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I've been reading more posts on honing lately as I try to decide if I want to try my hand at it.
I don't restore razors and so what I really want is something to just maintain the edge on my blades.
I keep hearing that a barber hone is all that's really needed. At 1/3 to 1/2 the price of a 12K finishing stone, what am I giving up by going to a barber hone and how do I actually use it? Wet? Dry?
check out some recent posts on them...just search barbers hone and it should bring up a few threads that will answer all your questions. They can be great to maintain a razors edge. you can use most with water or lather.
They are not sexy enough to be the hot topic of conversation :rofl2:
Simply put they flat do their job, no muss no fuss no BS
I have a simple straight forward Vid up on my Youtube channel on some ways to use them just google "gssixgun, barber's hone"
For maintaining your razors they are simple, easy, and cost effective...
the only issues likely with a barber's hone is the vintage one might need to be lapped first, but odds are you will only have to do that once every few year or less often. and their size if you are used the the big 8x3" hones the barber's hones are much smaller my largest is 6.5x2.5" and my smallest is 4.5x1.5" smaller sizes means more laps usually.Quote:
Originally Posted by joebehar
jim
by "sexy" glen means they are cheap and relatively easy to find and they get the job done without being flashy. nobody wants them because of the modern mentality of "goods and products that cost more are inherently better than less expensive ones" if somebody on the bay started a trend of listing$200+ for a barber hone... all of a sudden they would be the talk of all the shaving forums :soapbox:Quote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
enjoy,
jim
Thanks guys,
I've put an ad in the trade section of the classifieds looking for one. If anyone is interested in a trade, I'm all ears :)
Thank you gssixgun. I watched the video, but I have a question.Quote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
You mention that a barber hone is only about 8K in grit...I thought I needed much finer than that to maintain an edge.
No, 8k is more than enough...you'll see guys talking about 12k...30k...
Really after 8k you are spending lots of $$$ chasing the perfect edge, but the difference isn't so drastic. If you look at old contests, some guys were getting comfortable shaves using only 1k.
Absolutely !!!Quote:
Originally Posted by ryanjewell
So send me all of your unused, abandoned 12k & 30k hones; I will pay for shipping.
I will see that they never, ever, see the edge of a razor again. Attachment 94803
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hirlau
Funny... :)
I didn't say I wasn't chasing the perfect edge, I just said it wasn't necessary to maintain a razor :p
Been shaving with a straight for probably 45yrs and used a barber hone for at least 40 of them. From what I can tell; if someone advertised a 1,000,000 grit stone made out of nano dilithum crystals for $1000, there would be folks buying them.
OK, you guys are turning me into a believer....now all I need is to find a barber hone...
well i have a 25,000,000 grit air hone it is 20x30x12' and i'll let you have it for $25,000 i can make smaller ones available to you at a reduced price. please let me knowQuote:
Originally Posted by hogwild69
one word "Frictionite"Quote:
Originally Posted by syslight
I understand $1000 for a frictionite stone, but for $25,000 I expect nothing less than pure, distilled and then hand forged unobtainium.
I think I got my barber hone, so I'll keep the forum posted on how I do with it.
yes but we need more!Quote:
Originally Posted by Magpie
There is a ‘Reliance’ NOS Barber hone , for $125 on ‘The Classic Edge Shaving Store’. I just read about it minutes ago, before I came here. I was thinking about getting one. Let me know what you think.
Waaaaaay too much for a barber hone. You can get a really nice swaty for $40...less for not as well known brands...at local antique stores you might be able to get one for 1-5 dollars.Quote:
Originally Posted by bruseth
i have found that this is not much different than the rest of life. it is not that hard to get to the 90th percentile. Beyond that, $+ time gets you better, with diminishing returns. Where do you want to stop? 90% is not bad.
A barber's hone takes you beyond 90 percentile closer to the 99 percentile. but that just depends on the hone and the user.Quote:
Originally Posted by 32t
some people dream of a 100% perfectly sharp razor and are willing to try anything to get there. will they actually be able to tell the difference... in a blind shave test i doubt it.
but having spent most of the money, i stopped with a full set of shapton glass plates, i never got into the jnats or any of the later popular choices, i remember chasing the dream too. it was fun.
Agreed. I got my Swaty off the 'Bay in the original box with instructions for about $29 a month or two ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by ryanjewell
[QUOTE=32t;952641]i Beyond that, $+ time gets you better, with diminishing returns.[/QUOT
I said "gets YOU better". I meant the persons skills. A shaveable edge is not that hard to obtain. 1 hone and 1 strop is all you NEED. Need and WANT are two different things!Quote:
Originally Posted by syslight
A barber hone has taken the edge beyond a Norton 8K but still seems to benefit from a few strokes on Crox. It is hard to believe any improvement from here will matter enough for me to chase but I understand the thrill.
You can go to a strop with crox or something else and be satisfied for years after the barber hone. They're fast and easy to use...no fuss.
