Need advice for hone purchase.
Hey guys,
I'm ready to start my research for the best deal and right equipment I need to keep my razor sharp. From watching Lynn's DVD I'm thinking I need a Norton 4000/8000 and a Belgian yellow coticule stone for finishing.
I read the honing section of the wiki, which then said that maybe I would only need the belgian yellow stone to restore a blade that has simply dulled to shave ready. So now I'm confused.
I don't plan on buying razors from Ebay or anything like that, I simply want to keep the current razor I have as sharp as it came to me. So no restoration work or anything like that. If I buy another razor in the future I'll buy one that's shave ready, or send it to someone like Lynn who can make it shave ready for me.
So that said, what's your guy's advice for which hones to buy?
If I buy a belgian yellow stone, is it alright that it seems to be hard to find a 3" width stone now? Does the width matter all that much if you use the proper x pattern? Or does it just mean you'd need more passes than if you had a wider stone?
The Perfect Edge (mentioned in the Wiki) has an 8"x2" stone for a decent price, but then the Invisible Edge has what they call "bouts" which aren't rectangular, but are intended to be used for sharpening razors. Can anyone comment whether the bouts are a good idea or bad for a newbie like me?
Thanks again,
Rob