Item Description
I got this from axminster tools in the Uk (www.axminster.co.uk) as the Norton Combo everyone raves about was just going to be unreasonably expensive to get in the UK.
It does the job excellently on an old razor that needs a bit of metal taken off- the 1K side takes it off fast, but does not seem too rough. The 6K side will put a bit of a polish on the edge, but this may take a while after the 1K, especially if honing up a chunky wedge- be prepared to lap the stone DURING use a few times, to prevent ovalling (hence low marks for durability- it is a waterstone, and as such wears very fast). I find the rate of wear very annoying- you basically need to lap it after each use, to be sure of a good honing surface. It is quite easy to lap though.
If you get this, I reccomend getting the artificial Nagura stone for use on the 6K side- not to build slurry, I tried that and found it counter-productive, but to clean it- run it under the tap and give it a quick scrub with the Nagura, and it will be clean and fresh as new. I like this feature of it a lot- very different from an oilstone, which is a pain in the arse to clean when it starts to "glaze".
There isn't much stone here, for a fast wearing stone, but for razors, it should last for ages unless you are repairing abused razors every day.
A razor can come off the 6K side shaving sharp, but not REALLY sharp, nor particularly smooth.
Having to fill it with water isn't to annoying for this stone- it only comes out if I bought an antique razor and need to work on it a bit, so I'm going to be settling down for a bit to do it- make a cup of tea while it soaks: a watched stone never fills...
Packaging sucks- a cardboard box, which goes crinkly because you end up putting it away before it is dry throughout. I don't mind making a decent box for a stone, so I should get round to doing this, especially as the stone is so delicate.
For the price (£15.28), a very decent piece of kit, worth getting if you live in the UK and expect to repair a few ebay razors.
It does the job excellently on an old razor that needs a bit of metal taken off- the 1K side takes it off fast, but does not seem too rough. The 6K side will put a bit of a polish on the edge, but this may take a while after the 1K, especially if honing up a chunky wedge- be prepared to lap the stone DURING use a few times, to prevent ovalling (hence low marks for durability- it is a waterstone, and as such wears very fast). I find the rate of wear very annoying- you basically need to lap it after each use, to be sure of a good honing surface. It is quite easy to lap though.
If you get this, I reccomend getting the artificial Nagura stone for use on the 6K side- not to build slurry, I tried that and found it counter-productive, but to clean it- run it under the tap and give it a quick scrub with the Nagura, and it will be clean and fresh as new. I like this feature of it a lot- very different from an oilstone, which is a pain in the arse to clean when it starts to "glaze".
There isn't much stone here, for a fast wearing stone, but for razors, it should last for ages unless you are repairing abused razors every day.
A razor can come off the 6K side shaving sharp, but not REALLY sharp, nor particularly smooth.
Having to fill it with water isn't to annoying for this stone- it only comes out if I bought an antique razor and need to work on it a bit, so I'm going to be settling down for a bit to do it- make a cup of tea while it soaks: a watched stone never fills...
Packaging sucks- a cardboard box, which goes crinkly because you end up putting it away before it is dry throughout. I don't mind making a decent box for a stone, so I should get round to doing this, especially as the stone is so delicate.
For the price (£15.28), a very decent piece of kit, worth getting if you live in the UK and expect to repair a few ebay razors.
