Quote Originally Posted by ChaddyOShaver View Post

See I don't understand what this means. Doesn't honing without the x pattern do the same? Doesn't honing up and down without the x pattern hone the heel, toe, and middle?

If the everything was perfectly straight and even Yes you would be correct but they are not..

The edge is not always a straight line in fact, neither is your newly lapped stone and for sure your stoke is not .. The various patterns the X being the most used eliminate all that un-evenness.. Even more importantly the X stroke allows you to form the edge and bevel

This is something that you pretty much have to accept on faith or you have to test it yourself which will eventually result in a Mis-honed razor

Note I underlined Eventually,