Thread: Honing Question

I've about decided to do my own honing. Before I do I need to buy a stone. I've decided to get a Norton water stone but I need to know if I want the 4/8K combo or a one sided one either 4K or 8K. I'll be honing either a new high quality 6/8 NIB such as a TI or a newly acquired used one in good condition with no damage to the edge. Neither will be shave ready. After honing I will use a Tony Miller 2 sided strop with 1.0 & .5 micron diamond paste.

Under these conditions what is recommended: Norton 4/8K, Norton 4K, or Norton 8K? My objective is to get what I need under these circumstances while also trying to save some money by not buying more than I need. Thanks.

Duke

If you only intend to obtain a few razors then the 4/8 combo is the best. You will need both grits later on.

My two cents,

I don't know if you've considered all your options. The 4/8 is overkill for maintaining just a few razors. I have one. I bought it when i was heavily into restoring Ebay razors. Now I just use it occasionaly. It's too much trouble and too messy for one razor.

You can avoid serious honing indefinitely by refreshing the razor with a few swipes on a finishing hone when stropping won't restore its sharpness. A barber hone, like a Swaty or a pasted strop is good enough for that. You only need the 4K to restore an edge. But as infrequently as that happens you can just send the razor out to an expert.

If you find you want to do restoration you can get the 4/8 later on. In the mean time you have less costly alternatives.

I believe the Norton 4K/8K is the best overall hone out there. Not only is it good for normal edge restoration, but it works great for touch ups. A 3-3, 1-3, 1-3 rotation or just a simple 1-3,1-3 rotation or maybe even 3-5 strokes on the 8K side will work for you. Swaty's and barber hones in general tend to be more less consistent than the razors themselves and often can be very frustrating to new people.

Lynn

The combo gives you the best diversity. I don't know what I would do without having both those grits available to me.

X

I'd recommend the 4k/8k combo. Assuming the razor's edge is in good shape now, you might be able to get it sharp with just the 8k, but eventually it's going to need something a bit more agressive. Additionally, if the razor is NIB, you'll probably need to develop a better bevel on it anyway. Get the combo, you increase your options. Another might be to get the single grit 8k now, and a single grit 4k later. The thing is, the combo 4k/8k won't cost any more (and probably less) than the single grit 8k. All it takes is a stray piece of dirt or grit, and you're gonna want the 4k...it'll take a week to work even a small nick out with the 8k. The number of strokes depends on the razor. I'd recommend getting a less valuable one to practice on until you develop the feel you'll need to get it right. The pasted strop will go a long way to keeping your edge up before it needs real honing again. So, unequivocally, get the 4k/8k combo stone. Just my $.02

Joe

I have to agree with the masses here the 4K/8K combo is the way to go. It doesn't cost more that two separate stones (cheaper actually) and you have the flexibility to do more honing later on when it becomes necessary and believe me sooner or later it will no matter what you decide on the number of razors you intend aquiring now.