Thread: Self-Hone vs Hone-Meister

Ok, so I now have 3 razors that need some honing from my Case that just needs a light touch up, to my Mack that needs a slight dimple of a frown removed (will shave, but get razor burn).
I got from WildTim a glass hone for 1.5k grit sandpaper and a leather hone with CrO, but have been balking at a $70 Norton...
But now that I have 3 razors I want to hone, that's ~$60+ for honemeisters+3-4-5 week downtime which makes the Norton more appealing. I have a Honemeister approved Wostenholm for a benchmark.

My question is should I go ahead and invest in the Norton and see what happens, or just stick with honemeisters for the time being?

Originally Posted by bbshriver

My question is should I go ahead and invest in the Norton and see what happens, or just stick with honemeisters for the time being?

If you ever plan on honing your own razors (and I suggest everyone should), now's the time.

Give it a go yourself!

Sooner or later you will want to learn how. If the razor already has a frown, it isn't shaving well as is, so you might as well give it a try. It isn't rocket science (OK, I'm no master of honing at all, but I do now hone my own razors, and the results are really quite fine, and satisfying).

Read, read, read all the info you can. Make a few passes on a hone, check the results (a microscope of some sort I find to be a big help), see what is getting sharpened and where, and where it may not be getting sharpened. Make adjustments, and hone a little more...

Obviously you don't want to start with your most beloved blade. But doing your own honing will give you a LOT of feedback on the peculiarities of each particular razor.

Anyhow, that's my own neewbie opinion

Ok, basically my thoughts as well.. just wondering what others thought. I do want to get into my own honing.

I'd really suggest a DMT D8EE because you wouldn't have to lap it. But I'm biased because thats the hone I use.

Overall I agree, you might as well try to build your honing skills now as long as you have a couple razors that are still shave ready.

Originally Posted by Seraphim

Give it a go yourself!

...It isn't rocket science (OK, I'm no master of honing at all, but I do now hone my own razors, and the results are really quite fine, and satisfying)....

Anyhow, that's my own neewbie opinion

That sure corresponds with this newbie's opinion as well. I got a Norton 4K/8K with the idea that I wanted to maintain the edge that the honemeisters put on my purchased razors, thinking that I was not likely to be able to bring an dull edge back, but surely I could maintain someone else's edge. But then, after buying a Thuringian stone, I found that I really could restore some eBay razors. I am confident that I work twice as hard (and make twice the hone wear on the spine!) with half the results of a honemeister, but like Seraphim writes, the results are quite fine and very satisfying to me.

So buy the Norton, but bear in mind it is very likely that you will end up buying at least one more stone after than...I've bought four since my Norton combo, but I think I'm done now...at least for a while!

Dan

There is no time like the present.

The good new is that you already own what you need to get the frown out, you can start woking there.

The bad news is that there really isn't any cheaper alternative to the Norton. I started with a set of Sun Tiger slip stones but I can't find them anymore, the place I bought them in the past no longer carry's them. They were a cheaper alternative at about a third the cost of a Norton, but they are a quarter the size and cut half as fast so you have to do four or five times as many strokes on them to get the job done. You WILL want a Norton in the future, and it is still the most cost effective option out there for the bulk of your razor needs.

Yikes. So you're all saying, everybody must get honed?

Go for it - the sooner the better

I can see how many people prefer to use honemeister services - they may not have the time - with kids, other hobbies, school, clubbing, etc. Or a particular razor may require a special touch / hone combination to get the most out of it.

However, in general, I think it's very nice to hone your own razors, even if with a limited set of hones

Cheers
Ivo