Hello String,
I am the one most recently referring to using just a splash of water (on the 8K only). The thing about the Norton is, if one side needs soaking, then both sides are going to get the soak unless you separate your hones some how.
The 4K side of the Norton is very much a traditional style water hone and does need soaking to cut properly. It doesn’t need the significant soak time that natural Japanese hones do, but it still has to have water in the pours of the hone to create the slurry that will keep the hone from clogging up. Of course the slurry also helps in the cutting action of the abrasive compound as well.
I have tried the 4K with out soaking, and the result was less that impressive to say the least. A good 10min soak, with intermittent spraying during the honing process works the very best. I still have the opnion that using about half as much water (after the initial soak) on the 8K is better for me, but the 8K still gets the initial soak because it's attached to the 4K.

I dont have expierence with the Belgians but I believe it has been mentioned by Howard that they dont ware as fast as Norton. I dont think Ive seen Howard here yet, and this thread is perfect for him.
Hopefully he will chime in since he's the resident Belgian Guru :lol:

Quote Originally Posted by string
Lynn, I know that you soak your Norton stones, but I have heard from several dealers that soaking is not necessary on the 8000 grit, and some have even said that a splash of water is all that is needed on the 4000 grit as well. If that were true, I would be more inclined to purchase and use the Norton, as I hate to soak stones! Have you tried using them without soaking, and what were the results? Since I know you soak them, I am expecting the worst here, but would still like to know what your experiences were. Also, once you have used them both long enough to get the information, it would be helpful to know if Norton will outlast the Belgian, or visa versa...and by how much.

Bob