Thread: Diamond hone/extra fine hone

so you think that anything over 8k is over kill?

Originally Posted by Themagicturtle

so you think that anything over 8k is over kill?

Yes and no. Anything over 8k is just for comfort, but you should be able to get a good shave from a razor sharpened to 8k. Basically anything over 8k simply polishes the edge, the razor should already be shaving sharp by 8k. If it's not sharp enough by 8k, going to higher grit stones is a waste of time, i.e. make sure the razor can give a good shave off 8k before going any higher.

Edit: In response to the original question, the DMT 1200 is good for bevel setting given it's properly broken in as Jimmy mentioned.

I find the DMT1200 more aggressive than I like, even when broken in.

You should be able to shave comfortably off an 8k, but since you can do better, why wouldn't you? Even something cheap like a pasted strop should offer an improvement.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I find the DMT1200 more aggressive than I like, even when broken in.

You should be able to shave comfortably off an 8k, but since you can do better, why wouldn't you? Even something cheap like a pasted strop should offer an improvement.

+1 to all of the above. I wasn't saying that going over 8k is 'overkill' at all. Only that going to at least 8k is highly recommended to get a straight razor shaving well. I personally usually go with an Escher following the 8k but when I was learning, and even now sometimes I test shave off of the 8k. If the shave isn't close and smooth at that level the razor needs more work before moving up to a higher grit finisher. IMHO.