Thread: Which hone first?

Originally Posted by souschefdude

First of all I am not mad. A little frustrated, but not mad. Frustrated cause my question is not being answered and is contradicting other posts in threads on this website. I read all the time of people honing on 8k then on a 12 k, then on a 16k, then on Angels farts for a finish.
Yes ultimately I should be able to get my skill to a point where I can split the hairs on a gnats eyelash with an 8k hone, but I am not there. So therefore I would like to be able to shave with comfort until my skills improve, and not walk around looking like a blushing idiot with red cheeks.
I appreciate the help and knowledge in getting my honing skills up to snuff.

Sounds like you still need practice with the str8, if your getting irritation. You should get "Comfortable" shaves off an 8k, easy...
Higher grit hones will not make up for poor technique. Sorry...

Why do you say my technique is bad? I get perfectly comfortable shaves, after finishing my hone on a higher grit than the 8k, so how can I have bad technique?

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

i don't know from where or whom you got information swaty is 12 . it is just not correct.
.
gl

Swaty Stones for finishing - Straight Razor Place Forums

Mentor Zib posted that.....

I still find honing a bit of a black art.
Although I have put some killer smooth edges on razors in my time, this has been more luck than judgement. Each razor seems to have it's own personality.
I recently had a razor pro hone by Gary Haywood and when I got it back I felt pathetic, but in a good way, that razor was bad ass sharp.
What I used to consider a good shave, I am no longer satisfied with.
Such is the honing bug, the price of poka keeps going up for me..

Originally Posted by souschefdude

Swaty Stones for finishing - Straight Razor Place Forums

Mentor Zib posted that.....

We are not perfect. Every single of us could make a mistake. typing etc.
In General barber hones doesn't have grits.
that grits people (we are) making compare to rest of the stones.
when they make barber hones there is process which will be similar to pressing.
depends how much force used and time stone will act differently.
Lets say we test 10 swates.
8 of them will be 8k level and 1 will be 6 next one 12k.
This is why we cannot say (same as norton,shaptons) all swaty has 8k or 12 k etc level.
All conversation is approximately.
hope this helps.

Let me rephrase my original question.
Does anyone know the relative grits of an Edlis and a Swaty Barber hone?
I promise I will never use them, and will only ever shave with razors from an 8K stone.

Originally Posted by souschefdude

Swaty Stones for finishing - Straight Razor Place Forums

Mentor Zib posted that.....

Mentor Zib didn't make it up, It was in the WIKI. I was just providing a link for someone....To be honest, I thought Swaty's were around 12k, not 8k...

As far as your technique, You stated..."Yes ultimately I should be able to get my skill to a point where I can split the hairs on a gnats eyelash with an 8k hone, but I am not there. So therefore I would like to be able to shave with comfort until my skills improve, and not walk around looking like a blushing idiot with red cheeks.
I appreciate the help and knowledge in getting my honing skills up to snuff."

Red cheeks sound like irritation to me from pressing to hard...but if I misunderstood, Apologies...

I don't suggest that you made it up. I hope my posts don't suggest otherwise.
I tend to agree with you that it is definitely a finer stone than an 8K. I come to this conclusion from looking at the edge through a 60x loupe as I progress through my hones. How much finer, I can't say because I have nothing else to compare it to.

Alright, here's my take on the matter.

First, what folks are talking about is how it was explained to me. If you can't get a great shave off an 8k, then it's the honer and not the hone. If you ARE already getting great shaves from the 8k, then you're ready to move on and only you get to decide when you're ready. It's sorta like the, 'the hone will come when the student is ready' philosophy.

On to barber hones, IMHO, you'll be better served with a larger desk hone instead of the barber hone. Go pick up a Chinese natural if you're interested in honing. It takes alot of laps to bring out that edge, but it's practice time on the hone. 100 laps on a Chinese stone will teach you honing much faster than a Naniwa 12k at 10 laps.

Originally Posted by souschefdude

Let me rephrase my original question.
Does anyone know the relative grits of an Edlis and a Swaty Barber hone?
I promise I will never use them, and will only ever shave with razors from an 8K stone.

I am going to hold you to this promise! Without getting quasi technical I am going to say the following. Not only is it science but also personal preference, everybodies beard and technique are different. Obviously from your posts you are getting a good edge from the 8k and are looking to do even better, enter the two new stones. The barber hones are meant for touchups and are a PITA to do any serious honing, , personally I think it would take too much work to get the superior edge you are looking for but the barber hones will work to some degree. I would suggest a stone in the 12k range would give you what you are looking for.

The only way to know which of your barber hones gives the finer edge is for you to experiment and then you tell us. Many are familiar with the swaty, the other I have never heard of and am not able to make a comment. I hope this eases some of the frustration. Good luck and have fun!