Hone compatibility

Hello all,

This is my first post. I've been honing and shaving successfully a while now, mostly because of the helpful info I've found here. Thank you to the community!

I've got a strange mix of hones: a DMT 600, a Norton 1000/6000, a Frictionite 00, a yellow coticule I was lucky to find in an old family toolbox, and a Spyderco UF I bought after reviewing Tim Zawada's WIKI entry on edges produced by different hones.

I've been experimenting with pyramids between these stones, and sometimes lose ground where I thought I should gain, especially when I go from the coticule to the Spyderco.

Are there hones or hone types you should not mix in the same session? Does this differ between carbon and stainless blades?

Should I just quit messing around and get a Norton 4000/8000?

Many thanks.

You have everything you need already. You don't need another hone. The best part is that you have many options too.

You can set the bevel the 1k, go to the 6k and then finish with the Coti on water. You can also set the bevel on the 1k and then use the Coti from a full slurry diluted slowly to water. You can also use the Coti for the entire process. If you're new to the Coti, it will take some time for you to get used to it. Some are fast and some are slow. You can search around the forum for more information than I can provide here.

Whether you want another hone is another matter entirely. :)

I agree with Mark, you have all you need right there.

The shaving edge from a coticule really is tremendous and you have a lot of options available to you with the honing set up you have now. What I'd do is invest some time in getting the best from the stones you have and work out which edges you like best.

Then if you want to experiment after that, go for it..! :)

Welcome to SRP. Great to hear that the info on the site has been beneficial in your getting your razors sharp and shaving with them. If I had your setup I would leave the 600DMT for removing chips and the like. I set bevels, when necessary, on the 1k. The coticule should be all you need but I would recommend getting the Norton 4/8 because it is a very good step in between the bevel set and the coticule. Personally I've had no luck at all with the Spyderco. For me it offers no feedback and was an exercise in futility. I had the set of three and sold them. The frictionite is a darn good touch up hone IME. All of the above is just IMHO. YMMV. :)