Thread: Barber Stones from Ebay

I've been looking around ebay for a barber stone. There are a few on there but the sellers never know what grit they are.
When browsing wet stones there are a frustrating amount that say "wet stone for knife or straight razor" But turn out to be 400-1000 grit which is useless for a razor. So my question is this:

Even if the seller doesn't know the grit, is it reasonable to assume a barber stone like a vintage boss will be fine enough for the final hone of my razor? Or do even barber stones come in low grits?

Thanks!

Some seem to be finer than others but they are only designed to touch up an edge with about 5 passes or less. In practice you use them more frequently than you would a hone because they are so fine. That being said they have a higher density of abrasive which results in faster cutting ergo the fewer passes. If it is truly a barber's hone you should get similar results from most of them but there are those who believe the Swaty's and a few others finish a razor better than most.

Welcome to SRP. It just keeps getting better

Wow that was quick!
Excellent, thanks very much I'll shop around for a Swaty then

Barber hones don't have grit ratings. I think they were all designed for quick touch ups before shaving. So they are all fine razor stones for final honing. Some have two sides with one side coarser than the other.

FYI its whetstone, not wet stone.

Michael

while some may be a bit finer or coarser than others, all should be fine for final honing, or touch ups..
most are said to be in the ballpark of 8k.. some have suggested that some really excellent ones may be 10k+ or even 12k+
those are less common and some are highly sought after.

if a barber hone has two distinct sides the finer side will be the one with the brand imprinted on it.
the texture of the surface will affect how well it polishes.. smooth and glazed will cut less and polish more. a one sided barber hone may be made to cut and polish differently by sanding one side, and burnishing/polishing the other. through use the side used for polishing will be come glazed with steel, and the abrasive particles of the surface dulled.. this may be considered a good thing up until it becomes too slow of a cutter/polisher, which is why some barber hone instructions direct the use of emery paper (sand paper) to refresh the surface (make it a bit rough again, and clean it).. using a scotch brite pad might clean the surface without leaving it too rough. maybe others can chime in here. soap and water might be enough to clean the glazing while leaving the surface polished.

even a slighty coarser barber hone should be quite comfortable after some CrOx, and many shave with only a barber hone.
i dont think you will find a barber hone that doesnt perform satisfactorily, especially if you have a good stropping paste.

if you are looking at carborundums<sp?> make sure it's a Razor hone and not simple a Sharpening stone for knives and other tools. there is a list of carborundum model numbers in the wiki that are for razors.

Some barber hones can set a bevel. IIRC the Carborundum 118S is one. I think a good 8k edge with modern stones can often surpass a barber hone.

can that same 118s be used to finish a razor?

There are some that are definitely coarse and I would not consider them finishers. One I can think of is the Lil Devil. I think some were made to lap others and that is one of those.

Originally Posted by ezpz

can that same 118s be used to finish a razor?

No it's too coarse for finishing. I meant to say the 118 . Don't know if the 118s is different.

118s is a fine razor hone.
106 on the other hand is a mad bevelsetter fast as dmt.

If you are looking for a finisher then i can recommend itsapeech hone if you ffind one.