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Hi Guys,
I live in the UK and can't get hold of a Norton 4K/8K for my new razor without taking out a small mortgage. I can however get hold of a 1K/6K for a reasonable sum. Will this do the job combined with a strop?:confused:
Since I am hardy lining my budgy cage with crisp 50's I would appreciate any advice on geting hold of a low cost hone.
Thanks
Rob
Welcome aboard Rob. IMO the jump from 1k to 6k is too high, but I may be wrong on that count. However, 6k won't give you a comfortable shave. I am almost positive that the 1k/6k stone is Japanese. If it's reasonably priced, you can also get your hands on reasonably priced 4k/8k Japanese waterstones.
You can also get a starter kit from Tilly, at http://www.redtrader99.com/hones.html for $45US shipped, which is about 25GBP -- half of a budgy cage liner :D However the Lithide gets mixed reviews as a finishing hone. Joe Lerch should be able to offer more advice on this topic as he loves his barber hones.
Edit: An unpasted hanging strop won't do anything to sharpen your edge. It will just align it. If you put paste on it, that requires skill and you'll need an unpasted one anyways, which will drive your costs up to a Norton equivalent.
I suspect as well that you'll need a finer tool for the finish. Perhaps a pasted paddle strop or something of tha nature.
X
If you go with the Japanese 8k, it's good enough to shave you. However, I have to admit that I like a finer edge than that.
OK, thanks guys. I agree I probably need a 8K too from what I have read elsewhere. Which kind of begs the questions do i need the 4K stone? Will just an 8K stone suffice? I have found a few placed that do a single 8K stone for a sensible amount.
I'd get a 4k but you could probably do without one. With me, it's just a force of habit.
If you've already got a 6k, or can get one quickly and cheaply, you don't really need a 4k. It'll just take you a bit longer to get where you want to go. That being said, you can buy a combo 4k/8k for less than you can get just the 8k.
I will tell you from my experience if you buy all new blades or send used blades out for initial honing and then just need to maintain them and never abuse them by dropping them and the like you probably only need the 8K to refresh them every so often. If you buy any Eboy specials I can guarantee you must have a 4K and you will probably use the 1K every now and then if the blade has a bad chip in it.
Having said that I would also say that I think everyone here would agree that if every straight shaver needed a toolkit of the essentials the 4K/8K would be at the top of the list.
Or a nice yellow coticule (I don't have the 4/8k)
Well, here's another data point for you.
I'm able to get by with a 1k/4k combo water stone and a lithide razor hone. Also I have a razor strop, which is a must IMHO.
I already had the 1k/4k stone and was reluctant to shell out alot of cash. ( Yea, I'm cheap/thrifty. ) I started with a nicked up ebay special razor. The 1k side worked quickly to take out the nicks. I was able to get an ok edge on it with only the 4k side but pretty quickly ended up getting a lithide razor hone. I really like the final edge the lithide gives and have only had to do an occasional touch up on it. I don't do pyramids and haven't had to go back to the 4k.
Just goes to show you, there's more than one way to skin a cat.
If you follow the 6k with some abrasive pasted paddle strops (not a hanging strop) you should d just fine. I would suggest a 2-3 micron paste, a 1.0 micron and a 0.5 micron.
Just be sure to obtain and use a nagura slurry stone on the Japanese waterstones. The slurry makes all the difference.
Hope this helps,:)
I recently shaved off a japanese 6k. It was either that or a disposable. I would not recommend it though.