Thread: Pastes VS High Grit Hones

Hi There,

I recently honed my first razor (factory Dovo).

I used a Norton 4000/8000 grit stone - And have it at a stage where I can comfortably shave. It does tug a little when going ATG around the chin area - but that's more likely to be my shaving technique than the blade itself.

This brings me to my question.

From what I've read, the popular opinion is that the next stone should be a Naniwa 12k. But what follows after that? There's the option of pastes on balsa wood, felt, leather, etc. And then there's higher grit stones (such as the Shapton 16k).

I'm looking at making a purchase from the US - and figure I might as well buy what I need so as to save on multiple shipping fees.

So - should I get a Naniwa 12k? A Shapton 16k? Diamond sprays? CrO paste? The way I see it - if the pastes are going to achieve the same as a Shapton 16k - I'd rather go for a stone. By the time one purchases the diamond sprays at over $20 each, plus a strop for each, the hone becomes more affordable.

Thanks in Advance!

Aaron.

These are all common questions, but for every 10 responses you get, you'll probably get at least 12 opinions and none of them are likely to be wrong. A huge amount of this comes down to preference.

One piece of advice I got from Glen when I was buying hones at first, which has worked out well for me, is to buy all one type of hone, or a single 'system' at first.

For me, I bought a 1k, 4k, 8k and 16k shapton.

Since you already have the nortons, I know the naniwa 12k is a popular follow up to those.


As far as going beyond the 12-16k range, IME, just use pastes. The added gain from something like a 30k hone is very small, and the cost is exorbitant.

I've only use CrO paste, and I've been very happy with it. There's guys around here who have tried every paste under the sun with varying effects, and I'm sure they'll be chiming in soon.

Hey Aaron. You won't need a 12 & a 16k for a progression. They are pretty much interchangeable. Just pick one & follow with pastes of choice. Correctly used the diamond sprays will improve most finishing stones so they are my choice.

I have shaved directly off Naniwa 12k and Shapton 16k, and there's not much of a difference, you could pick either really. Both can feel a little harsh, so that's where a CroCx pasted strop does wonders for smoothening things out.

Thanks to everyone

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Hey Aaron. You won't need a 12 & a 16k for a progression. They are pretty much interchangeable. Just pick one & follow with pastes of choice. Correctly used the diamond sprays will improve most finishing stones so they are my choice.

Oz - specifically, what grade sprays do you use? Do I need separate strops for each? Or would a paddle be better?

There's such a large range of stuff out there... I'd like to get what I 'need' to e able to produce the best possible blade at home.

Cheers,

Aaron.

If it was me i would get the 12k stone or the 16k and most likely both,i've recently done a fair bit of experimenting with pastes and while handy for a quick touch up they wont replace a higher grit stone,i also played with 1,0.5,0,25 and 0.1 micron pastes before and after my black arkansas, they made the blade extremely sharp with the 0.25 and 0.1 making the edge unbelievable but the edges never lasted very long compared to just finishing on the stone,a bit more patience with the stone and i can get very close to the same degree of sharpness with a much more durable edge so yeah i've given up on pastes

Just to throw another opinion into the mix, I'd go for a natural finisher like a coticule or thuringian.

I personally prefer natural stones as finishers over synthetics or pastes. I think they leave a much smoother edge.

Coticules or thuringians can be had relatively cheaply (c.£50) and leave a really good edge, especially the thuringians.

I have bought (but not yet used) a Norton 4/8 and a 16k Shapton. My logic was purely doubling (i.e. 4 doubled is 8, 8 doubled is 16). I also considered pastes, and went with the Shapton for the same reason you mention; cost of strops and paste; and also 'mess and bother'...

Somethings I have learned over the last few years.

Why is a Norton 4/8 the most recommended hone??? for beginners

1. So many people have used it and can help you.
2. Once you learn it it gives great shaves by itself.
3.Because after the 8k Norton you can litterally go any direction you want to go

If you can get the razor to shave ready on the Norton 8k, anything else becomes just a finisher...which one to pick (if any) is just each person's opinion, they will all work

So pick any finisher you want from Pastes to Hones and have fun with them..

Try getting some diamond sprays from straight razor designs to use after the norton, you may be surprised. You can get amazing shaves from the norton and a strop with different diamond sprays on it, you may not even need another stone....but you'll always want one LOL.