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I have just come to the realization that I will need to learn how to hone my razor. Is there a good hone that I can start with that will allow me to get away with basic touch ups for a while, or should I jump straight into a set? I am looking for recommendations, so don't be shy. I was thinking of starting with a barber's stone, but that was just from the nominal amount of reading I have done. Currently I have a strop with a linen side and diamond paste.
Thanks,
T
This is ultimately a question of budget. Your cheapest solution will be to find a barber's hone on ebay or our classifieds--cheapest as long as you don't pay a silly price. Honestly, I don't know what a reasonable price is. The market fluctuates as hone fads wax and wane.
Other solutions: a Naniwa 12k or 10k hone--in my opinion, preferable to the barber's hone because it's a more generous size, and that will give you a more effective and comfortable honing stroke. I have the 12k and it's a surprisingly fast hone, and puts a gorgeous smooth edge on my blades. Current price is ~$75.
The plain vanilla hone is the Norton 4k/8k, ~$80. It may be a little coarser than you need now, but is probably the single hone with the most user-hours among SRP members. If you have questions about it, there is no end of well-informed advice folks can give you.
The C12k (Chinese 12k) natural slate hone is inexpensive but not reliably good, hence its other common name, the PHIG (People's Hone of Indeterminate Grit). It's also very hard, so is difficult to lap.
Whatever hone you buy, you'll want to be sure it's flat before you start honing razors on it. There's pocketknife flat, for which you could use the hone straight from its box, and there's razor flat, for which you want a good lapping surface. The most popular is the DMT325, a 325-grit diamond hone. Get the DMT brand; there are cheaper diamond hones but 1) they may not actually be flat, and 2) their diamonds may not be well bonded. You can buy more expensive diamond plates than the DMTs, but those probably aren't necessary. The cheaper ones aren't trustworthy, in my experience. Before you use a new DMT plate for lapping, you want to knock down its higher crystals. Scrape it vigorously with a screwdriver handle, polish a hammer, scrape it on the sidewalk for a while, something like that.
I strongly recommend against buying hones that have been cut down to save you money. Start with the full, generous size. Honing, like shaving, should be fun. It will be more fun with the proper tools.
So, there are one man's recommendations, based on one man's opinions and experiences. There will be many others. Good luck to you.
If you want to buy one hone to touch up on and learn to hone.... I would suggest the Norton 4/8 combo.
The reality of the situation is that you should get to a point where you're producing consistent and comfortable edges from an 8k touchup, and then bring the other stone/s into the mix. That's my thought anyway - Learn one stone at a time, lower/control your variables, work towards mastery.
Thanks for all the info guys!