Thread: no need for all these very expensive stones heres a cheap one.

kitchen knives or lawnmower blades ?who cares as long as it works,and im still at work on time.some ordinary folks dont concider honing to be a hobby.

u keep that wind laddie ill stick 2 power driven sea goin vessels that generally take a 500 ton master.i didnt mean to start the proverbial war ,all i was sayin was if u want people to stay on this sight ,maby give em a few options,and not just the expensive 25 rock hobby honing ones.

I have a simple 12k barbers hone to maintain my edges, but at the same time I understand that if I ever want to "step up" and get into restoring edges, setting bevels, etc., other stones are required. Until I'm ready for all that, I will stick to my $15 barbers hone. The worst thing I think is when somebody asks what hone they NEED, they are told a Norton 4k/8k, which is really not the case if you are just looking to maintain your blades...

Originally Posted by seacaptainchris

,all i was sayin was if u want people to stay on this sight ,maby give em a few options,and not just the expensive 25 rock hobby honing ones.

Perhaps you should actually do some reading on the site,,,,

I think you would find your "Simple" opinion well represented, the "Hobby" opinion is slightly more represented because it is more interesting to discuss..


Edit: here is the most recent version of this, article on various honing options...

http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...ml#post1114157

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Perhaps you should actually do some reading on the site,,,,

I think you would find your "Simple" opinion well represented, the "Hobby" opinion is slightly more represented because it is more interesting to discuss..

Very true, Glen. I did quite a bit of research on this site and very quickly found out this was the case.

Originally Posted by Chreees

I have a simple 12k barbers hone to maintain my edges, but at the same time I understand that if I ever want to "step up" and get into restoring edges, setting bevels, etc., other stones are required. Until I'm ready for all that, I will stick to my $15 barbers hone. The worst thing I think is when somebody asks what hone they NEED, they are told a Norton 4k/8k, which is really not the case if you are just looking to maintain your blades...

Most barber hones discussed around here are usually rated somewhere around the 6-8K range by the more experienced users..
Yours must be a special one
One of mine is of that caliber too, but it had a price-tag of USD 905....

So, you think the 4/8K Norton is not a good stone?
It is cheap, very versatile and perhaps the best documented hone out there.
A lot of us find it a very useful tool.
Yes, as a touch up hone as well!
Now, a good barber hone is great at what it does, and many people get by with that and that alone for years.
I reckon that is why so many recommend them on here...

Originally Posted by Birnando

Most barber hones discussed around here are usually rated somewhere around the 6-8K range by the more experienced users..
Yours must be a special one
One of mine is of that caliber too, but it had a price-tag of USD 905....

So, you think the 4/8K Norton is not a good stone?
It is cheap, very versatile and perhaps the best documented hone out there.
A lot of us find it a very useful tool.
Yes, as a touch up hone as well!
Now, a good barber hone is great at what it does, and many people get by with that and that alone for years.
I reckon that is why so many recommend them on here...

Did I say that the Norton was not a good hone? No. You must have misread my post. I said it wasn't always necessary if you're just looking to maintain an edge. There's tons of cheaper alternatives out there for that (well under $20). That was the only point I was trying to make. Sorry if it came off as something else. As for my hone, I'm sure it is nothing special, but I do know it is 12k grit and does a fine job for its intended purpose.

Originally Posted by Chreees

Did I say that the Norton was not a good hone? No. You must have misread my post. I said it wasn't always necessary if you're just looking to maintain an edge. There's tons of cheaper alternatives out there for that (well under $20). That was the only point I was trying to make. Sorry if it came off as something else. As for my hone, I'm sure it is nothing special, but I do know it is 12k grit and does a fine job for its intended purpose.

Maybe you've got one of those 12k Chinese stones, that you can buy for a cheapish coin at Ebay (not what most would call a barbers hone though)?

Originally Posted by Mikael

Maybe you've got one of those 12k Chinese stones, that you can buy for a cheapish coin at Ebay (not what most would call a barbers hone though)?

I got this one from WhippedDog.com, not eBay: Whipped Dog Straight Razor Shaving Equipment

Labeled as a barbers hone, and works just fine.

Whole point is, I don't think you have to go all out on getting a hone just to maintain your edge. If you've got the money and want something more expensive, then by all means, go ahead. For people like me though who are on a budget (especially since I'm about to be unemployed for who knows how long), it is more practical to get something like this than an $80-100 Norton 4k/8k.

Please don't get me wrong, I hope to eventually upgrade and get more/better stones when I have a new job and get into more advanced levels of honing.

Originally Posted by Chreees

Did I say that the Norton was not a good hone? No. You must have misread my post. I said it wasn't always necessary if you're just looking to maintain an edge. There's tons of cheaper alternatives out there for that (well under $20). That was the only point I was trying to make. Sorry if it came off as something else. As for my hone, I'm sure it is nothing special, but I do know it is 12k grit and does a fine job for its intended purpose.

As stated earlier, a barber hone is indeed a fine alternative.
Others swear by lapping film, some use a piece of balsa or similar with some kind of paste on it.
A lot of our members just want to maintain their shave ready edges, and those alternatives are all cheap and effective ways to do that.
You'll find tons of posts about them here, and quite a few users who gets by with that, and that alone for long periods of time.

Just out of curiosity, what brand is your barber hone?

Edit:
Thanks for the info on your hone.
That is in fact not a barber hone, not even a quarter of it
It is a chinese natural.
The grit rating on those are a guesstimate, as with all naturals.
They can be great finishers though.