Thread: Should I buy a belgian stone?

Personally I don't see the point of the belgian blue. the blue doesn't do anything that the norton 4/8 doesn't do better AND faster

I own a good number of hones, and I will end up owning more still. Different stones for different tasks and all that... I have 2 blues, but I never use them on razors.
Of course several people here use the blue / yellow combination with good results, and they probably think differently.

Highly recommended! The blue side (I have a combo) is great at removing the scratch pattern from my DMT 1200 (resetting bevels/restoring problem razors) and leaves a very fine edge in itself. I'm told, it's finer and faster cutting than a Norton 8K, but I can't comment on that as I've never used a Norton.

I use the coticule side with light slurry, then w/ plain water, then w/ shaving lather for a final polish (just like the old barber textbooks). I'lltouch up razors as needed on the coticule side with just water and then lather. Maybe every 4-5 times or so, I'll go all the way back down to the blue and work up through the progression.

One word about bevel setting, though: while it should be possible (I've never actually tried) to reset a dull bevel on a blue (doesn't have any chips and isn't set too steep), something coarser (like the DMT) will be needed if there's any serious metal removal to do.

I have to agree with thebigspendur. The Nortons are very effective at a number of tasks and are of a more consistent quality than the belgians.

The belgians are great for a razor with no problems, if you get a good belgain. The Norton will take care of almost anything, 1000 grit sandpaper takes care of the rest.

Just my two cents,

Thank you gents for all your comments.

I'll be looking at BST forum for Belgian hones and Nortons... I hope I can grab a good deal.

Thank you all