Thread: Hone sizes... ugh...

I have been playing with my hones lately (minds out of the gutter ) and have come to a conclusion that I really don't like a 3x8" hone for older straights. Even the newer ones with some use on them seem to have issues with such wide hones. I have one razor that does well on the 3x8 hone, my TI LE SRP blade.

The 1.5" and or 2" wide hones really seem to work best for me. I don't know if it's the hone themselves or the size... but I really like the feel and useability of the thinner hones. 1.5"x 6-8" really do it for me.

How about you?

Definitely prefer a more narrow hone. I cut my norton in half for exactly that reason! The best width I've found is between 1"-2", 1.5" being the preferrable width for me. I does take a little more practice using a narrower hone as it's more difficult keeping the blade flat, but it's well worth it for me. Look at this picture of my stones, the 2" coticule is the widest of all my naturals (the 6 on the left) and the norton 4k/8k is now only about 1.5" wide.

So I'm right there with you when it comes to preferring thinner hones.

Originally Posted by DwarvenChef

I have been playing with my hones lately (minds out of the gutter ) and have come to a conclusion that I really don't like a 3x8" hone for older straights. Even the newer ones with some use on them seem to have issues with such wide hones. I have one razor that does well on the 3x8 hone, my TI LE SRP blade.

The 1.5" and or 2" wide hones really seem to work best for me. I don't know if it's the hone themselves or the size... but I really like the feel and useability of the thinner hones. 1.5"x 6-8" really do it for me.

How about you?

I am coming to the same conclusion, my friend. The 8x3's seem to be okay for the water stones, but not the naturals. I feel like i have alot more control over the balance of the blade with an 8x2...

Mac

There was a while when I really didn't like wider hones, but I came to realize that it's more about how you use the hone than how big it is. I do think that with warped blades a narrow hone will probably always be easier, but for smilers or mildly uneven hone wear, I've found that I can comfortably use 1.5 to 2 inches of a 3 inch wide hone. Now I'm coming to prefer wider hones because it gives me the ability to choose how much of the width I want to use. I also find it easier to keep slurry on a wider hone, which allows me to dilute quite slowly (when I want to).

I will stress, though, that I think it's all about personal preference.

I prefer the wider hones. But that may also reflect my honing skills.

I'm with Holli.
2" and a bit. Length doesn't matter so much to me though.
I can do with 6"

Length doesn't matter to me as I can always shorten or lengthen the stroke. I like the versatility of 8" though, but can use 6" just fine. 2" or 2.5" is perfect for me. I really like the size of the Naniwas. Can't complain.

I think the widest stone I have is about 2" - I'm used to narrower ones and the extra width is of no real use to me at all to be honest.

Length is more useful, but I'm quite comfortable with my 6" coti.

I prefer 1-2 inch. That's especially good for razors that have e.g. a blunt toe or heel end and the ones with a big smile.

I like anything over 7/8" wide by 4" in length, with a preferred upper limit of around 2" x 6". I still use the smaller sizes more often than my 2" x 6" hones; even for big knives. I like to hand hold the hone. My everyday "workhorses" are the ones in my avatar (4 1/3" long).

For lapping 3" x 8" plus is nice.