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Thread: Contrary advise?

  1. #11
    This is not my actual head. HNSB's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mainaman View Post
    A finisher makes sense if a person is to maintain a shave ready razor.
    ... just finisher will not cut it when it comes to fixing edges or bevel resets.
    I think that sums up the difference in the advice.
    It depends on the person's goal - if they just want to maintain their razor forever, a finishing stone or a barber hone can do it.
    If they are going to want to expand their collection and do more serious honing, it makes sense to start with the 4/8.
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  2. #12
    There is no charge for Awesomeness Jimbo's Avatar
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    I don't really think there is a contradiction in the advise, it is more one of those "how you look at it" things. Other things being equal, it is a great idea for a beginner shaver to get a shave-ready razor to start with. Other things being equal, it is a great idea for a beginner honer to get a (for example) Norton 4/8 combo stone. A beginner shaver and a beginner honer need not be the same person. Even if they are the same person, as has already been mentioned above that does not necessarily mean their sole goal is to maintain their shave-ready razor (although of course it very well might be).

    In a certain sense advise for shavers is often given independently of advice given to honers, and vice-versa. However, if a new shaver asks for advice on maintaining their blade(s), and I can recall numerous threads along these lines, the advice is often more tailored when it comes to hones.

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  3. #13
    Member AFDavis11's Avatar
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    The word honing means more than just finishing. I agree with what you are saying, the problem is that " honing " means to be able to make anything shave ready. I think way too many people try to learn to hone way too early. The order should be: learn to shave without damaging an edge, learn to strop to maintain the edge, learn to keep the edge with a barber hone/ finisher, learn to hone a new razor, learn to hone a used razor, learn to restore a screwed up razor.

    There is also overlap with another term, restoration. Many of the stages I mentioned are referred to by others as restoration vice honing.
    Last edited by AFDavis11; 03-22-2012 at 10:20 PM.

  4. #14
    I'm on The Straight Road jdto's Avatar
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    Also, an 8k is a more than acceptable finisher, so you could use it to maintain an edge.

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    Huzaa Alan Huzaa !!!!




    That is about as perfectly put as possible...

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    Quote Originally Posted by AFDavis11 View Post
    The order should be: learn to shave without damaging an edge, learn to strop to maintain the edge, learn to keep the edge with a barber hone/ finisher, learn to hone a new razor, learn to hone a used razor, learn to restore a screwed up razor.
    So basically my original logic is sound and in-line with this reasoning, right?

  7. #17
    Senior Member 111Nathaniel's Avatar
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    As if I could add to this thread!

    I started with just the bbw/coti finisher and learned to use it (eventually!) I found this beneficial as i learned to get the most of that stone(I think) before moving on to get a 1000/4000 king. The king helped speed the bevel setting and make the bevels more consistent.

    I think in hind sight that was a good learning curve or approach to not diving too deep right away.

    Just a few thoughts from a newbie perspective.

    Nathaniel.

  8. #18
    Member AFDavis11's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joegags View Post
    So basically my original logic is sound and in-line with this reasoning, right?
    Yes, the basic logic is sound, with the exception of some of your inferred presumptions about barber hones vs full size 12 k stones. Depending on the definition it would be better to learn how to finish first, rather than learning how to hone. Additionally, it should be made clear that it is sometimes a challenge to finish an edge that you personally didn't hone, for a variety of reasons.

    And as your experience also shows learning to keep an edge through stropping is an important prerequisite.

  9. #19
    Senior Member Proinsias's Avatar
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    Obviously the answer is to get two shave ready razors, a norton combo and a 12k - oh and don't forget the ebay beater and a 1k hone. Hone one of the shave ready's little but often on the 12k and the other take back to the norton every once in a while. Experiment with the 1k and the ebay razor. I found when starting to hone it's very handy to have a practice razor you can use as much as want on any stone. I shave three or four times a week and building the muscle memory required for honing was far quicker having a blade I could hone on for 10 mins or so a day, at first I would get a feel for the stone using my practice razor before switching to one of my shavers.

    Having one shave ready straight razor isn't really conducive to learning to hone, if you have a nice stropping technique it's not going to need to see the hone very often or for very long and honing seems to be one of those things that improves with the more laps that you do and the more often you do them.

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