Originally Posted by
Maladroit
My black Arkansas stone is a very fine finisher and I'm more than happy with it. I would rate it as near equal to a Shapton Pro 12000 as a finisher, although a fair bit slower :hmmm: It certainly improves the edge of a razor that has been worked on the so-called Chinese 12k (the PHIG). My example has an s.g. of 2.8 (calculated from its mass of 377g divided by the volume of 134 cm3). I have used both thin mineral oil and detergenty water as the honing medium - I can't say which is better.
As always, YMMV: my results pertain to my razors, my hones and about 4 years experience honing and shaving - I make no claims to honemeister status, I'm just a bloke who hones and shaves with his own razors.