Thread: Swastika Barber Hone - Good buy or bad move?

So maybe I'll get buyer's remorse. I saw a barber's hone, strange brand name (swastika, even has a swastika on it, but I don't think it has anything to do with Adenoid Hynkel (Chaplin's Great Dictator). The price was not bad, $37, so I thought, may as well start to learn how to hone these things, even though I'm a newbie to the SR world. Wanna be a duck? Gotta learn how to quack!

So here's the description from the ebay seller:

Swastika Razor Hone/ Never Used/
1/2 inch thick 2 inches wide 5 1/2 inches long

New Old Stock - no box

I found this stored safely in a wooden box of clipper parts I bought

I guess the barber had it in reserve and never had to use it

Edges are slightly chamfered

No chips or imperfections - They don't get any nicer than this

I am not exactly sure of the grit, most single grit hones of this type are 12K

These type of hones are used to maintain an already sharp razor between sharpening

3 or 4 passes is all it takes


So was this a mistake? I should have asked on the board before buying, but what the hay. I'll also need some pointers on how to use it. Is this the same as the hones that Lynn talks about on the DVD, or is this different because it's a "barber's hone"? Thanks for your advice!

Sounds like it could be a barber's hone, which is used to keep an edge between the regular honings you might do a few times a year. Just a few quick passes on each side of the blade. FWIW, here's a bit of trivia..History of the Swastika

I was watching the same hone, it appears to be in great shape; I have one myself. If I were you , I would store it & purchase another to use. The remarks made by the seller that, "...most single grit hones of this type are 12K" . I feel are incorrect (based on my experience), I have several barber hones and I would put none of them at 12K.

Using them is quite different than using a Norton or Chinese waterstone or natural.
As for me, I just like collecting barber hones; I maintain my razors with modern waterstones & naturals.
I have refreshed a couple of my razors with barber hones, but only to experiment with them.

I have one of the Swastika barber hones as well. I think it does a great job.

Are you afraid it will rally up all your vintage German razors to strike vengeance on your American face? Nein!!!

Many of the swastikas are reverse from what the Nazi's used and in fact are American Indian symbols.

Better keep it away from any Wapienica's if you own any of them.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Many of the swastikas are reverse from what the Nazi's used and in fact are American Indian symbols.

He's right, the swastika goes back long before the Nazi regime. I remember seeing it goes back thousands of years and was once an ancient Chinese symbol for good luck.

Right, it was used in many cultures & was actually regarded in some parts as a general good luck charm in the early 20th century. Hitler subsequently stole it & that is unfortunately its most common association today. Do you have a picture of the stone, just out of curiosity?

I believe it was used by various Indigenous American groups, and in Japan, it is used on maps as a marker to denote buddhist temples if I recall correctly.