Thread: Guangxi hone. What's the general consensus?

I have one and never use it. IMO there are others stones (coticules) that give a more comfortable edge for a lot less work.

I've got one of the $20 ones. I find my edges off of it give better shaves than off my coticule (which was my previous finishing hone). I usually do between 50 and 100 laps on the Guangxi for my final polish. Considering the price, I don't see any reason not to get one just to see what it can do for you.

I love my Chinese 12K it use results in a great edge. It might be a little slow but that is fine with me. It is a hone that is great for people who enjoy the process of honing because it will take while to get a great edge. It is not a 10 pass uber hone.

Charlie

Click here for lots of info on chinese 12k stone:

Chinese 12k hone Info

The Chinese 12k is a great stone for the $$. It takes a bit to get the edge just right, but once there it's great. As long as you aren't wanting to be a pro honer, then it's the bang for the buck. Invest in a bit of Chromium oxide and your razor will be shaving with the best of 'em.

I haven't sold mine yet, if that says anything about it.

Well I broke down and picked one up today. The first one I looked at had a chip on one edge in the middle of the stone so i looked at the other one there and it was perfect. Now, I have been lucky to have been instructed by randydance on the art of honing. He did tell me that I needed to work on making sure I have all the scratch marks removed before moving up to the next size grit. Currently I have a 220 Norton flattening stone, a 800-4k King combo, a 8k King deluxe and now a Guangxi (Chinese) 12k.
If I am ready to move up to the 12k stone, what would be the average laps needed. I am sure it depends on the razor but just a ballpark number would be nice. I also have a inexpensive lighted magnifier to look at the blade while I'm working on it.
Thanks,
turbine

On mine, it's usually 80-100 strokes per side.

Somewhere, though I don't remember where, the whole "100 per side" was put out there. I probably tend to do 50-100. It's one of those things where if you find what you've done isn't enough, you can always go back for more.

Originally Posted by spazola

I love my Chinese 12K it use results in a great edge. It might be a little slow but that is fine with me. It is a hone that is great for people who enjoy the process of honing because it will take while to get a great edge. It is not a 10 pass uber hone.

Charlie

+1 on this.

For many people, the Guangxi is a great finishing hone. Like all natural hones, they do vary in quality. I had one that was probably closer to 10K and made a better intermediate hone than my other one that was a decent finisher. However, I have a very coarse beard and very sensitive skin. I like finishing hones that are even finer than 12K and then use pasted strops to further polish my edges. My favorite finishing hone is the Suehiro Gokumyo 20K, but it is rather expensive for those who do not need a hone that fine.

As for Coticules, I like using mine as an intermediate hone to prepare my edge for the finishing hone, but the Coticule does not produce an edge sharp enough for my beard. They do make a very smooth edge, so those who do not need a super sharp edge tend to like them.