The idea of a barber hone is that it is fast, required a few strokes and is strictly for touch ups. That is what it is made for. Coticules are great hones and I dearly love them. You could touch up a razor on one but it is a different kettle of fish.
The Chinese 12k is a slow finishing hone. It is not the sort of thing I want to hit a few licks on between passes to restore an edge and come back to my next pass before my lather dries out.
The Spyderco UF (ultra fine) is IIRC made of a similar material as the old barber hones. It is well thought of by many and is , like the old barber hones, designed to be used wet or dry.
I saw a SRD (S.R. Droescher) barber hone on ebay last night with a buy it now of $25.00. If you keep your ear to the ground these deals come up. hi_bud_gl has sold a number of good barber hones in the classifieds recently. He might have others he is willing to let go ? I wouldn't be surprised if he does.
