Thread: Any info on this vintage razor?

Originally Posted by JackSprat

Everyone seems to like the hone a lot... what makes it so good? Is it rare or just very good at honing razors? Why should a beginner like me avoid using it until I'm better at honing?

Honing takes practice & it's best to use a decent razor that isn't as important to you, like one you could pick up off eBay real cheap or at a flea market or wherever & you need to practice with it until you can get one to shave. You just can't get it down the first couple of times, it takes practice.

It would be like giving a teenager a 57 Corvette for their first car.

Don't mean to compare you to that... If it were me, I would put that hone aside, get a synthetic set to learn on and work my way up to it.

For those interested, the hone in this post is NOT the famous Norton axeman's hone that sells for so much money, at least according to these two posts -

Old Norton combination oil stone
http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...azor-hone.html

It does look awfully similar though.

Originally Posted by Wolfpack34

The Norton Co. purchased the Pike company in 1932. The hone you have (which is labeled Pike) was inventory that was re-boxed in a Norton box and sold. I have the exact hone with the same box. The later versions of this hones formula were labeled 'Norton' as Jimmy mentions above, and is highly prized. IMO they are the same hone...I have both and cannot tell the difference. In the top 5 of Barber Hones/Razor hones IMO.

Originally Posted by JackSprat

Everyone seems to like the hone a lot... what makes it so good? Is it rare or just very good at honing razors? Why should a beginner like me avoid using it until I'm better at honing?

Well I've never had one so I don't know what makes it so good. I know you can buy real good hones all day long that will get your razors sharp, and keep them sharp. You can't find a hone that goes for between $500-$750 USD every day, on the rare occasions they surface on ebay. If it is one of those I'd either keep it in a gun safe or start it on ebay at a dollar and watch the fun.

Originally Posted by WW243

You said honist.

Yep, an honest honist!

Originally Posted by JackSprat

Everyone seems to like the hone a lot... what makes it so good? Is it rare or just very good at honing razors? Why should a beginner like me avoid using it until I'm better at honing?

Yep! I would follow Wolfpack's opinion he posted above since he has one.