Thread: Overloaded by information!! Need advice

Since you mention not wanting to spend much on hones:

3. Send the razor to a honemeister and buy a barber hone/pasted strop

A) $15-$20 for a professional honing.
B) $15-$30 for a barber hone for touchups when the razor starts to pull.
1. Create a pasted strop to use alone on in addition to barber hone.
C) repeat process A when B no longer gives satisfactory results.

Originally Posted by Hammett

Hi guys!!


It's been a week reading this forum about honing, razors, coticules and stones. Previous to this week I had absolutely no idea how this world could be so vast and complicated.

The thing is that I own a straight razor that now needs honing. I cannot shave anymore without suffering quite a bit and cutting myself.

As I said, I've read a lot of posts here, and I am completely overloaded with the information I got that now I cannot decide what's best for me.

For starters I let you know that my idea is not to spent much money on the hone(s). And after much inner discussion with myself, I ended up with 2 options.

1.- Buy a Norton starting kit 220/1000 and 4000/8000.
Good thing about this set is that I have almost all the range (maybe I'll lack a finish stone?) and I will get as well a grip for the hone (safety is always good)

2.- Buy a Yellow Coticule and a coticule stone.
Good thing is that I will have a very good natural stone. My idea was to use it with slurry for getting the razor into shape and the just water for the polish (if I understood well Bart's post about yellow coticule honing). And from what I have read, the finish result is better than the Norton 8000.


Both sets are almost the same price (on eBay) and I really can´t decide which set to get.
I know some of you will say "get the Norton and later on move to the Coticule". I don´t want to buy stones that later on I will not be using. I prefer to spent few dollars in cheap razors than 130$ in a new hone. Please just correct me if I am wrong.

Thanks for your advice!!