Thread: Second try at honing...seeking opinions/suggestions...

Ok, perfect. Thanks for the assistance!

Just for the record, I have only ever used a loupe.

Gracias, Rez. I've been digging through these threads, can't wait to get back to the hones, I do think this will help!

An important item to remember, the foundation is the bevel set, without a strong bevel set the rest of the edge will be imperfect, no matter how much time or how nice of hones you have. With a great bevel set you can have a sublime shave with little additional effort.

I have a loupe and one of those USB microscopes. But the microscope is useless until you learn what you're looking at. And bevel set is not something the microscope will help you will much. Trying to look directly down on the edge with one of those is tough. I use mine for watching the scratch patterns and looking at the edge from the side. It helps you to see chips and dings that the loupe might miss. But then again, the power is so strong that you could see chips and flaws in the edge and never feel them.

Learn with the loupe first. Then if you want to get deep into the details get the microscope. It does come in handy for posting pics of your bevel on the forum too. Honing take time to get right so take your time, pay close attention to the fine details you read and it will come in time.