Thread: wonder

So, would my best bet be to just suck it up and get a Norton 4/8k?

I wouldn't say that you have to abandon this hone for a Norton. Wait a few days to see what other advise/info is offered up by some more members. I think you'll get a much better idea of what to expect from the Wonder.

Why not clean it up and give it a try? What have you got to lose?

radio,

This hone looks similar to my first hone. It turned out to be a medium-grit hone, and I haven't yet been able to get it to work for me. I still try it out periodically, and some day...

It probably would take you 50 years to get an eBay razor shave-sharp with that hone. These hones seem to have been used for refreshing an already sharp edge.

On the other hand, I don't think you'll hurt the razor or the hone by trying, so go for it if you want to.

The only problem with this is that you won't see much progress, and thus you won't get much feedback as to whether you're practicing good technique. At least not for about 49 years... You might gain some confidence in the honing motions, though.

Josh

I'd agree with the above posters. It looks like a long Swaty hone. The downside is that for a full blown honing of a dull razor you will need more hones. The upside is that once you get a sharp razor this might be all you need to keep it that way. I use my Swaty for periodic refreshes (ten strokes or less) when the razor starts to pull. In three months of using the same razor I have yet to need to go to a coarser stone and my razor feels as sharp as the day Joe sent it to me and I've only refreshed it once.

It looks like a traditional barbers hone to me with a grit rating of between 6k-10k. I have to agree with the other guys, clean it up, lap it and give it a try. 50-100 laps should tell you where this hone fits in the honing process.