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

A barber once told me that you can spend a small fortune on honing stones.well the truth is you do not have to.simply all you need to maintain your edge for a good shave ,is ceramic.ceramic ,is the trick ,it seems no one on here cares to mention.it is inexpensive ,and it will produce a shave ready edge for around 20 bucks.a great one is the red head from bass pro shops .if you try 1 you will see that stropping is almost not needed.i give my 1900s keenkutter a few strokes and its ready to shave.i think all the talk about what ,and how many stones that are needed is nonsense.try 1 for yourself and see $20 is better than $80 IN MY BOOK ANY DAY.

You could do that and that's all you prob need for touch ups, I don't know the brand but most stone around 8k works. If you like the edge in a special way, like I do and this is your hobby you may pick another option, like I has.

Finishing doesn't have to be done on a Norton 8K or Naniwa SS 12K. All kinds of different media can be used if used carefully. Creating bevels and bringing them to the point of finishing is a different matter.

The barber you talked to was right! Only stone needed to maintain an edge is a "Barbers Hone" that what he was talking about, they are ceramic, and if you search on here you will find many many threads about them.
You can probably find one online for half the one you mentioned 10 is better then 20.

Personally I like reading threads like these. It sometimes seems that to be a serious user, you've gotta have a rock collection. A decent set of stones and a lapping plate seems likely to set one back several hundreds of dollars, which is a bit ridiculous for those of us who like having great "special" edges on our razors but see honing as a necessary evil rather than a separate hobby altogether.

I have zero stones right now and have been spending my spare time this Chinese New Year looking at stones online, from do-it-all coticule setups to Naniwa or Shapton progressions with Jnat finishers.

I have 5 straight razors and will likely sell a few, and the outlay for a kit to give my razors "superior" edges leaves me regretting entering the hobby. A single hone or lapping film for upkeep is less horrifying; it's encouraging when folks aren't quick to dismiss with "well, you can use whatever you like" with an implied "but..."

Ok. Good for you. You've just brought something to the forefront that never...err..actually everybody else already knew.

Originally Posted by Tierdaen

Personally I like reading threads like these. It sometimes seems that to be a serious user, you've gotta have a rock collection. A decent set of stones and a lapping plate seems likely to set one back several hundreds of dollars, which is a bit ridiculous for those of us who like having great "special" edges on our razors but see honing as a necessary evil rather than a separate hobby altogether.

I have zero stones right now and have been spending my spare time this Chinese New Year looking at stones online, from do-it-all coticule setups to Naniwa or Shapton progressions with Jnat finishers.

I have 5 straight razors and will likely sell a few, and the outlay for a kit to give my razors "superior" edges leaves me regretting entering the hobby. A single hone or lapping film for upkeep is less horrifying; it's encouraging when folks aren't quick to dismiss with "well, you can use whatever you like" with an implied "but..."

You can easily maintain an edge with paste or spray's on linen for a very long time with very minimal cost. A barbers hone is another option, i remember reading on this forum a member maintaining his edges for 4 years using a simple barbers hone.

The Bass Pro Redhead appears to be an 800 grit long ceramic rod with a handle, similar to the thing used to keep kitchen knives in order.

Shhhhhhhhhh! you're making my Thuringian stone cry. It's OK baby daddy still loves you.

We all have different standards for what is an acceptable edge!
I wouldn't want an 800 grit edge for sure!