Thread: POLL! What is your single favorite go-to touch-up stone?

I chose Japanese natural. I'm getting a set of Shaptons, so perhaps the 16k or 30k will serve as a good touch up hone as well, but I don't think anything will replace my Nakayama Maruichi.

Ah! Yes very interesting.

Jer

Naniwa 12k so far. I have a Boss Barber's hone, but without knowing the grit on either side, I'm a bit hesitant. For me, I like knowing the fact that with synthetics, I know what the grit is. A coticule or bbw may be 8k, 5k, 12k, who knows?

I have a rotation of razors in a gym locker and I have maintained those razors for 5 years exclusively with a barber hone. Initially it was a Swaty, then a Carborundum 102, and for the past year an Itsapeech.
At home, I do touch-ups with whatever barber hone I feel like testing. Occasionally if I don't like the edge from my experimental barber hone, I'll switch over to my regular hones and do a few strokes on a Naniwa 12k and then 10-20 strokes on a Japanese hone. It's basically an abbreviated version of my normal final stage of honing.

It's funny that Barber Hone is getting the most votes, but no one has piped up about them in the thread.

I hit the shapton 16k, Chromium oxide on leather paddle strop, Chromium on balsa, chromium on hanging canvas, barber hone, chinese 12k..... different things.

Here lately I've been honing with tape, so touching up without tape doesn't make sense. For that reason, my most common touch up is a hanging strop. I do that instead of my paddle strop only because my hanging strop is right there with all my other strops, and it works great for me.

I use 0.5µ diamond paste on horsehide strop. Smooth!!!

Swaty.

Utopian, I've wanted a ItsaPeach but I missed out when Tilly had them. How do they compare to the lithide or the Swaty?

For touchups, I hit my long Swaty and then re-finish on my C12k. Exactly that I do on my Swaty varies depending on how much touching up is needed. Could be just a few strokes, could be some circles followed my strokes. After that, back up to the C12k for the final finish.

I used to do touchups on my coticule with just a little bit of slurry, but I prefer not to use a slurry when I don't have to. One less variable for me to worry about.

Shapton 16K then .3 micron film Then leather

Since I'm not a Honemeister and don't have the experience that goes with (or maybe defines) the title I am always trying to get a good feel for each razor in the rotation. When one goes off I try to pick a hone to suit the razor and how far off the edge seems to be. As a result, I don't really have one favorite stone.

I have a few Eschers/thuringens, an Asagi, a few Coticules and Shapton 16K and 30K. In addition to the stones I have a flatbed hone with felt and leather pads and a few hanging felt strops all treated with either Diamond spray, CrOx or Boron Carbide. Depending on any number of variables (Sun, Moon, Stars...whatever) any of these methods could be my favorite to touch up an edge. Is there a poll response for "I like 'em all?"