I bet,,,,
,,, if the cutler that honed razors or the barber who honed razors or the little ole man in the shack who honed his only razor,,,, would have found a Norton 4/8 & a loupe in the mailbox,, they would have been a happy honer,,,
Just because they managed with the few choices that they had, does not make them any more credible than the wetshavers today.