Originally Posted by
FatboySlim
In my experience comparing them with other stones, the Charnley is very good at it's niche. It is extremely hard, similar to an Arkansas translucent, but slightly easier to lap, and definitely better feeling and performing in use. For me, it does only one thing - take an already sharp razor to a higher level of keenness and smoothness. They aren't versatile like an Escher or Japanese because they can't really be used to generate a slurry, but they polish and smooth an edge as well as my very best Japanese stones. They are much slower than Eschers or (most) Japanese stones, and would be tough to initially sharpen an edge on, in my opinion.
I use mine exclusively as a final finisher/polisher, with water only. Hi_bud_gl recommends oil for best results, which is true, but I find oil messy to hone with and don't use it. So I use water with a dollop of dish soap to get close to the oil effect. The stone has a wonderful, smooth, oily suction and smooth resistance on a good razor edge. It's a waste of time on an edge that isn't already developed on something like a coticule, Escher, Chinese 12K, Naniwa 12K, Shapton, etc. Mine is so fine and slow I now use it for final polishing after a Japanese natural! It has a similar effect to a CrOx stopping. In fact, I sometimes shave right off my Charnley without even stropping on leather at all. Smoooooth.