Swaty 3-line vs. Spyderco ultra-fine
I just received a new old-stock three-line Swaty tonight. It's a good, fine hone that works fast and sure. It feels much like the Spyderco ceramic hones I've been using and I thought it would be interesting to compare the two. I've got to admit I was pretty surprised at the result.
The Swaty is brand new and the Spyderco ultra fine is a month or so old. The Swaty sells retail (when it can be found) at 30.00 to 50.00. It's about half the size of the Spyderco Bench hones.
The scratch pattern and honing result are closest between the Swaty and the Fine Spyderco, which retails at around $30.00. The ultrafine Spyderco created a noticably finer and sharper edge. The Swaty is a great barber hone and is highly regarded for good reason. But anyone that thinks the Swaty is a fine finishing hone should be extremelyh impressed with the ultra-fine Spyderco ceramic. After the Spyderco ceramic, finishing with the .025 diamond pasted strop completes the edge and it'll shave and shave well.
