Originally Posted by adjustme69
Howdy,
I am much more a fan of the X pattern although recently there has been a few people experimenting with the straight drag down the stone. I feel you get a better cutting motion on the stone with the X pattern but that is my opinion based on honing over 4,000 razors. Each person develops their own personal preferences and every razor is different. For testing, I actually like shaving best. It lets me know how close I am and if I have over honed a razor. This also is personal preference as some cut hairs and use a thumb nail test.
Good luck and keep us posted on your progress and with additional questions.
Lynn