Thread: first honing tool advice?

I will need a tool to keep my blades in shave-ready shape, and it seems that I can probably pick up a barber's hone from ebay for less than it would cost to buy or build a paddle strop. Any reason for me not to?

also, can anyone tell me the difference b/w two and three line Swatys? (besides the additional line, I mean... )

thanks,
Bill

To build a balsa paddle strop costs next to nothing incidentally. I've made a few using basla on mdf with buffing compound.

A fine barber hone should be enough to keep your edges going, but you'll more than likely have to lap it first, and you'll be hard pressed to do any repairs with it should your nick orotherwise damage the edge.

I know barely anything about swaty hones, hopefully a conaisseur will chime in.

hmmm. my thought on this was that while it costs next to nothing to build an MDF or even proper wood backed balsa paddle, loading it up with paste brings the cost up a bit. so if it cost $2 to make the paddle, I'll still spend $17 per syringe of diamond paste at classicshaving. So, one double sided strop would be $36 plus time. A cheaper buffing compound, however... can you recommend one?

thanks,
Bill

My 2-line Swaty (lapped) maintains a nice edge on my razors. I haven't used a 3-line yet but it should work too. I don't know what the difference is between the two.

A very effective honing compound that a lot of us use is 0.5 micron chrome oxide. www.handamerican.com has it pre mixed. It is not as fast as a diamond paste but gives a smoother shave for some of us.

Barber hones are really cool but it is difficult to get a grit rating on them. The Swaty, either 2 line or 3 line, has been a proven performer for some time. It is usually used a a "touch up" hone...for a razor that has become slightly dull. It is not suitable for razor restoration or bevel creation. It is for the last step of honing but before the pasted paddle strop. The grit range estimates have been from 8k and finer.