Thread: Are Barber Hones Necessary?

I'm new to straight razors and I'm wondering if I need a barber's hone. I've decided to go with a dovo 5/8 razor, norton 4/8k hone, and a good strop, my only question is, do I need a barber's hone? I've seen some on ebay, and I was wondering if anyone has any experience with those, or if there is something better than a barber's hone and where I can get it from. I have no idea if the 4/8k is enough, or more is needed. Thanks for any help.

Jordan

Hey Jordan,

I have had a real challenge trying to get the barber hones to work for me, even in combination with my Norton. The Norton is such a great tool you really don't need anything else. You might WANT something else though. A 12,000 stone might be easier. A two sided paddle strop with some 3µ, 1µ and/or 0.5µ paste would likely be easier still for final refinement of the edge. I'm playing with my new Belgian yellow coticule bout and it looks to be about as effective and useful as the latter so far. That's without even being used to it though so maybe it really is what everybody says, the best tool to finish most blades.

X

The beauty of a Barber Hone is that they are easy to use. No soaking. Ready to go. If you want to learn about barber hones, contact Tilly. She is a delight to work with and has a number of barber hones available.

RT

I don't have a Norton 4k/8k only barber hones. They do everything I need for now. I would like a Norton only to have the same tool as others here so they can give you great advice on how to use it. Tilly has some great NOS hones that are a bargin when getting started here.

Glen

Originally Posted by jtd054

I've decided to go with a dovo 5/8 razor, norton 4/8k hone, and a good strop, my only question is, do I need a barber's hone?

You don't need one, you already have everything you need to keep the razor in sharp condition. Barber hones might be fun, once you master the honing skill, and at price ~10-20$ they are cheap enough to experiment with...

Nenad

use the norton...forget barber hones spend the money on more razors...

Yea that $15 will buy you lots of new razors. Leave the barber hones to me. While your at it, you don't need a strop either. Nothing better than to be getting ready for work in the morning, shaving away, and tossing your Norton in to soak for 20 minutes before its ready to clean up an edge on a razor. Maybe you can get in the habit of bringing it in the shower with you. HA!

Join the crowd . . . have 15 razors and barely have the tools to maintain any of them and post on here. "How come I can't get this razor sharp?" :-)

Yea, thats the ticket . . . leave all that stuff to me.

On the other hand . . .

90% of the guys on here would be better off with one shave ready razor, a barber hone and a strop over an Ebay special and a Norton any day.

Cool thing is, technically, you don't NEED shaving cream either!

Originally Posted by clarman

use the norton...forget barber hones spend the money on more razors...

Charlie,
Now here we are in FULL agreement!


Every week I am tempted to sell of my monster collection of barber hones and buy more TI razors.....and a Maestro...

Tony

My response to this question can be neatly summed up in a short remark made by a very seasoned and knowledgeable straight razor shaver:

"My train of thought is this: why half kill a dying art by denying half
of the skill and tools used for straight razor shaving?"

When I started out, I decided to spend my energy and time learning how to use barber hones simply because I wanted to master all the tools involved in the _art_ of classic shaving, just like the old time barbers. My original inspiration came from watching the master barber Greg Ives demonstrate how to use a combination barber hone in his video _The Lost Art of Straight Razor Shaving_. Highly recommended.

Barber hones are not necessary; neither are straight razors.

Hal

Originally Posted by halwilson

Barber hones are not necessary; neither are straight razors.
Hal

Go wash your mouth....with soap young man.