Thread: Beginner Hone Set?

I have both sets, though my Nortons are single grit. Either set works just fine. The lower grits of the Norton work great for setting bevels while the Naniwa 5k will be a bit of a challenge for a blade that needs any significant work. Of course the Naniwas take you to a finer grit, but the Nortons could be supplemented with a $25 Chinese hone from Woodcraft to get you to a comparable final polish.

If you get the Naniwas, you need a means of lapping them. They need regular lapping to maintain their surfaces. This can be accomplished with sandpaper on the cheap and with a DMT for quite a bit more.

Regardless of which you buy, if you change your mind or decide they are not right for you, then you can always sell them in the classifieds and recoup most of their cost.