Hone for beginner

[motero57]

Hello all

I am a beginner into straight razors. I came from DE shaving.

I will like to purchase a hone for maintaining my single blade. My razor is already sharpenned by a proffesional. I will like to purchase a hone in order to maintain it once it starts to get dull.

I am new to honing so I will like it to be a slow sharpening hone. I do not want to overhone the blade. I will only have one hone for maintenance and will not purchase pastes or anything alike.

I look for recommendation as I do not know what hone to buy, there are lots of them and I am totally lost.
It may be a barber hone (Where do they sell them?) or any other hone.

Suggestions are very very appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Barbash]

I am following along because I am interested in finding a first Hone for myself.

 

[holli4pirating]

Pretty much any finisher would work, it's just a question of preference (which includes budget). Any of a number of well known barber hones would do the trick, but they can be tough to find. A Naniwa SS 12k, Shapton 16, Shapton 30, coticule (though I don't like them as finishers because I don't find the edges as sharp as I like), C12k should all be easily purchased new.

Then there's the rest of the slew of naturals - too numerous to name. Some of the favorites seem to be Charnley Forest, Thuringian (Esher is a brand of Thuringian), the finer Nakayama's, etc etc.

You can also go for some time with a paste (such as chrome ox, .5 diamond or, I'm told, cerium ox) on a hanging or balsa strop. I don't really use pastes all that much, but I know the .5 diamond or chrome ox will work because I have used those.

Do keep in mind, if you get a slow hone, you'll have to do more strokes. Unless you are confident in your ability to make good strokes, this also means more chances to make a mistake. The likelyhood that you will overhone on a finisher is, imo, slim to none.

 

[Chimensch]

As has been said, there are a lot of choices. IMO the easiest for a beginner is a barbers hone. User GsSixgun sells them lapped and tested for $40-$60. My personal favorite would be a coticule. Howard Schechter at the Perfect Edge sells a 6" x 2" coticule for $60.

 

[Ray-man]

Based on your requirements to not only keep your razor sharp by using a stone for periodic maintenance, you have also asked to be able to use that same stone for sharpening that same razor.

With that in mind, the only stone that will do that is the Coticule. No other stone, either natural or synthetic as far as I know, will fit those requirements. And, if you plan on using that same stone to sharpen, as you have said, then that one stone will eventually need to set your bevel. Again this can only be accomplished with a Coticule.

In these three I would think a Coticule would be the one and only one stone you need to look at. To find out more about them, go to Coticule.be and get all the information you need to understand how they are used and what to look for. This is strictly an information site and not a site to buy them. After you are more informed about them you will be able to purchase one knowing what you are looking for. If you decide you would like one of these, you can then get one from Ardennes or SRD or a few other places that carey them

Good Luck

Ray

Ray

 

[motero57]

Thanks to all of you for your repplies.

As far as I understand, I summarize the following:

Cuticule is a hone that can be used from stablishing a bevel to doing touch ups to an already sharpenned blade that needs only a little bit of honning.

Hones from 12K and above are the ones to be used for recoving an everyday used straightrazor to a confort shaving state. (Sharpppppp)

Barber hones. They are difficult to find, small and pricy. (usd60).

So, if i want a hone for all purposes, the cuticule is the one to choose but final sharpennes my end up a little below to some other hones above 12k. If I just want to maintain the blade, and probably for more or less the same price of a barber hone, then I can decide in hones equal or over 12k like the naniwa or the others proposed.

I am clear?

 

[holli4pirating]

Personally, I wouldn't ever set a bevel on a coti - if you use slurry you can, but considering how cheap a 1k is, why bother? Still, coti's are very versitile hones. Then again, so are some Japanese naturals - I have one that behaves a lot like a coti. Same can be said of a Dragons Tongue or BBW, though they are not quite as fine as a coti.

Really, anything 8k and over will allow you to maintain a razor, but if you got yours professionally honed, it's likely been taken higher than 8k, so 8k won't feel quite as sharp.

What you'll find is there really are no simple answers to questions about hones, because there are so many and they can be used in a number of different ways and different people have different preferences.

I think, at this point, my best recommendation for a hone to just maintain/touchup a razor is the Nani SS 12k.

 

[Chimensch]

Thanks to all of you for your repplies.

As far as I understand, I summarize the following:

Cuticule is a hone that can be used from stablishing a bevel to doing touch ups to an already sharpenned blade that needs only a little bit of honning.

Hones from 12K and above are the ones to be used for recoving an everyday used straightrazor to a confort shaving state. (Sharpppppp)

Barber hones. They are difficult to find, small and pricy. (usd60).

So, if i want a hone for all purposes, the cuticule is the one to choose but final sharpennes my end up a little below to some other hones above 12k. If I just want to maintain the blade, and probably for more or less the same price of a barber hone, then I can decide in hones equal or over 12k like the naniwa or the others proposed.

I am clear?

Yeah, I think you've got it. Just to clarify the coticule issue. The edge off a coticule is gentle and sharp. It will give you a BBS that lasts 4-6 hours. The pastes and finer hones will extend the BBS a little. Try the coticule and you will be happy with the results. Then, when you have a little more experience you can start experimenting with the other stuff.

 

[SliceOfLife]

I've actually gotten the new rocks (The dark dirty "German Natural" hones) Mueller is digging up to work from bevel to finish. But the finish isn't coticule quality, and it's slow going.


Barber hones are easy to find, small and cheap. They're a PITA to lap, and a few examples (mint Frictionite, Dubl Ducks, etc) are costly.

I'd recommend the Coti as a good general stone (like ray-man said). Nothing does as much as it does, as well as it does. I wouldn't bother getting a 12k to follow it. The only stones I've got that improve on my coti finish are my Thuringians (Well above 12k) and my Jnat (in the 20k+ area, slow as the day is day).

 

[Bart]

I'm going to be blunt here. I don't really care what the original poster purchases. There are a lot of excellent hones that can maintain the edge on a razor, provided that he stays away from pastes. Not that pastes aren't good. It's just that a few pasted touch-ups introduce a slight arc-shape at the edge, which puts it out of reach of a flat hone.

Yet, in my opinion, there are some myths presented as facts in this thread.
I have a Chosera 10K, a top grade Nakayama, of which I can get excellent results. Besides that, I have honed many razors on many Coticules.
I can't deny that I like the finish of a Coticule best, but that is irrelevant, because it's all personal preference.
But to the people who claim that a Coticule has only "general" keenness to offer, I suggest that they learn to use it better.

The truth about Coticules is this: you get 2 hones in one. -With the garnets unleashed in a slurry it's a bevel setter. With the right technique it easily matches the speed of a 2K or even 1K synthetic. (Why bother with buying soaking, lapping, deglazing a 1K synthetic, if you already own a Coticule?)
-With the garnets embedded in the surface (water only) it becomes a slow and very smooth finisher.

The true problem is that people have started to grit-rate natural hones. Because of that, Coticules were compared to hones like the Norton8K. While it's precisely in that area that a Coticule offers its biggest challenge to the user.
Once learned how to deal with that challenge, and the cape of keenness cornered, a Coticule feels like a fish in water to add an amazing smoothness to the edge. It actually needs such high keenness, because the edge can't rely on any bite, once finished on a Coticule.

With practice and determination anyone can learn to put an edge on a razor with a Coticule, that cannot be improved with pastes for smoothness or effortless shaving. It can only be made more aggressively with 0.25micron diamond paste, if that's so desired (not by me). I'm not saying this to insult anyone, or to favor Coticules over other finishers. Like I said, preference for the feel of a good finisher is a call that can only be made by a seasoned shaver, that has developed a taste for such discreet variables. But those who think Coticules ought to be excluded out of that league of ulterior finishers, because they also happen to be very "general" use, are mistaken. This is my experience, and I notice that most guys who've went to the trouble of figuring their Coticule out, tend to agree with it.

Kind and respectful regards,
Bart.

 

[redwoolf]

Kind and respectful regards,
Bart.

Thanks for your slurry of information. Where did you find your coticule?

 

[richmondesi]

Thanks for your slurry of information. Where did you find your coticule?

He wrote it based on 2 years of research and mastery of techniques on coticules. Here is his website: Coticule.be

 

[redwoolf]

He wrote it based on 2 years of research and mastery of techniques on coticules. Here is his website: Coticule.be

Wow! It looks like I've got some evening reading to do.

Thanks Paul!

 

[SliceOfLife]

But to the people who claim that a Coticule has only "general" keenness to offer, I suggest that they learn to use it better.

If you're refering to my calling a Coti a good "general" stone. I didn't mean it in that way. I meant general as in "multipurpose". I personally prefer my escher stone's finish to my coticules, but only slightly, and I'd agree the Coti gives an easier razor edge to shave with. It feels dull on the face but cuts hair great. I actually prefer the "sharp" feeling of the escher finish and find it gives me just the tiniest bit closer shave. But as you said, it's a personal preference thing. Both are top notch finishers.

(Why bother with buying soaking, lapping, deglazing a 1K synthetic, if you already own a Coticule?)

I have beveled with my coti, and it works really well (I like having the ability to bevel on a 1.5" wide stone vs my ~2.75" wide DMT). I don't use it unless I have to because, well, I like my coticule too much. I've seen too many Coti's with the Coti side worn down to nothing to use my coti on every razor I come across. So I keep mine reserved for when I really need it.

So in answer to that question, I'd say buy a 1k synth because they cost $20 and are an inch thick. Save the coticule for after the bevels set, so that it will last a lifetime. But that's just how I choose to use it. Maybe I'm being stingy with my coti.

 

[redwoolf]

I have beveled with my coti, and it works really well (I like having the ability to bevel on a 1.5" wide stone vs my ~2.75" wide DMT).

So you're both saying that a Coticule can be an all purpose one stop shop for creating a bevel through fiinishing the blade?

 

[SliceOfLife]

Yes.

 

[redwoolf]

Yes.

That is fantastic news!

 

[bookamatches]

Can I safely assume that the coticule needs to be periodically flattened? If so, how often?

 

[gaj90027]

So you're both saying that a Coticule can be an all purpose one stop shop for creating a bevel through fiinishing the blade?

Really enjoying this thread, I feel lost on the whole "want to buy my first hone" journey and this is helping a lot.

Can someone post a link to a few different coticule's and 1K synth's.

 

[SliceOfLife]

I've not flattened mine, but I've only had it a few weeks. I think that if you use the slurry stone properly it takes care of flattening for you.