Thread: Upgrading hones what to get?

I got in to this whole adventure about a year ago, not realizing how addicting it was. It was the vintage straight razors that I feel in love with. For some I got away with bringing the blades back to life with a set of Norton oil stones(coarse, med, fine) and stroping to finish up, they worked ok. But since I have become a member of this site I have been doing alot of research on getting that perfect edge and im ready to invest in a better system. All these hone system vary so much in price, but Unfortunately theres a budget. So I come to you guys with a few questions.
1. Norton the 4000/8000 system $106
2.Belgain blue wheat stone(4000) followed by a belgain yellow coticule(8000) and finished with a chinese water stone(12000+) $150
3.DMT system: D8E followed by D8EE $130

so who has used these systems and what can you tell me? OR f you have any Ideas that fit in the $100-$150 range

Thanks Sincerly Brando

You can get a whole norton set 220/1000 and a 4/8k and a lapping plate for just a little more than the price you show for just the 4/8k stone. Well under your price range.

You could get by with just a yellow coticule, there are a few here who go from bevel setting to shaving on just that stone. You could also add the CH12K to the end of the nortons as well.

The only DMT I have used is the 8XX that I use to lap, but from what ive read around here, DMTs are a good choice if you want speed and no maintainence, not so much if you want feedback.

Sorry I couldnt be more specific and tell you ive used them all, but there are a few around here who have. Wait for their advice.

At the moment i would advice go with you choose number 1.Gl

Of those, I would also suggest the Nortons. Price looks a bit high to me too, but I guess it depends where you buy. The set jason referenced is on Amazon, IIRC. You can also get these stones at Woodcraft, and if there is a local one you can pick them up in person so you won't have to wait for shipping.

Another vote for the Norton here for $119.00 shipped.

Good advice above. Search around and you 'll find Nortons a little cheaper. Try Amazon. The Nortons are a good all around hone but I have found that some hones work better than other based on how hard the metal is. The BBW and coticule are nice but depend a lot on your experience with the hone. The Chinese Natural has given me good results as a finisher but takes a lot of laps and has mixed reviews.

In the end it really depends on what you are planning on doing. If you are just going to maintain the edges on your existing razors a 4/8k Norton will be uch better that what you are currently using. Add a Chinese and build your muscles and you'll get a smooth shave. Coticule with our BBW will also work. If you are planning on restoring a lot of vintage blades from eBay and/or local finds you may want to add a Norton 1k to the mix.

I have the Nortons and am mostly pleased with the results. Some of the softer metal razors clog the hones up faster that the harder steels do. Get softer hones and they break down too fast and create a slurry which detracts from the final edge sharpness.

I don't have DMT's so I can't comment. May be a bit hard but some get good results from them. Naniwa's have been getting good reviews are are a current favorite of some of the senior members here including Lynn. I've used them and they work fine with good feedback.

In the end what you are going to use them for and if you enjoy the journey over the destination will help us suggest better hones to meet your needs. For just touch up you really can get by with just a Barber's hone like a Swaty.

GOod luck

yeah a norton seems good. it appears that you can use your oilstones to establish a good bevel and then a single norton 4000/8000 should be good. I think they're around $80 these days. Or may be just get the combo package and use the 1000 for the initial work (assuming your addiction continues and you keep picking up old razors in need of fixing up).
the coticule is also a good choice if you don't hone that many razors (it's slow) and like to learn the trickery involved with using it effectively.
the dmt are fast but the edges off them are not too pleasant (unless it's really really hard steel)

Originally Posted by Brando

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3.DMT system: D8E followed by D8EE $130
...

I recommend choice number 3; it's my SOP. Add a barber hone, and/or some Chromium Oxide or Dovo Black paste on a strop and you're all set. No lapping ever and fast to use, with easy clean up. Be sure to break the hones in first.

Currently about $118 USD shipped from here to the lower 48 states.

I vote for the Norton set. Its easier to use than dialling in slurry on a BBW or Coti, and has a good range of grits from bevel setter up to polisher, so it should serve you well!

Good luck!

Option 2 but without the Chinese hone. A good coticule is 10K, I have read a couple of posts saying 12K is overrating the Chinese hone's grit size. Use Cr2O3 on leather after the coticule and that's all you need.

A coticule is slower but as you have 3 Nortons already you can use those to set the bevel and finish with the coti. And I am not sure you really need the Belgian blue either with all you got already. Better spend the money on a very good coti.

My 0.02$