Thread: Finishing hone advice please

Im about to commit some cash to by a hone for a final finish ,can anyone point me in the right direction?.
My main choices are,
1 translucent akansas
2 Ultrafine Spyderco bench ceramic
2 Norton 1200
4 Belgian coticle
Thanks for your help guys .Paul

All I can say is NOT the Norton 1200!

I didn't even know Norton made a 1200 grit stone. You're not thinking of a chinese (or other) 12000 grit stone?

Of what you have listed - go with the Belgian yellow.

Jordan

Arkansas stones are good for knifes but not straight razors as they are too hard. The Norton you have listed is WAY to course. IMO the Belgian Yellow is by far the best option, but there are a few people that like the Spyderco Ultrafine. I have never tried this hone; however, the Belgian Yellow is known as one of the gold standards here. Talk to Howard at theperfectedge.com and he will get you a great stone.

I think Norton 1200 is better replaced by Shapton 12000, in which case it works quite nicely

Thanks for the advice it looks like its going to be a toss up between the belgian coticle & the spyderco.Paul

I think that the belgian coticule is the more versatile hone of the two. You will also find a LOT more information on how to use the coticule because so many people on this forum use them.

The arkansas translucent is essentially pure silica and is actually slightly softer than the garnets found in the belgian stones. It is not, however, a waterstone so it works a little different. As with all natural stones, grit sizes are not really very meaningful, but it is approximately a 4000 grit stone. But, because of its structure, it will produce a more polished edge than a 4000 grit waterstone. You can certainly get a very good edge with it, and I take exception to the statement that it cannot be used on straight razors, I have and it works very well.

It is also a very slow cutter so you need to be very patient.

Also, for final polishing, you might want to consider a pasted paddle strop. 0.5 micron diamond paste works very well.

Originally Posted by Sharp&Shiny

Im about to commit some cash to by a hone for a final finish ,can anyone point me in the right direction?.
My main choices are,
1 translucent akansas
2 Ultrafine Spyderco bench ceramic
2 Norton 1200
4 Belgian coticle
Thanks for your help guys .Paul

Out of your list I would choose the Belgian. There are better and comparable hones out there though, but the Belgian is a good all round even if expensive.

PuFF