How long do your Norton waterstones or Naniwa hones last?

I would like to know how long people here have had your first Nortons or Naniwas, especially if you have ever had to replace one, or if you somehow managed to destroy one after the first use. It came as a bit of a shock to me when I learned that these sort of hones (or at least the Nortons, anyway) actually wear down under use by the blades which they should be harder than (otherwise, how would they be able to cut the metal:thinking:). This after I had bought the Norton 4K/8K, thinking of it as a lifetime investment until I learned that it needs to be lapped often (then I saw a remark posted somewhere that somebody thought they were doing good for still using theirs after two years). The Naniwa 12K is much pricier, and for $100 I could easily buy 1 year's worth of ok disposable safety razors. Not that I can really go back after going where I have already, but if you can please try and make me feel not so much like a milked cash cow. At some point I should be able to spend at least a couple of years just shaving, and taking care of my blades with items already purchased for at least a few years, buying only the occasional soap and badger brush - RIGHT??? Oh, please tell me that will happen!

They'll last Lynn Abrams a few months before he wears 'em out. I've had my Nortons for maybe 5 years and they ain't hardly worn. Honed quite a few razors on them too.

I think unless you are honing for a business your norton will last you for MANY YEARS! Unless you have razors that you are restoring from eBay or antique shops. If it is just for maintance of your personal razors you should be good.

I bought my combo 10 years ago and though the 4K is worn to nothing the 8K side is still perfectly useable.

It will depend how often you use it and how often you lap it.

I believe Lynn said he gets something like 3500 honings from the 4 k. Don't quote me on the exact number but it was a lot.

When one of my hones truly wears out- I think I shall throw a party in its honor and put it on a auto-spinning Lazy Susan.

The hone is cost-effective, until you get HAD. I've spent more on hones than on razors, but I am, after all, a willing adult.

The hone's grit is harder than your blade's steel, but by design a waterhone's binder (or matrix) is soft enough to release the grit particles. This is because they will get chipped back even as they do their thing to the passing steel, until they're too dull to have much effect any more. On a well-designed manmade hone, this release will happen quickly enough to keep the hone cutting, but not so quickly that you waste grit. Also, the particles must hold their position against the passing steel, rather than just being snagged out of the matrix.

Most natural hones work the same way, the actual honing crystals are embedded in a matrix that releases them slightly faster than they get dulled down. Or, through lapping and slurrying, we purposefully refresh the hone surface. The ones I know of that differ are the novaculite hones (Arkansas, Charnley, Turkish Oilstone, Hindostan). I'm not sure how those work, but my Charnley didn't work up to its potential until I tried eleblu05's method of polishing it with a slab of hard steel.

Anyone out there have SEM pictures of a working novaculite surface? I'd love to see what that looks like.

On the right, my 4/8, flattened a half jillion times with a few jillion razors under it's belt. On the left, a 1k with a half-jillion to it's credit. The 1k/220 which came with the 4/8 has been retired to knife usage! The real wear comes from flattening. I do a quick once-over between usage with a well-worn DMT. I gave up on the "grids" and such a while back as I realized what a clean surface looks like. Makes them fresh and effective! Pretty much forever! :D

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As several people already said: your norton should last for a couple thousand honings. Unless you begin as a professional restorer or honer, you it IS a lifetime investment.