Thread: If you could only have one......

One hone that is. At this time im looking for one hone under 100.00 to maintain a great edge when needed. Im not going to need this to bring back a bad edge, just to keep a good one when needed. I am going to send out my straights to get a pro hone from one of the pros on here, but I will need a stone to keep it sharp in the long run. Please post what you would get, and why. Thanks in advance.

barber hone.

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

barber hone.

^ What Sham said. Barber hone. Period.

Yellow Belgian coticule. That's what I use to maintain my edges. There are times when I like to experiment but the Belgian hone is what I use to maintain my blades.

Regards,
EL

Yellow Coticule.

For 100 bucks? A Barber's hone and a Norton 4/8k combo....

Barber hones are the luck of the draw...
The best earn a solid yes. But you cannot audition them on Ebay.

Given the less than $100 budget the classic good
answer is a Norton 4/8K combo hone and some sheets
of wet dry to lap it on a counter top or granite tile.

Perhaps there is a new contender.
Lately I am enamored of the SS12K hone.
Naniwa Super Stone 12,000 (or 10,000) sits
high on my list because a razor that was sharp
last fortnight only needs to visit the Super Stone
for a small number of laps to be good to go again.

I have been trying this on the last couple weeks so I
am still holding my opinion but the early returns are
taking me to a single fine grit Super Stone as a refresh
hone.

Lapping is important for both the Norton and the SS.
But a flat granite tile and a package of wet dry paper
under running water seems to cover that base for a lot
less than a DMT which would bust the given budget.

Under $100... Norton 4/8k combi stone...

No way in hell I'm going back to one hone, THEY'RE ALL MINE... MINE I TELL YOU!!!!

Under $100? Barber hone or Coticule. Or maybe one of the high grit Naniwas, like 10k or 12k.

The Norton 4/8k is really all I need.

My Chinese Guangxi polishing hone and
Osaki natural Japanese finishing hone
are just "frosting on the honing cake".