Thread: Barber hone vs J-Nat

No, not a contest.
Some of my customers have asked if it's possible to maintain the edges I finish on a Nakayama Asagi with a barber hone.

Having little to no experience with barber hones I PM'd hi_bud_gl & Utopian about their opinions. Ron also suggested posting this up for more input as it may be of interest to others.. A big thank you to both gentlemen.

btw Sham said yes, with the "right" hone & Ron said yes, but results might not be quite as smooth.
I think a final polish with a super fine paste after the barber hone may solve that.

So whaddya reckon guys ? Anyone have a theory or experience with both types ?

Thanks for posting this. I think a lot of times people send questions by PM that would be better served by posting the question in a new thread. I'm not complaining or criticizing, but one almost always is going to get a better and more informative range of answers by throwing it out to the entire forum.

Regarding this specific question, I believe a coarser barber hone is going to fairly quickly alter the character of an edge from a J-Nat, or a 30K Shapton, or any other finishing hone. The analogy would be polishing a blade up to 3000 grit and then polishing it with 2500 grit sandpaper. The final finish is going to appear like that of the 2500 rather than the 3000 grit sandpaper. The character of a J-nat finished edge is going to transition to that of a barber hone finished edge after a few (perhaps even one) honing sessions.

I would have to agree, that it would change it rather quickly,,, BUT, it would maintain a comfortable shaving edge (assuming correct usage of course) idefinatley...
I think sometimes we "Honemeisters" get a little carried away with just how good we think an edge needs to be for a comfortable shave... I mean myself I was happy as a pig in a poke just 3 short years ago with a Norton 8k and linen and leather now that is just the gateway drug of choice to finer finishers......

Will it maintain a comfortable shaving razor = Yes
Will it maintain the same as the Oz man on his favorite J-nat = No
Whoops, and the last most important one, will most people be able to tell the difference = No

My 2 cents

I believe that a barbers hone can maintain a very comfortable edge but it may be difficult to maintain an edge that is comparable with the edges we create with our various finishing stones and pastes. I also believe that we may have exceeded the expectations of previous generations with our pooled knowledge, experiences and resources.

Thanx guys. This really puts things in perspective

From another perspective: I bloody hope not, because I paid a small fortune for my Asagi, and it if turns out that I could have gotten away with a 60 dollar Swaty.... well, let's just say Jimbo would not be a happy boy.

At the risk of raising the whole natural vs synthetic thing again, I feel there is more going on with a J-nat edge than just the superlative level of fineness. The natural variability inherent in the abrasive particulate distribution throughout the suspension media in a natural stone, and in particular the J-nat, imparts what I believe to be a much more robust edge (as well as a highly polished one), that cannot be replicated by the man-made alternative.

Having said that, I agree with what everyone said above. I can have a nice shave off my shapton 16K, or the norton 8K. But the transition from a 30K+ J-nat to a 10-15K barber hone will simply put a 10-15K barber hone edge on the razor. You'll just blow away the J-nat edge, and replace it with the barber hone edge.

James.

I'm still looking for a Barber hone I want to try one but don't think it will touch my current line up, for the main reasons listed above.

I'd have to agree also as I used to shave off my Norton 8k and leather

I've got a barber hone, but it rarely gets used just because when I'm at home I'll dig out my Maruichi and Naniwas for any honing. So the barber hone only gets used when I travel.

The edges from the barber hones are easily good enough to shave with though, but I dont think they're as good as a J-Nat. But then again I'm not comparing like with like..! A $300+ natural hone or a $50 synthetic one? You'd kinda expect the natural to perform better lol!

Originally Posted by DwarvenChef

I'd have to agree also as I used to shave off my Norton 8k and leather

LOL. I used to shave off a King 8k & thought it was Xmas when I bought my first China 12k.
Now someone remind me. Why did I buy these expensive stones ? I'll just blame So. It's all his fault

Interesting feedback. I would THINK one could possibly tell the differences in the comfort, possibly not the performance. I've had some finished on J-nats that offer superior comfort and other razors I've touched up on a BH and they seem to feel differently. But, that's 2 different razors, two different people honing. Too many variables to make a determination!

What I have wondered since playing around with these hones, and forgive me if this should go somewhere else, but say you have an edge finished on 8k and one finished on... I don't know...some fine finisher, let's go with J-nat or pastes. Would the rougher finisher blade last longer, the one off the 8k?

My thinking is the finer finishing stone would produce a more delicate edge that while it feels better, doesn't last as long. Is there any truth and merit to my thinking?