My straights are off getting honed and I'll be starting with straights soon. I've been doing the research and I know I will to hone the razor after a few months use (maybe earlier if I have bad technique). Which should be easier for a newbie to hone with, or is a barber's hone and a 12K not a fair comparison?
Barbers hone or 12k?
- Thread starter breadstick
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Both would be fair for touching up a razor. But I would like to suggest you look at getting a coti bout (roughly the size of a barber's hone) as an option. I have a barber's hone and really don't enjoy the edge it gives. Perhaps now that I'm a bit more experienced at honing I'll try it again...
But for just touch ups, a coti with water will suffice. You get a slurry stone and you can actually set bevels and hone it all the way up to shave ready.
Might cost a little more for a small bout, but the versatility will be worth it.
Barber's hones vary a lot, so I would suggest getting one from somebody who can tell you what it's characteristics are, and the type of edge it produces.
I have no experience with a 12K, but again, huge difference between say a C12k and a shapton or naniwa 12k...
But for just touch ups, a coti with water will suffice. You get a slurry stone and you can actually set bevels and hone it all the way up to shave ready.
Might cost a little more for a small bout, but the versatility will be worth it.
Barber's hones vary a lot, so I would suggest getting one from somebody who can tell you what it's characteristics are, and the type of edge it produces.
I have no experience with a 12K, but again, huge difference between say a C12k and a shapton or naniwa 12k...
A good barbers hone like a Swaty is probably up there with a Naniwa or Shapton 12K.
The barber hone is much cheaper but the modern synthetic is "always good"
Woo gives the best edge?
Highly a matter of personal preference.
As new to the hobby I'd go for a good barbers hone.
Other options are the Chinese natural, vintage Thuringian, small coticule or pasted strop (absolutely cheapest)
Oh yeah, pasted strops. Super easy to use, and quite effective. I have TI Razor paste and some CrOx and enjoyed the edge I got from them.
For the price the C12K is hard to beat and it gives a pretty nice edge. If you can get a coti bout for 20 bucks let me know where, I'll pick one up too.
In my testing Naniwa 12k is much finer than any Barbers hone I've used. Most Barbers hones are in the range of a China Nat (Which I'd say is comparable to ~12k Mesh or in the 9-10k range on the JIS (Naniwa's) scale. )
I also think Coti bouts are an upgrade from barbers synthetics and China Nat, but finding one you can use for $20 isn't easy. Both Barber synths and China nats are a viable alternative if you can't afford better.
Easier? I'd say a Barbers hone. The cut is more suited for touching up a razor (China nats are longer thinner "workshop" cuts). It's not a huge difference either way. I wouldn't spend considerably more on a Barber hone over a China Nat.
I also think Coti bouts are an upgrade from barbers synthetics and China Nat, but finding one you can use for $20 isn't easy. Both Barber synths and China nats are a viable alternative if you can't afford better.
Easier? I'd say a Barbers hone. The cut is more suited for touching up a razor (China nats are longer thinner "workshop" cuts). It's not a huge difference either way. I wouldn't spend considerably more on a Barber hone over a China Nat.
Go with a coti. It's good for touching up razors, and if you ever need to go down a step in grit, it'll handle that job for you as well.
A barber's hone is kind of a wild card. I think they are fine for touch-ups, but there are a lot of junkers floating around on eBay, so just make sure you get a decent one if you go that route.
My bout from Jarrod is about the size of my barber's hone, I've honed razors from bevel set to finished on it, it's a natural combo, and it was $54. Add a slurry stone and you have a complete start to finish honing setup, for the cost of a good little touch up hone.
But that's just this Coti fan boy's opinion... just wait until I try some other stuff and jump on their bandwagon. lol
But that's just this Coti fan boy's opinion... just wait until I try some other stuff and jump on their bandwagon. lol
A barber hone can be good or bad (as mentioned up here). The Chinese 12k can be good or bad (it's a natural stone).
The higher the grit, the better the finish, the longer to finish... I prefer a natural stone over a synthetic stone. YMMV
The higher the grit, the better the finish, the longer to finish... I prefer a natural stone over a synthetic stone. YMMV
Those are awful small to be compared to the size of a barbers hone.
I don't think a barber's hone is a bad way to test the honing waters... I wouldn't spend an arm and a leg on one because you will probably want to get more stones after you get used to it... but I would avoid the junkers too because you don't want to damage a razor or anything.
I have a Swaty and it is smoother than a natural 12K stone, so if I wanted to use both I'd use the Swaty last. In December I started honing for the first time, and on some of the blades that seem to shave the best the Swaty was sufficient to bring back the edge I had. On others, I needed all the natural stones I have: 4k, 8k, and 12k to make a difference.
I recently purchased a razor from a member and it was the best honed and least abrasive blade I ever used. He told me he had Shapton synthetic ceramic stones 1k, 2k, 5k, 8k, 12k, 16k, and 30k. I don't know if he used all of them for my razor but the results were better than I have been able to obtain.
When I gain a little experience and still can't approach that member's hone job I might get the Shapton 16k and 30k, but boy, they don't give them away!
I recently purchased a razor from a member and it was the best honed and least abrasive blade I ever used. He told me he had Shapton synthetic ceramic stones 1k, 2k, 5k, 8k, 12k, 16k, and 30k. I don't know if he used all of them for my razor but the results were better than I have been able to obtain.
When I gain a little experience and still can't approach that member's hone job I might get the Shapton 16k and 30k, but boy, they don't give them away!
Even Jarrod doesn't list those as bouts. I'm not doubting the coti would be a great choice but it seems as of late no matter what is asked in the honing section of the forum the coti seems to be touted as end all be all. Even when the OP has not even asked about them in particular.
My vote goes to the C12K over a barber hone.
I find a bigger stone easier to use and keep my bevel correct and constant. The edge is usually finer. The cost is usually lower.
The downside is the time it takes, but I am not honing for a living. If my touch-up take five minutes instead of 30 seconds who cares? I'd rather take a bit longer and have a better result.
To be honest, IMO the cheapest and easiest way of doing a quick edge refresh is on a balsa bench strop with CrO.
I find a bigger stone easier to use and keep my bevel correct and constant. The edge is usually finer. The cost is usually lower.
The downside is the time it takes, but I am not honing for a living. If my touch-up take five minutes instead of 30 seconds who cares? I'd rather take a bit longer and have a better result.
To be honest, IMO the cheapest and easiest way of doing a quick edge refresh is on a balsa bench strop with CrO.
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Well I brought it up, not as the end all be all, but as a new straight shaver, who had a barber's hone and figured could maintain my edges, and this thing delivered a sub par edge... not usable for shaving. (would shave but brutal)
Looking at other little hones I would actually be willing to use to touch up an edge, I would put my money on a little bout. Might be tricky to learn at first but more versatile in the long run and more effective for what he was looking for.
As always YMMV, but for me, the barber's hone was a flop, the C12K was too much of a wild card, I wasn't willing to pay ~$80/stone to get a series of synthetics (or even just a 12k+ for touch ups)...
The problem with a barbers hone is you don't know what grit rating it is. They can vary from as low as 7k up to 12k.
I had a Chinese 12k for a while and I was pretty impressed with it for the price. It was quite slow so it took a few laps to get the edge to where you wanted it but the finish off it was good.
I had a Chinese 12k for a while and I was pretty impressed with it for the price. It was quite slow so it took a few laps to get the edge to where you wanted it but the finish off it was good.
