If I can only afford ONE cheap hone....

[Christopher_loaf]

...what would I/can I get? I've been told my tri-hone for knife sharpening is a no go so I need a razor hone. I don't have tons of dough to spend. (actually none until after christmas now) but even $60 is too expensive for me. I got into this for the cheap and I don't need a fancy, four miles wide, 8 miles long 1000 grit whatcha-ma-doodle from the cliffs of Japan. Something simple and cheap suits me fine. Thanks for your help in advance!!!


Christopher

 

[kg4ghn]

Youre gonna need something a lot higher than 1000 grit.

I would say your only options would be a barber hone or a Chinese 12k for under $60. Both of those are finishing/touchup stones though so you would still need to have somebody else set the bevel and get it shave ready if your straight isn't already.

Somebody else might be able to chime in with other options but those are the only two I can think of.

 

[Wid]

Are you trying to maintain a razor or hone from ground up?

 

[Christopher_loaf]

Are you trying to maintain a razor or hone from ground up?

Going to send them out and have them honed up, then they'll just need to be maintained. My strop is ordered already so I have half of the equation. BTW, what's the difference in a knife hone and a razor hone?


The 1000 comment was just sarcasim, I have no clue what grit I really need.

 

[superbleu]

Barber's hone if all you are looking to do is touch it up/ refresh it.

 

[Christopher_loaf]

Barber's hone if all you are looking to do is touch it up/ refresh it.

So the couple of barber's hones on whippeddog.com should suffice or something different?

 

[kg4ghn]

So the couple of barber's hones on whippeddog.com should suffice or something different?

That's fine. Larry at whippeddog.com is a great guy to buy from.

 

[mdunn]

barbers hone or c12k

coti if you can find one cheap enough, and its a nice polisher

 

[Legion]

A C12k will be easier to use than a barbers hone, just because of its size, IMO.

 

[Wid]

Having had the C12K and a barbers hone I would think it would be easier to use the barbers hone for the simple fact it is a faster cutter. The C12K takes more to bring an edge back. It will do a nice job though, that's for sure.

 

[Legion]

Having had the C12K and a barbers hone I would think it would be easier to use the barbers hone for the simple fact it is a faster cutter. The C12K takes more to bring an edge back. It will do a nice job though, that's for sure.

Yeah. Slower, bigger, puts on a finer edge but takes mush much longer.

Personally I use a balsa bench strop with CrO for most of my touch ups now. Fast AND easy. And cheap.

 

[johnmrson]

I'd go for the Barbers hone first if you really can only afford one.

 

[danjared]

In that price range, go for a C12k, barber hone or coticule bout (a "standard" grade size 8 bout runs $40 shipped at thesuperiorshave.com).

 

[Munxcub]

In that price range, go for a C12k, barber hone or coticule bout (a "standard" grade size 8 bout runs $40 shipped at thesuperiorshave.com).

Email Jarrod at the Superior Shave and ask him what he's got, that does what you need, in your budget. He's awesome, helped me out big time in my decision to buy the 2 coti's I did.

 

[Seraphim]

Lapping film

For maintenace, they work fantastic, you can get plentiful sheets of the stuff at. Thorlabs.com I'd recommend 3micron and 1micron for touchups.

 

[SliceOfLife]

I'd recommend a small coticule. All the barbers bags with well-kept razors I've gotten had coticules in them. Usually the bags with overhoned, damaged razors had synths. I'm just saying.

Seriously though, I find coticules better touchup hones than either C12k or Barbers Synths. Maybe the best of the best Barber Synths compete with them, but I'd say the coti is the safer/better choice.

 

[Christopher_loaf]

So, for stropping I need a strop for post and pre shave touchups, but a coticule or a barbers hone for the 4 or 5 times a year I need to re-edge the sucker?

 

[Wid]

Pretty much.

 

[danjared]

So, for stropping I need a strop for post and pre shave touchups, but a coticule or a barbers hone for the 4 or 5 times a year I need to re-edge the sucker?

I would say to give the razor a touch-up with just water (no slurry) every 1-2 weeks, and you should never have to do anything more (barring when you cause a nick in the edge or cause other major damage).

 

[kg4ghn]

So, for stropping I need a strop for post and pre shave touchups, but a coticule or a barbers hone for the 4 or 5 times a year I need to re-edge the sucker?

Yes.

Although you might find depending on your beard/technique/razors/etc. that you have to touch up more than that. From what I have seen different people require very different lengths of time between touchups. I have seen between every 5-30 shaves.