Spyderco Hones

[azmark]

Im so glad I ran into Joe's thread on straight edge shaving tips on hones. I already have a UF and F that I use to sharpen broad heads for bow hunting. The UF would be for finishing correct? What would the Fine be considered for? Should I get the Medium hone?

I also ended up getting a Tony Miller "Special" strop for $32. Do I need anything else to keep a sharp edge.

 

[Blaine]

The awesomely covered topic in wiki form:

http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Spyderco

The answer to "do I need a Medium?" is a qualified "no".

The qualification being you're keeping a razor sharp, not sharpening a dull razor.

If you want to made a dull razor sharp, you'd need a medium and probably another lower grit as well.

 

[Sticky]

The UF is good for finishing. I think my heavily lapped UF is finer and faster than a Chinese 12k. I use the F as an ~8k hone. I have used the Medium to set bevels, and it works well at that; but I prefer the DMT E 1200 over the Medium (for bevels).

IMO the UF edge is plenty good enough to shave with. If sharper is desired, try maybe Dovo black paste, 0.25u diamond, and/or 0.5u Chromium Oxide.

 

[leighton]

What sticky said.

Whatever you do, don't lap the fine. Btw, you can shave off that Fine if you wanted to.

The medium is more like a 2-4k IME, but if you don't have one, I wouldn't buy one. Waste of money for razors. Good for knives.

 

[CloseShave]

I maintain my razors with spyderco hones. The medium is useful when a bevel needs to be set as it cuts quickly and to repair edge damage. Most of the time, my honing is on the fine and ultra-fine. The edge from the UF is very keen.