Thread: VALUE of a first hone set.

DMT 8E (1200 grit) - $50. Your bevel setter.
Norton 4k/8k - $75. Your sharpener and polisher.
Chinese 12k - $35. Final polisher.

The only thing I would add to that would be a chromium oxide pasted strop. You can make yourself a balsa wood paddle strop for under $10 and buy some chromium oxide from Chris L.

That's your no frills no thrills easy to use inexpensive thorough hone setup, that is, IMO, probably the best "value" out there.

Another option would be to switch out the Norton 4k/8k for a BBW and coticule. IMO, the bbw/coticule combo is a better setup. The coticule leaves a "smoother" edge that I personally like better. Since you want a really good value, though, to be honest, I'm not so sure that the BBW/coticule setup is enough (if any) "better" than the Norton setup to "for sure" warrant the extra cost. To get the prices even reasonably close, you'd have to be looking at a 6x2 bbw/coticule, but it's still going to cost at least 50% more than the norton. I don't know if the edge off of a coticule is 1.5 times better? Especially when evaluating the edge is very subjective. I think you'd find more people (regularly) shaving straight off a coticule than straight off the norton 8k, though, so you might consider forgoing the chinese 12k if you go with a bbw/coticule, and that would help to get the cost more or less even. Then it's a matter of which edge would be "better" - that off a norton 8k followed by a chinese 12k, or that off the coticule. I think they each have their fans.

I can't comment on the naniwa stones, but I've heard they are very good. I'm not sure if they provide enough additional value to warrant the additional cost over the nortons or not, though.

The norton 4k/8k is a good starter hone in any case. Many many people have used it so when you need advice, people know exactly what to expect from the stone and can help you out. There are many documented guides to using it and it's tried and true. You could always start with it and when you start to get a bit of a case of HAD, pick up a bbw and coticule (or something else) and sell off the norton if cost is an issue.

This whole honing thing is largely personal preference. There are so many factors involved that it's really hard to assess the true "value" of a lot of these hones, particularly the natural and/or rare/expensive ones. The bottom line here is that any of these hone setups will get a razor "shave ready", but some setups will leave the edge just a little sharper or just a little smoother, or both. ALOT smoother or sharper? Not really, but definitely enough to notice, and in some people's opinion, that little bit is well worth whatever the cost is. This is why it's so hard to assess the real "value" of these hones, and why HAD is running rampant around here

In the end, they are all going to get you to the same basic place, so if you just want the tools to get the job done, I say get the first items I listed, and go from there.