Thread: Barber hone as a finisher?

OK - I've gone whole hog and have a set of stones from 220/1k, 4k/8k, chinese 12k and a shapton 16k. I've got a pasted strop (2 sides, red and white). I also have a couple of barber hones. I've seen plenty of threads about coti's and eschers as finishers, but never any barber hones. Wouldn't one make a nice finisher?

Originally Posted by maineeagle

OK - I've gone whole hog and have a set of stones from 220/1k, 4k/8k, chinese 12k and a shapton 16k. I've got a pasted strop (2 sides, red and white). I also have a couple of barber hones. I've seen plenty of threads about coti's and eschers as finishers, but never any barber hones. Wouldn't one make a nice finisher?

Barber hones are finishers, thats their role. Making and mantaining a sharp edge that needs only stropping.

When I first came around and had the Norton starter set with the 220/1k and 4/8 combos I also had a Swaty and used that with water only was a finisher. Seemed to do alright but I did much better when I added a higher grit waterstone to the arsenal. The old barbers used those 'barber hones' strictly for a quick touch up if the razor they were using was falling off in keenness.

Then guy who gave me the Swaty back in the 1980s was a 70 year old barber in Kearny, NJ. He carried one in his barber's smock in the front waist pocket. He would do a few dry strokes when necessary but relied on his coticule for honing and finishing the razor. He did that with lather only BTW. What with the stones you have I can't see the barber hone being better as a finisher than the Chi 12k or especially the shapton 16k. Try it though, never hurts to try.

I agree with JimmyHAD on this. The barber hones are meant as a touch up hone, not as finishers. But, back in their time they would have functioned as finishers for some people, like my grandfather and his Frictionite 00, but that was only because they did not have access to the Coticules & Eschers , etc of the day.

The hones that you have now will impart a finer edge than the barber hones but that is not relevant. What really matters is which edge suits your beard better. Try them and find out for yourself.

Just my $.02,