I'm still a relative newcomer to the skill of honing. The orthodoxy is that the 'X stroke' is the preferable way to finish a razor, while the 'half stroke' and 'circles' are used for removing more material earlier in the honing progression. In fact, many scoff at using a half stroke to finish a razor. The rub is there are some very respected members who use the half stroke to finish razors. So...........why is the half stroke not in the mainstream of finishing techniques? Or is this just my perception and half strokes are indeed excellent finishing strokes?

On a related note, is it not easier to see your progress if you remove stria in a different direction of the stria you created on a coarser stone? What are the 'cons' of not doing so? If I use half strokes on my 1k hone, and x strokes on my 4k hone, will I more easily see how well I've improved the bevel and therefore the edge? The natural extension of this would be to use half strokes on my 8k and then x strokes on my finisher of choice.

Thanks in advance for helping me expand my knowledge base!