Thread: Is there better hones out there or does it just not matter?

Hey guys,

I've been told that all I need is a whetstone from Meijer or Walmart to hone a straight edge. Is this true? I've never honed a blade before so is there "beginner's hones" that would be cheaper for me in the long run, just like how it's better to buy cheaper strops until I get the hang of it? What should I look for in a hone?

Originally Posted by Hawaianhamster

Hey guys,

I've been told that all I need is a whetstone from Meijer or Walmart to hone a straight edge. Is this true? I've never honed a blade before so is there "beginner's hones" that would be cheaper for me in the long run, just like how it's better to buy cheaper strops until I get the hang of it? What should I look for in a hone?

Sort of depends on the starting condition of the razor. For general honing I would consider a Norton 4/8k combo and a DMT D8C (325 grit) diamond plate a minimum setup. If you are just going to touch up your pro honed shave ready razor every once in awhile a naniwa 12k or even some vintage barber hones might serve you well.

OTOH, I would stick with a couple of pro honed blades in rotation and learn how to shave correctly with them, before added honing into the mix. Just IMHO.

Theres a million ways to skin a cat. And you can spend a ton of money on hones. Jimmys advise is spot on. Im not sure of what type of hone they would sell in walmart but most hones that are sold are for tools and knives. I suppose you can shave off them but you can get a Norton 4/8 that is reasonably priced and you know its a winner as many many people have and continue to use them. Good luck.

Hones aren't strops and you can't tell much about a hone from looking at it unless it's so poorly made it has obvious imperfections in it. You need to read our forums and other sources that discuss hones and which are the quality ones. This is not a quick simple subject to just answer quickly.

The Norton 4/8 is probably the closest thing to a quality universal hone as you will find and it's very popular.

You have gotten sound advice here so I won't add my two bits worth. I do have one question though. Whom ever told you that all you need was a whetstone from Meijer or Walmart, have they actually honed a straight razor with one of those?

Bob

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Sort of depends on the starting condition of the razor. For general honing I would consider a Norton 4/8k combo and a DMT D8C (325 grit) diamond plate a minimum setup. If you are just going to touch up your pro honed shave ready razor every once in awhile a naniwa 12k or even some vintage barber hones might serve you well.

OTOH, I would stick with a couple of pro honed blades in rotation and learn how to shave correctly with them, before added honing into the mix. Just IMHO.

Thank you to you and bill! I have been using a pre-honed straight edge razor (I don't think it can be switched out as there's no screw or anything). I've been using it since 4 years ago and it's steadily becoming more uncomfortable shaving with so I figured I might need to sharpen or straighten it out or something.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Hones aren't strops and you can't tell much about a hone from looking at it unless it's so poorly made it has obvious imperfections in it. You need to read our forums and other sources that discuss hones and which are the quality ones. This is not a quick simple subject to just answer quickly.

The Norton 4/8 is probably the closest thing to a quality universal hone as you will find and it's very popular.

I have looked at the other forums, but even the stickies for this only points to tutorials on how to use hones, not buy them. Would you want to point me to the links? I only posted this because the second sticky on this forum states that this is for general questions on hones.

and yes, Bob, I assumed so. They restore blades for money.

inb4 someone says 'well they're gyping/scamming/etc. everybody'

Did you ever find that C&E brush you were looking for, 4 years ago?
How have you been maintaining your razors edge?

Originally Posted by Hirlau

Did you ever find that C&E brush you were looking for, 4 years ago?
How have you been maintaining your razors edge?

Yes I have, thanks for asking. I could tell it's quality, but I haven't used it at all and just used regular shaving cream since that's all I have at the moment and it works.

And I haven't been maintaining my razor's edge...I haven't gotten a strop or a hone yet, which is why I'm starting to post on these forums again.

Well youve come to the right place then. A quality soap, honed blade and a good brush will make your shaves so much more enjoyable. There's tons on here to read up on. I would get the blade honed and get a strop and learn to use it. Srd has great strops , they arent cheap but are a better value than buying poor quality over and over. As far as soap or cream, you can get a tub of proraso for 10 bucks or so and that will last you 3 months. Or a Williams puck for a buck or so. Read on these forums, you have thousands of combined years of experience right here. Good luck.