Barber Hones

Barber hones are usually small, hand-held palm or hand-sized synthetic hones which are suitable for maintaining a straight razor's shaving edge. They tend to be hard hones which wear very slowly. Hard barber hones can be difficult to lap flat if they are manufactured less then flat or are heavily worn. Some claim barber hones do not require lapping, and certainly many barbers have used such hones for great lengths of time without lapping them. Some barber hones have coarse side as well as a finer finishing side. The finer finishing side is often marked with a brand or name which is pressed into the surface at one end of the hone. The fine, finishing surfaces of barber hones are commonly thought to be around 10k to 12k as a comparative grit rating.

Barber hones tend to cut quite quickly, generally requiring less than 10 honing strokes to refresh a razor's edge that is otherwise serviceable but is beginning to pull. This would have been desirable for a barber who wished to spend more time working than maintaining a razor. If the edge is still not sharp enough, more honing may be needed. As long as a razor's edge remains undamaged, its shaving edge can be maintained with a barber hone indefinitely.