Thread: About to purchase first hone(s) any advice?

Hello gents,

I'm going to be purchasing my first hone or combination of hones in the near future. Keep in mind I have NEVER used them before, and am still relatively new to straights. I've been working diligently on my stropping technique, and my shaves are getting better all the time. (Can do two full passes without nicks) However, I feel it is time for me to delve into the world of honing my own razors.

So I ask, what stones would you recommend for a beginner? In previous posts I've been referred to a Nani 12K. Will I need lower grits as well, such as the 5K,8K,12K Nani stone set SRD sells? I'm really trying to stay budget conscious here as well.

Thanks in advance!

A set of nortons or naniwas. They just work.

With that said, what are your goals when it comes to honing? Just keep your razors sharp or make your credit card melt buying lots and lots of razors that you need the whole gambit of hones for?

What hone(s), paste(s), or spray(s) do I need? - Straight Razor Place Wiki

It is all in the wiki

For starters I just want to learn the technique and bring back the shave ready edge on my razor when it needs it.

I'm not saying that restoring a razor or two a few years down the road is out of the question, but for now just the bare essentials.

You should take a look at the SRP wiki. after that, I would suggest you one yellow lake stone. With slurry its around 4k, and with plain water it's around 8 to 10k. Not the new yellow lakes. The old ones. With the "genuine British labor" logo on them. Or the Salmen ones. And after that if you re not satisfied, buy a pair of Chinese 12k hones (just in case, one might not be fine enough, but the second one always is). They cost almost nothing compared to the man made ones. After that, good luck, and, try not to hone your good razors for the first dozen or so times. The cheaper ones, for experience.

go with the Nani 12K but you'll need a dmt 325 to lap your nani

Originally Posted by Kees

What hone(s), paste(s), or spray(s) do I need? - Straight Razor Place Wiki

It is all in the wiki

The post Kees mentions say's it all. Gssixgun really covered all the bases. These days, I use less and less. You really don't need that much. A good bevel setter. I like the Chosera 1k. Then, A Norton 4/8k combo stone. Once you can get good shaves off the 8k, you can move onto higher grit finishers. A Naniwa 12k, even a cheap Chinese 12k like those sold at woodcraft.

If all you need to do is keep sharp razors , sharp , all you really need is a hone in the 8-12k range .
Practice learning the "X" stroke with a cheap razor , that way you won't have to learn with a razor you don't want to mess up .
You can't go wrong with the Norton 4k/8k , it's a handy hone to have , add the finish hone of your choice , and you're good to go .