In Melbourne, Where's the best place to go to to get a set of hones?

[saitou]

I'm wondering which website or if theres any places locally that I can purchase some hones I will probably be looking for a norton 4k 8k or naniwa 3k 8k plus a 1k nd a finisher stone EVentually. Just wondering if anyone else from Australia has been through this and knows which site works out best in terms of shipping prices etc. thanks =] Also if anyone knows local stores for purchasing these kind of things let me know too please.

[Havachat45]

I just bought a 1,6,13K Sigma set from Stuart at toolsfromjapan.com - he has Naniwas too, from memory.

The shipping is a little high, but that's life in Australia.

I have looked for Nortons (4/8) here and, either I can't find them, or they a way too expensive for me

I ended up getting mine from the classifieds here.

I was using a Tojiro 1/3 for a long time and it is a nice hone to use - stay away from the Taidea though - far too rough for my liking.

Japanese Whetstone Sharpening stone Tojiro Combination #1000/3000 F-433 | eBay

Good luck

[saitou]

Thanks Havachat, Do you know if it matters if I get the 1cm thick naniwa stones instead of the 2cm ones?

[Havachat45]

It depends on how much you intend to hone - obviously the 20mm should last twice as long.
Maybe one of the more experienced honers will chime in 'cause I've only been doing this a couple of years and haven't worn any out yet.....
I think I remember Glen saying he has worn out a couple Norton 4Ks but it took a few thousand razors to do it

[saitou]

I've come accross these on ebay Kasumi Whetstone Set 3000/8000 RRP $159 | eBay Kasumi 3000/8000 combo stone is anyone familiar with these? Havachat I may grab one of those 1000/3000 tojiro's they seem decently priced =]

[saitou]

Sharpening Stones - Mirror Finish - Chef's Armoury for any melbourne people, I found this website this place is in richmond. They stock naniwa ss stones and some chosera (although the 10k is like 300+ dollars!) just thought i'd let ppl know abt it cause I was looking for a melbourne stockist for ages although I've already ordered mine online which worked out a bit cheaper.

[m4dm4n]

My wife bought me a start-up shaving kit from Mens Biz (razor, strop, paste, cream, brush). That was a couple of months ago now so I've been shaving on factory edge since Christmas, stropping before and after shaving. The only place I've been able to find fine grit hones is on their website and even then they seem to only stock Shapton stones (read sell as they seem to always be out of stock). Their shipping prices are very reasonable (free for orders over $20) although being new to straight razors and related tools I have no idea what hones are generally worth. The Shaptons seem expensive.

I don't work for Mens Biz, I'm just really happy with their customer service.

EDIT: I forget to mention, they aren't based in Melbourne but they do have a distro warehouse which I think is in Richmond. They offer free pickup providing stock is available.

[saitou]

My wife bought me a start-up shaving kit from Mens Biz (razor, strop, paste, cream, brush). That was a couple of months ago now so I've been shaving on factory edge since Christmas, stropping before and after shaving. The only place I've been able to find fine grit hones is on their website and even then they seem to only stock Shapton stones (read sell as they seem to always be out of stock). Their shipping prices are very reasonable (free for orders over $20) although being new to straight razors and related tools I have no idea what hones are generally worth. The Shaptons seem expensive.

I don't work for Mens Biz, I'm just really happy with their customer service.


EDIT: I forget to mention, they aren't based in Melbourne but they do have a distro warehouse which I think is in Richmond. They offer free pickup providing stock is available.

Hi M4dm4n thx for the tip, I ended up ordering a set from classicedge, naniwa 1k and the 3k 8k, and I picked up a barbers hone and a chinese 12k from ebay. thats all the hones i will need for a while. I was really pleased with service at classicedge too, free shipping for orders over 100 so thats pretty cool