You need some type of finishing hone to maintain your razor. There are many types of hones that can be used for finishing, but which one works best for you depends on your razors, your honing method, and your razor edge preferences.

For example, many people love Coticule edges. I can shave off a Coticule edge, but it is not as keen as I would like. If I get a new razor that has been finished on a Coticule, I will shave with it once or twice and then rehone the razor.

Some folks say you can shave off a Norton 8K edge. For me, that is not sharp enough; I want a 12K edge at a minimum. A Naniwa 12K or good Chinese 12K will get you to that level. The Chinese hones vary in quality; not all of them are true finishers.

I prefer finishing around 15K. A good Escher, Thuringen, JNAT, Welsh slates, Vermio, Zulu grey, surgical black Arkansas, or even some Imperia La Roccia stones can finish around that level. Of course, it is impossible to assign a true grit rating to any natural stone. Individual specimens vary.

There are some synthetic hones like the Shapton 15K, the Suehiro Gokumyo 20K and the Shapton 30K, that are good finishers.

Thus, you really have to find out what works best for you. That is why many who hone their own razors have a collection of stones, but they eventually lean towards a couple of favorites.