisher but the norton set is all that you really need.

+1 As Jimmy stated :)

You are progressing nicely :) Now beware of the otherside of this... HAD lurks there :p

+1 on that Norton kit, its really good value and gives you all the tools you need. You could add a C12k to it if you wanted to, but its not a must have.

I agree with Jimmy. Learn to use the 4k / 8k Norton. When you consistently get a good shave from the 8k, you can start to think about higher grits.

I don't care what anyone says, it's simply not possible to have too many hones. Hones are to me what young ladies are to Tiger Woods. I've exercised great restraint for a little while, but every time I see a new hone I don't have...... ooooohhhhhh man, my heart starts beating a little faster and I start feeling like I'm short of breath; gasping for air. Frantic.... must.... must ..... not.... no, MUST have it.

Coticules and Thuringens and Chinese Waterstones and Japanese waterstones, and ceramic hones and shaptons and diamond hones and ruby hones and barber's hones and glass hones and wet hones and dry hones and flattening stones and slurry stones and crystalon hones and....... varieties within each. When your biggest problem is deciding which of your precious hones you're going to take out to play and when storage starts to be a real issue for you, you'll know you've followed me down the path of H.A.D.

And the damnedest thing is that you can really get by with 2 or 3 different hones and do everything you really need to do.

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Originally Posted by PapaBull

every time I see a new hone I don't have...... ooooohhhhhh man, my heart starts beating a little faster and I start feeling like I'm short of breath; gasping for air. Frantic.... must.... must ..... not.... no, MUST have it.

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Robert, I resemble that remark ........ :banghead:

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Originally Posted by PapaBull

I don't care what anyone says, it's simply not possible to have too many hones. Hones are to me what young ladies are to Tiger Woods.

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Right there with ya, Papa. If I can afford a hone - it simply isn't safe from me. I've literally never tried a hone I didn't like at some primal level. I just like honing, period.

Hones are like pizzas to me - all of them are good, it's just that some are better than others.

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I know the feeling. That was my attitude and I started right at it too. IMO for bang for the buck you best bet is the Norton Waterstone Starter Kit here. If you google in under shopping you may find it cheaper. With this you can get a razor from dull as a butter knife to shave ready. Start with that and once you get proficient with it you can look at a higher grit finisher but the norton set is all that you really need.

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I agree 100% with Jimmy!!!
I myself toiled on wich set of hones to get for my 1st set. And I went with the popular oppinion, the Norton Waterstone 220/1000 4000/8000 combination set. They work excellent and I couldnt be more pleased

The Norton 4/8 will do most of the honing work. 1000 grit sandpaper for the rough work. Abrasive pasted paddle strop for finishing. It is a good way to start and will give a very, very good shave.

DONT LISTEN TO ALL THESE PEOPLE WITH HAD!!! IF YOU SEE A HONE BUY IT!!! OR SOMEONE ELSE WILL.:matrix:


No, but seriously learn to use a norton 4/8 hone.:boohoo:

I would advise the Norton 4/8 combo, but everyone else has beat me to it. Its a great inexpensive starter and will help you to learn the basics, once mastered you can move on to the others out there.

As with much else in life, less is more.

Imo the Norton 4k/8k combination stone is the most important stone to have first for beginners. You should be able to get nice shaves off the 8k side without a polishing stone of higher grit. The Naniwa 1K is great for resetting bevels, if you need to. Have fun!

THANKS EVERYBODY! Good to know I did my homework right. The only part I left out was getting the 220/1000 grit stone. Now what the heck is HAD? Well I am extremely excited and can not wait to get started. I did fined one site grand total 114 no shipping and handling fee but it wasn't a kit more like separate pieces.

HAD goes hand and hand with the other ADs such as RAD and you will know what it means when you have more than four stones and you want more. You may even force yourself to spend 500.00 on one hone! :)

A big thanks to everybody. As a quick update I went ahead and bought it along with some mb but I believe I will return the mb soap. I am so excited and it should be here tomorrow or wed. I haven't been able to sleep :eek: much with all the excitement :y and all. So thanks again.

Please bear in mind I am completely new to this whole thing but I purchased a norton 4K/8K online and a no name silver steel razor from a local antique shop. I was able to get that sorry looking blade shaving arm hair thanks to all the great advice in these forums. I can't wait for my Filly strop to come so I can see if I can get it to pass the controversial hanging hair test. I don't believe you will be disappointed.

The HHT test is not always accurate, the best way to tell if it is shave ready is to shave with it.

Yup. Like any other test, the HHT has a number of variables so it must be "calibrated" and you have to learn how to do that, otherwise, though it will tell you something, you won't know what it's telling you.

I do understand that the hanging hair test is not a way to determine if a razor is shave ready. If my memory serves me I read that in one of Pacos' or holli4piratings' previous posts. Its just comforting that I am able to implement the techniques discussed on this site and be partially successful at something that is entirely new to me.
Thanks guys and Good luck Amber62509

thanks thanks a bunches. They came in yesterday and I wasn't able to hone till late in the evening. Boy I was like a kid just grinning and happy as a lark hone my razor till wee in the morning. And I finally understand HAD and know what it means. Cause this morning I found a new antique place and they had a barber hone and well I know what HAD is. Thanks thanks