Thread: hones on the cheap

I tried searching so if this is a repeat thread I apologize. I want to get into honing my own razor but dont want to cough up 100 plus dollars, Whats the cheapest but still decent honing stones I can get or whats the minimum grit/grit combination (1k,6k,12k) I would need to make a razor shave ready? could I get by with just a 1k and a 6k or do I really need a finer stone to get my razor (Im sure that will be plural before to long lol) shave ready?

Thanks in advance for any help

i bought a 1k/6k jap water stone at my local custom wood shop...... ran me about 35$....... i am able to get my razors shave ready but you MUST use light pressure and a steady hand.......

A minimal but effective setup would be the Norton 4K/8K combo stone.

Look into King waterstones. Less expensive than the Nortons but leave just as good an edge. The one drawback to them, if you can call it a drawback, is that they are a little slower than the Nortons.

It is unwise to pay too much for a commodity, but even more unwise to pay too little. When you pay too little, you bear the cost of putting it right, which is more than you would have paid had you originally paid the right price.

What I am suggesting is that while there is a cheap way of doing things, it often pays to pay a little more initially. Know that if you buy lesser known stones, it will be harder for members here to advise should you run into problems, than had you bought stones that members here are familiar with, practices and procedures regarding their use being commonly known.

You do not need more than 6K, but most here if not all would strongly advise otherwise. A few years ago the last hone in the progressions of most was the Norton 8K. Now some go as high as 30K. I personally like to finish at around 12K.

This is right up my alley. Cheap. There's a gentleman out of Poland selling a very affordable 5,8 and 12 k set. They are lapped smooth and they work. Not the best set up i would guess, but it's quite adequate for my needs. I did add a cheap Norton 1-4k combo after a while, to set an easier bevel. I'm sure I will upgrade eventually, but for now I'm happy with my results. PS it's cheaper to buy his stones from the Polish ebay than the US ebay. I hope not to get stoned for suggesting this set, but they work quite well for my basic needs. But I'm sure there are much better hones available.

It's possible make a razor shave-ready with just a few slipstones that'll cost you less than $20, but the operative word here is 'possible'. If your time is worth any amount of money you'd probably be better off spending more towards bigger hones with established track record. Most people find out that while not rocket science, it takes quite a bit of practice to be able to perform the task correctly.
But yea, if you know what you're doing you can use any number of subpar tools if that's what you want to do.

If you want to hone a razor to good shaving edge, you will have to spend a bit of money and there is no way around it.
Start with 4/8k Norton and some CrO on a strop (bench or hanging). Then as you move forward and if needed you can get a 1k hone and 12k hone, at which point you can stop unless you develop a case of the HAD.

Originally Posted by Scipio

It is unwise to pay too much for a commodity, but even more unwise to pay too little. When you pay too little, you bear the cost of putting it right, which is more than you would have paid had you originally paid the right price.

I believe that is the best I have ever heard it put.

Pike, when I first started honing my razors I started out with just the Norton 4k/8k and had wonderful results. If you are honing a razor that started out shave ready there is really no need to buy more than a touch-up hone and the Norton does fit the bill.

if only maintenence is required try the classifieds for a barber hone