Sometimes I think we're all a little hone-happy. People have been getting great shaves for centuries (!), using nothing more than some kind of barber's hone. Lynn could create a wicked edge with a hunk of concrete and a belt for a strop. I've been straight shaving for more than 30 years, and for most of that time I did just fine with a couple of cheap Arkansas stones.

Now that I've upgraded (see what ya'll did?), I can say that my blades are sharper--but not by much. This ain't rocket science, even though it's fun to pretend that it is.