Thread: Newb needs suggestions on purchase

Remember that all stones need to be flattened. The DMT D8C is a good way to get them flat and keep them that way. People have had issues with grit from sandpaper getting embedded in the Norton stones so be aware of that. The Norton 4Kx8K is an excellent choice for keeping your blades up to snuff. The only thing I would get after that would be a polishing stone such as the Chinese 12K or Shapton 16K. A pasted paddle strop would also fit in here as well. I would get your new razor sharpened by an expert and get a vintage one to practice your honing skills on. To me the honing part of the hobby is as much fun and challenging as the shaving.

bj

It depends what you wish to accomplish in honing. I for one, just what to be able to hone a new razor and keep it sharp. I bought a DMT 8EE and a pasted paddle strop with 3, 1, 0.5, and 0.25 micron pasts. The 8EE does not need flattening and the pasted strop really does nicely finishing the edge.


Take Care,
Richard

For me there would be no question. The two options given I would go with the Norton 4K/8K and the DMT. The DMT is the best thing shy of a very pricey shapton dimond on glass. I have a whole box of hones and if I could start over I would call Howard at the perfect edge (member here) and order a Norton, DMT C (for flatting), and if budget permited as big a coticule as I could afford. This would be all a man would need to maintain his razors. I am now moving to pasted bench hones and notice an improvment in my edge but would still have started with the basic three above.