The title pretty much says it. All of the instructional vids on youtube that I see show people honing with 3+ different hones, can you just do it with a good two sided one? Or is it one of those things that's possible but not necessarily recommended?
Can you get by with one hone?
- Thread starter Rancor16
- Start date
You can get by with a one sided Coticule.
+1 on coticule. Nothing else really has the same versatility in a single or even double-sided stone.
The only time you need multiple hones is for fixing ebay blades. If you start with a shave-ready razor then all you really need is a finishing hone and just don't let the razor get dull, and for this any number of hones will work fine, including the Coticule, Shapton, PHIG, Nakayama, Naniwa, or some flavor of barber hone.
For a do-it-all hone, the 4k/8k norton will do the job just fine once you master it. The 4k side will take out chips, and the 8k side will put a fine shaving edge on the razor if you keep a light touch, not as good of an edge as a true finishing hone but a fine edge nonetheless - many of use used the norton exclusively for many years back before all these finishing hones became readily available and affordable. Any additional sharpness you need can be handled by the linen side of your strop, possibly augmented with the dovo white paste.
For a do-it-all hone, the 4k/8k norton will do the job just fine once you master it. The 4k side will take out chips, and the 8k side will put a fine shaving edge on the razor if you keep a light touch, not as good of an edge as a true finishing hone but a fine edge nonetheless - many of use used the norton exclusively for many years back before all these finishing hones became readily available and affordable. Any additional sharpness you need can be handled by the linen side of your strop, possibly augmented with the dovo white paste.
+1
I remember Chimensch saying he never needed anything more than a Barbers Hone for 30 years prior to finding the forums
For the record, I prefer coticules personally
+1
I remember Chimensch saying he never needed anything more than a Barbers Hone for 30 years prior to finding the forums
For the record, I prefer coticules personally
I did say that ... and it's true. Just remember that you have to start with a sharp razor. And I prefer coticules now, too.
It depends on what you want your hone to do. To just maintain an edge, any single finisher should do the trick. If you want to do everything from setting bevels to maintaining razors, a fine natural (like a coticule) will do the trick. I have had other naturals that could take me from a 1k hone to shave ready, but I never actually tried to set the bevels on them.
I don't really see any reason not to have a dedicated bevel setter in addition to your 1 hone, though. I started with a King 1k which cost $20 IIRC and it served me very well.
I don't really see any reason not to have a dedicated bevel setter in addition to your 1 hone, though. I started with a King 1k which cost $20 IIRC and it served me very well.
+1
I remember Chimensch saying he never needed anything more than a Barbers Hone for 30 years prior to finding the forums
For the record, I prefer coticules personally
Hmmm...but didn't I read all you guys said that coticules give differing shaves due to variations in the makeup of the rock?
So...am I correct in saying that every one is consistent unto itself...but not necessarily other coticules?
Obviously contemplating my first finishing stone for maintaining my own edges...not for an immediate buy but probably in a few months.
Well there will be small variations, but it is certainly close enough that you won't notice it. If you take a sample of seawater, it won't have a uniform salt content, but taking samples closer to each other (IE two parts of the same coti) will give you a closer match than two samples from different sides of the ocean (IE two different cotis).
Even though there is a fair bit of variation among coti's, all coti's that are suitable for razors fall into a relatively narrow spectrum; there are differences, but they are not vast differences by any means.
Coticules have variations from vein to vein (and some veins have variation within the veins), but mostly we are talking about characteristics in how they get to the edge. I'd say that they pretty well leave a good edge (based on reading of guys who research this extensively), and the variations in razors honed well on varying coticules would be pretty well imperceptible to most shavers...
Good to know...I think I'm leaning this way for my first finishing hone...
