DMT 8k Questions

[Piano Black]

Sorry, I'm sure these are very basic questions, but as such hopefully easy to answer.

I just got into the world of straight razor shaving and thus comes the job of keeping my razor sharp. Looking at the numerous options to keep your razor sharp has been quite overwhelming.

2 things I have heard a lot about are the DMT 8K and the Norton 4k/8k. After reading one of Joel's posts, he gave the impression that the DMT 8K does the work of both sides on the Norton 4k/8k. Furthermore, I have read that the DMT 8K does not need to be lapped, while the Norton 4k/8k would. From what I have read they are nearly the same price.

My question is this. Since I have nothing to lap with, would I be better off to go with the DMT 8k? I already own a Barber's Hone, so from my understanding I would be able to hone on the DMT 8K, finish on the Barber's hone and then move on to abrasive strops and what not.

Any advice is much appreciated, thanks!

PB

 

[SliceOfLife]

I go from my 1.2k DMT to my 8k DMT. So in that respect (A bridge from 1k to 8k+) it does the work of the 4k/8k combo.

It does not need to be lapped. Lapping it would be a bad idea.


Assuming you don't have any chips to remove, you could hone on the 8k and then go to your barbers hone. You can likely remove chips with the 8k, but that may take awhile.

 

[Seraphim]

DMT 8 k is great as part of an arsenal for maintaining an already shave ready straight.

If you start buying Ebay specials, you may want something more aggrseeive to set bevels, etc, or you will be there a looooong time.


DMT 8k + barber's hone sounds good to me.

 

[SliceOfLife]

C/EF duo and EEF is my recommendation for a DMT set for the eBay specials. Alternately a DMT-C and a Coti gives a similar range, with a finer top end, but requires a bit of practice to get the hang of the proper slurry states of the coti, and is a good bit slower.

I have a XC/F/EF/EEF and a coti. I use the DMT's far more than I go through the slurry process with the Coti, mostly because I'm lazy. But every once in awhile I feel like using my coti start to finish, just to be sure I haven't forgotten how, and it works fine. (Although I don't find it gets course enough for me to remove chips easily, hence the DMT C recommendation.) Frankly, I feel that once you take the time to learn either method, you won't regret the purchase.

 

[Piano Black]

Thank you both for the responses!

In my case, any razor I will be using will already be shave ready. As this is the case, and as suggested, I will go ahead and go with the DMT 8K + Barbers hone. I don't plan on bringing any non-shave ready razor back to life, so I don't think I will be needing a more aggressive setup. Thanks again!

-PB

 

[danjared]

I have a XC/F/EF/EEF and a coti.

What, no XX or C? You should complete the collection!

 

[treydampier]

I see no reason you can't touch up your razors just fine with what you have. The DMT is nice because of the lapping, but I personally wouldn't finish on it, but with the barber's hone it should be fine with pasted strops.
I agree with the person above though that it is not a good combination for restoring blades or ebay specials.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Yes a barbers hone is all you need to keep a razor shave ready. That's what they were made to do.

 

[Utopian]

Thank you both for the responses!

In my case, any razor I will be using will already be shave ready. As this is the case, and as suggested, I will go ahead and go with the DMT 8K + Barbers hone. I don't plan on bringing any non-shave ready razor back to life, so I don't think I will be needing a more aggressive setup. Thanks again!

-PB

Actually, if you are starting with shave ready razors and if you have a decent barber hone, it's likely that you would not ever need to drop down to an 8K DMT. What kind of barber hone do you have?

 

[Piano Black]

The hone I have is a "Never-Dull". It is a restored hone I bought from LarryAndro's site, whippeddog.com.

 

[Utopian]

I'm not certain I remember that one, but, does it look like a Swaty?

 

[Walker]

What if (like me) a guy was just starting out with no Barber hone. What setup would be ideal for a rookie? Nortons have to be lapped...alot, Spyderco hones are not very forgiving if you hit the edge of the hone you mess your razor up? DMT sounds like the best but what plates do I get for just routine maintenance of an edge? No ebay specials.

 

[Magruder]

After reading one of Joel's posts, he gave the impression that the DMT 8K does the work of both sides on the Norton 4k/8k. Furthermore, I have read that the DMT 8K does not need to be lapped, while the Norton 4k/8k would. From what I have read they are nearly the same price.

My question is this. Since I have nothing to lap with, would I be better off to go with the DMT 8k?
PB

I can tell you that I used nothing but a DMT 8K to hone a good-sized chip out of one of my blades. It wasn't the ideal choice, but it was what I had, and it did the job pretty quickly.

 

[Piano Black]

Yes! It looks almost exactly like the Swaty hone, but it says "NEVERDULL"

 

[Utopian]

What if (like me) a guy was just starting out with no Barber hone. What setup would be ideal for a rookie? Nortons have to be lapped...alot, Spyderco hones are not very forgiving if you hit the edge of the hone you mess your razor up? DMT sounds like the best but what plates do I get for just routine maintenance of an edge? No ebay specials.

OK, it sounds like you might be overwhelmed. In my opinion, strictly from my own experience and from my reading of forums, the best way to start out is with a shave ready razor and a barber hone. The reason is that a barber hone is all you need to maintain a shave ready razor indefinitely. The hardest part of honing is setting a bevel and that involves edge evaluation skills, which a beginner doesn't have. Learning the proper use of a barber hone doesn't require any assessment skills, as you simply do a few strokes on it whenever you notice a diminishment in the quality of your shave.

However, it depends on what your intentions are. If you want minimal equipment to shave, then a barber hone is all you need. If you intend to restore old razors, then you need more hones--specifically hones of coarser grit. Lapping hones is not a big deal, so don't rule out waterstones. Spyderco hones are not, in my opinion, ideal for razors but they can be used with perfectly acceptable results. The point is, you have to pick your tools based upon what your intentions are, just as a construction contractor is not likely to buy the same tools as a guy who wants to do an occasional repair. Since you don't plan on any ebay specials, then you might be able to get along just fine with a single decent barber hone.

 

[Utopian]

Yes! It looks almost exactly like the Swaty hone, but it says "NEVERDULL"

All right, so my memory has not yet completely failed. To my recollection, the Never-Dull hone feels and works just like a Swaty. If you are starting with a shave ready razor, your barber hone should be all you need to maintain it indefinitely. You should not need an 8K DMT for that purpose. Whenever you notice a diminishment in the quality of your shave, just do 5 strokes on your barber hone. That should be all you need to keep it working for years.

 

[cityjim]

No such thing as a DMT 8K .

DMT stones are rated in "mesh" . As in their synthetic fake diamonds falling into the related "mesh" sized holes or not , in the grading process .


cityjim

 

[Magruder]

The box that mine came in reads:

D8EE
8" DIA - SHARP 8000 GRIT

... so I think it's reasonable to call it 8K.

 

[Piano Black]

Thanks for all the responses everyone ! And it's good to see so many people from the midwest! I live in Kansas City myself.

 

[Walker]

Thank You for your response. Very Helpful!!

OK, it sounds like you might be overwhelmed. In my opinion, strictly from my own experience and from my reading of forums, the best way to start out is with a shave ready razor and a barber hone. The reason is that a barber hone is all you need to maintain a shave ready razor indefinitely. The hardest part of honing is setting a bevel and that involves edge evaluation skills, which a beginner doesn't have. Learning the proper use of a barber hone doesn't require any assessment skills, as you simply do a few strokes on it whenever you notice a diminishment in the quality of your shave.

However, it depends on what your intentions are. If you want minimal equipment to shave, then a barber hone is all you need. If you intend to restore old razors, then you need more hones--specifically hones of coarser grit. Lapping hones is not a big deal, so don't rule out waterstones. Spyderco hones are not, in my opinion, ideal for razors but they can be used with perfectly acceptable results. The point is, you have to pick your tools based upon what your intentions are, just as a construction contractor is not likely to buy the same tools as a guy who wants to do an occasional repair. Since you don't plan on any ebay specials, then you might be able to get along just fine with a single decent barber hone.