Ok-Just got the best shave of my life, far better than with any other tool ever created. Shaved this morning with so-so results then reworked the blade:
I took the razor (stropped to "perfection" on .5 paste) and honed it some more on a carborundum hone. Ultra light touch. I think it is a fine/med grit hone. I made certain I kept the blade perpendicular, not angled, but maintained the X pattern. I then did ultra light stropping. Wow.
I'm wondering if I really made the blade sharper or whether in fact I "added" scratch lines and it scythed the hairs off.
I've read somewhere that the angled honing is used to enhance the tip forward motion you should use on the blade. Thats a motion I don't use. I always move straight down. So perpendicular might be a better honing motion for me.
So are the scratch lines essential and blades can be too smooth? And does the strop act as a beveling device on the tip of the blade so the whiskers can be sheared?
Thoughts?