Which would you get?

For my birthday this year, my parents wanted to help me get into honing straight razors. Naturally, they were quite confused and opted to let me choose what I wanted to get. So I was looking around and I have two options I'm considering and I'm not sure what to get...they're the same price so I'm not sure which is the better bang for my buck, and which will also provide the best honing experience. The options are:

1. Norton Starter Kit: Norton flattening stone, 4/8k and the 1k combo
2. Norton 4/8k with a DMT325

Which is more important...a wider array of grits or a higher quality lapping stone? My gut tells me to go with option #2 because I've heard the Norton and Naniwa flattening stones need to be lapped and I don't have the space to mess around with glass plates and sandpapers.

I should also mention I was also given a 12k cnat stone from woodcraft for finishing.

I would go with option number 2. You can work up a slurry on the 4k to help set bevels. The DMT 325 is really useful. You can add a 1k bevel setter in the future.

My bet is for #2.
The Norton 4k/8K is a work horse and
with a DMT the surfaces are going to have the
same degree flatness which is key.

Be gentle with the DMT and your 12k Cnat.
The Cnat will eat twelve DMTs for lunch.
If your Cnat needs more than a surface touch up
resort to cheaper tricks.

The cnat looks pretty flat. I did a cursory check with a straight edge and I was impressed so I'd assume it doesnt need much lapping. Plus I don't plan on using it until I'm able to shave from the Norton.

So, if I do go with option 2, which I think is what I'm going to do, I imagine I will also need to buy a slurry stone. I've seen slurry stones in the classifieds here, but are there other places to buy them?

If you mean slurry on the 4k, you can slurry that with the DMT325,no need for a slurry stone. If you mean later on the Cnat, I can't remember what they're slurrying with, but it's on one of the threads here.

Regards,

Howard

Option #2 for sure.

While the C12K may look flat, do a pencil grid and find out how flat it really is when you get your DMT 325 :)

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Originally Posted by SirStropalot

If you mean slurry on the 4k, you can slurry that with the DMT325,no need for a slurry stone. If you mean later on the Cnat, I can't remember what they're slurrying with, but it's on one of the threads here.

Regards,

Howard

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That is way too logical for me to have realized on my own.

And yes, I certainly plan on lapping the c12k. I was just saying I don't think it's going to need too much lapping...at least not enoguh to wear out the dmt.

I would go with option two aswell, you are better off with it. If you will need it you can buy a 1k stone after you mastered sharpening :)

Ok then, Norton 4/8 and DMT it is!

I also just nabbed two old razors on ebay to practice on. One's an Ontario Cutlery and the other is unmarked. $15 for the pair. I anticipate my first razor not going so well so they should do the trick jsut fine.

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Originally Posted by U2Bono269

Ok then, Norton 4/8 and DMT it is!

I also just nabbed two old razors on ebay to practice on. One's an Ontario Cutlery and the other is unmarked. $15 for the pair. I anticipate my first razor not going so well so they should do the trick jsut fine.

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Ah, & here is where the 1k may have been handy :p
Never mind the DMT may even be useful if the edges are real bad & the 4k with slurry has been known to set a bevel or 2 :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by onimaru55

Ah, & here is where the 1k may have been handy :p
Never mind the DMT may even be useful if the edges are real bad & the 4k with slurry has been known to set a bevel or 2 :)

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And also there are cases where a 320 grit would be handy... ;O

The 4K with slurry cuts steel rather good.
I must confess to using a fine grit Norton India stone
on some problem razors to pull the bevel together.
The 4K will tame the result of the India stone with
a little work.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by onimaru55

Ah, & here is where the 1k may have been handy :p
Never mind the DMT may even be useful if the edges are real bad & the 4k with slurry has been known to set a bevel or 2 :)

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Honestly, I know that when I try something new I tend to mess it up the first time, so really the razors I picked up on ebay are just to get used to the motions and the feel of it, with the knowledge that the chances of me making a catastrophic mistake are pretty high. I don't want to do something bad to a razor I like. If I do manage to actually set a usable bevel on them, it's a bonus.

Plus, my thought on it all is if I can learn how to set a bevel the "hard" way, then it'll be that much easier the easy way.

You can set a rough bevel on the DMT and continue on the 4K, no problem.

I do this sometimes for razors that are coming off the buffers. I don't like doing pre-bevel work on the Norton 220. Quite simply, it's just too aggressive, too thirsty, and the scratch marks take a good while to remove once you get to the 1k.

By comparison, the DMT 325 for pre-bevel work is much more gentle and easy to manage.

Option # 2 for sure. A lot of guys are using that combo with success. Personally, I have found the Chosera 1K to be vastly superior to the Norton 1K and the other 1K's that are available. However, if your going to be honing only a limited number of razors than the Norton 4K with slurry is very versatile. The other option, which I have used for a number of years, is to cut some 500-1000 grit sandpaper to fit on top of the hones and use that. Very Fast cutting and a minor startup cost.

Hope this helps :)

option two plus 1k Chosera would be my choice.


gary

when i get to the point that I can A) afford and B) warrant a 1k stone I'll probably just get a naniwa superstone

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Originally Posted by U2Bono269

when i get to the point that I can A) afford and B) warrant a 1k stone I'll probably just get a naniwa Chosera

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Fixed that for you. :)

i see what you did there :p

I'm with Randy and Gary. In my opinion, the 1k Chosera is the best bevel setter out there. It cuts fast and is gentle all at the same time. The stone is so hard that it rarely requires lapping, and takes forever to dish.