Thread: First hone will be a finisher, but what to get?

I think shaving off a coticule is a personal thing. I do, but some people like to to what you do and use a paste. Im sure some people do a dance and light incents or some crazy voo doo before they shave. YMMV is the answer to that one. I dont not use pastes, and I can get a great shave off a coticule and a strop. If my blade loses its keeness I throw it back on the hone depening on how it lost its keeness. ( I hate tapping the sink tap with the blade costs alot in time ).

I was asking because I never used one or shaved off of one. I was under the impression that more was needed. it seems to me that more refining has always led me to a better shave, but having never used it I cant say anything one way or the other.

I know this sounds silly, but there are those out there that say a razor can be too sharp. I dont know what to say about that. 8k is thier finisher and they live by it. YMMV is the answer, try it out and you will know what you need to do to that blade to make it dance on your face.I know it sounds silly but im just saying

If you go with the Nani 12K, let us know your thoughts. I was debating between that and some naturals for finishers. I went with a vintage Thuri and a relatively cheap JNat. I'm very happy with my choices but will still probably pick up the 12K. Only hear good things about it.
As far as the coticule goes, I can get a nice smooth edge off of my vintage one but it is not as keen as if I finish with the other naturals or film. I've used crox after the coticule and that definitely made the blade more usable on my thick, coarse beard. They say learning the cotis takes time. I don't know if I have enough time/patience or if the stone is even able to give me an edge as sharp as I need it. I do use it but always with a different finisher after.

I made a post earlier about finishers so this might give you some insight into what the guys around here are using:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...lar-basis.html
I personally like Jnats the best. With a nagura progression they are incredibly versatile.

Originally Posted by stonebraker

I have every Naniwa SS they make because they are just that good. From straights to knives they do a fine job no matter what the price(just dont soak them too long they like to warp if you do that). I would like to +1 on this thread. It does not matter what hone you get, skill with the hone will give you a good edge. Watch videos, have your freind sit down with you and show you a thing or two, and just do it, what ever hone you get. There will be some sort of learning curve. The more razors you put across your properly prepped hone with good technique the more skill you will develop. You may even end up with a coticul or two or three you never know.Good luck-

Traps 38: Your lapping stone will work fine as long as it is flat. I know alot of people who use high grits on their finishers when they lap them to keep them as smooth as possible.

OK thank you.
The DMT325 is on my wishlist though along with the Nani 12k.

I have the Naniwa 1000k to set my bevel and love it.

Thank you for the reply.

I was recently in the same boat. I'm new to straight razor shaving but not sharpening. I rounded out my hones with a Chinese 12k, Shapton 16k and a Naniwa 12k. I tend to over-research things before I buy them and would recommend the Naniwa 12k based upon my research based on price to quality of finish. I just got back from a hone-in meeting and gssixgun reminded me to try to eliminate as many variables as possible when learning something new like honing. A synthetic finisher eilimates the variances between natural stones and the specialized technique one has to learn to get the most out of that specific natural stone. Plus the Naniwa stones seem to have a repuation for being natural straight razor hones. Your end-state will most likely be the same as long as you get good stones; however, you will just have to vary your technique a little for each stone to get those same results. Once you decide on a type of razor you really like to shave with, then you can get a hone that generally does better for those types of razors, but from everything I've heard and my limited time with mine, you won't be disappointed with a Naniwa 12k SS.

Originally Posted by stonebraker

I know this sounds silly, but there are those out there that say a razor can be too sharp. I dont know what to say about that. 8k is thier finisher and they live by it. YMMV is the answer, try it out and you will know what you need to do to that blade to make it dance on your face.I know it sounds silly but im just saying

I havent found one too sharp yet! I have experimented with some lapping film and .25 micron slurry on felt. Sharpest I ever felt cuz I can do the fools pass 1st pass without tugging or hardly any. If you run that blade into the skin, you will bleed! I love a super sharp edge, YMMV as you said.

My first finisher was a la dressante coticule. Worked wonders for me. Was easy to learn on and I didn't have to lap it every time. Getting a properly sized coticule is important as learning with a small one is difficult.

Funny I saw this thread and not to long ago while talking on the phone with gsixgun I was asking him about getting a finishing stone.. Here it is in forum form ... Good luck guys I still haven't bought my nani yet but soon I'm still playing with my norton 4/8