Quote Originally Posted by hein31 View Post
The "gradually moving to smaller stones" progession is always a good method to improve razors with minor geometry problems. The smaller stone will result in a smaller and much more controlled contact surface. If you make sure, the razor is always held perpendicular to the stone the X-pattern will provide a good refining and sharpness to razors that are more difficult to hone on a large stone. I use the smaller stones for refreshing razors and sometimes i get a better edge this way, that is how i find out which razors profit from this kind of progression.
Yes, I am with you on the perpendicular comment in particular. Thanks for the confirmation. As for the "gradually moving to smaller stones" progression, another possible explanation that comes to mind is economical. As stones move from coarse to fine, the price generally tends to go up accordingly. Consequently, with coarser stones that tend to cost far less, one can indulge in a larger-sized stone, whereas with the finer stones, where the cost is quite dear, one may willing to settle on a far smaller stone, taking the time to learn it in this way.