Thread: 12K vs. 8K??

A Barber hone is really for razors that are already shave ready and you want to keep them that way. Your not going to take a dull razor, and hone it on a barber hone. They are great to have, 3-5 lapps before you shave, and it keeps your razor good to go for a while. Constant use of pastes will round your edge, that's why your razor is dull. Eventually you need to go to the rocks. I don't know what your budget is, But Nakayama, very expensive, Escher, Hard to find, and normally expensive too. Since they are very narrow, I wouldn't recommend to someone new to honing. Coticule are great finishers and very versatile. They too are hard to find these days. Bart is close to the quarry and is able to get lower grade hones. The more common and sought after Coticules are Select grade, but we're really talking Aesthetics here. The lower grades work just as well as the higher grades. They're just not that pretty. Out of all the hones mentioned, The most affordable would be the Naniwa 12k. It's hard to say what you need, because I don't know your razor. You may need something more. Actually, your best bet would probably be a Norton 4k/8k combo. You have pastes, so once your blade is honed, you can hit the pastes for the final finish, That's what I'd do

P.S. The Naniwa 5, 8 and 12k would be equally awesome...I love the Naniwa line, I have and use all of them....