Thread: How to test a hone?

I use the end of my fingernail . I run it down the hone , and see how it compares to a hone of known grit . Try it .

Interesting topic.
I have stumbled onto a good way to rate hones and judge them against one another. I am sure you can look through your scrap box and find an old razor that has a very worn spine and you just don’t think it is good for anything. Well…If you use it as a test razor it can be very valuable and the more wear you inflict on it the better picture it gives you to judge finishes. After you decide one natural is finer than another just rough it up a little and start with another hone that is in question. This keeps you from putting wear on your favorite razor just to find out that hone you just bought on ebay is a dud. I also have found that all my Escher hones are not the same as well as my coti stones. I found that I have a coti that is one of my best polishers and I would have never realized this if it wern't for that old razor.
Good luck with this.
Stingray