Combo stones vs single grit

I can't find an answer for this question so I appologise if it's out there.

I still consider myself a newb and I'm looking for my first stone. I'm looking for a good hone for the money. I'm debating the norton combo 4k/8k or something cheaper. I have a question about the norton combo. I read a great post about properly lapping a stone. That in order for your stone to give you a proper edge you may have to lap up to an 1/8" off of it to get it as smooth as it should be to make the finest edge. Also it seems many of you give your stones a quick lap before each use. I think I read the norton stones are only 2cm thick. If I have to lap a lot off both sides of this stone I may only be left a 1/2" overall. I have reason to believe my beard dulls my razor fairly quickly so I may use this pretty often. I have no idea how long the stone would last and wanted your opinion, since I'm on a budget, If the combo is a good buy compared to single grit.

Thanks in advance!

How does the Naniwa 3/8 combo compare in price sinse you dont need to reduse that so much before first use(seem to be a flaw in the new Nortons)

It can probably take a few thousand lappings after the initial grind down before its worn out tho

I can tell you a bit about the Nortons..

My 220/1k gave up the 1k side after about 3500 razors there is still just a tiny bit of 1k left maybe another 200-400 more could be done... so I PIF'd the stone

My 4k/8k has done about 3000 razors and is still going strong...

I clean the stone, every stone, before every razor, overkill maybe, but it gives me consistency and that is important to me...

I seriously doubt that unless you are honing something other than razors, or honing for hire, that you will wear it out in a lifetime...

I'll make one small addition to Glen's post. You probably won't have to lap the 8 K side of the Norton nearly as much as the 4 K. The basic reason for lapping is to restore flatness and/or to face off a stone that is loaded up with swarf. The reason for the aggressive lapping on the 4K side is to smooth the surface of the hone and remove surface porosity. That's why many Norton 4K sides need to have an 1/8th lapped off.

Nortons 4K/8K has been around for a long time and are proven. I think Lynn has used Naniwas on thousands of razors and speaks highly of them. I have the Naniwa 1K, 5K, 8K, and 12K and love their performance. Easy to use, they come with their own stand, and you just spray water on the top of them, wait a little, then get going. When finished honing, I turn the stand over to get out all of the water, dry them off and put them away.

There are many other great stones to hone with, but I do think the Naniwa type set up has made honing easier.

Pabster

You can of course buy them seperate, instead of combo's. The seperate one's tend to cost quite a bit more. I think, based on average use, you'd more than get your money's worth out of a combo.

It is highly unlikely that you grandson will wear out your Norton combo stone.

Keep in mind that the 4k is used for sharpening and the 8k is for polishing. If the combo hone was your only hone, then each of your razors will only meet up with the 4k side once, as most, if not all, of your touch ups will be done on the 8k (or a higher grit hone if you get one). The 4k side wears faster because it is softer and more strokes are used on the 4k when FIRST sharpening the razor. If you are using it only to maintain your own razors, then your hone will last much longer than you will.

Personally, I don't like the combo hones because I don't like the flipping and worrying that I picked up debris on the underside but that is not an issue if you rinse them well.

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Originally Posted by Utopian

Personally, I don't like the combo hones because I don't like the flipping and worrying that I picked up debris on the underside but that is not an issue if you rinse them well.

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+1 on being concerned with grit contamination. Probably not really an issue, if used with reasonable care, but that is one of the things that led me to get the single grit stones. I also agree that for the average user it would be many, many years before they would wear out a Norton combo honing razors.

OTOH, a single grit Norton is 1" thick and can be flipped on it's side for warped blades. A really handy option for the rare occasions when it is useful. I'm glad I bought the single grits and would do so again if I had the decision to make.

I normally wear out a couple Norton Combo's a year and a set of Naniwas, but you don't want to know how many razors I hone. People who just hone their own razors normally don't wear out any of these stones unless you have a Compulsive Laperitis Disorder............:)

In any case, the Combo stones to me were always more of a convenience when I was doing pyramids on the 4K/8K and would be the same for the Naniwa 3K/8K. These days, I do the circle process more and use my Norton Combo Stone about half the time I hone. Because I hone in another room from my rinsing sink using a spray bottle of water, it is a convenience not to have to get up an to clean the stone and get the next one at least for one stone during the process. Pretty lazy eh......:) Especially considering that I do get up to switch all the others. I have never found lapping the 4K side of the Norton when new to get past the graininess any detriment to the over all life of the stone all things considered.

Eventually the key becomes to find out what methods and media work best for you and that can only happen by trying them out.

Have fun,

Lynn