Originally Posted by
Joed
The advice above is good. The closer your technique is to perfect and changing hones at the appropriate time will have more of an effect on your edge than speed does. I have shaved off of razors honed by numerous people that hone at different speeds and use slightly different techniques. When they get it right they all shave fine.
When cutting metal with any technique there is always an optimum cutting speed based on the steels hardness, it's metallurgical properties and the cutting tools properties. With grinding and honing it is a factor of the grit hardness and binders used. The properties if our synthetic hones can be obtained from the manufacturer but natural hones would probably need to be analyzed for their properties, which will vary more than synthetics. The steel used in the razors would be the greatest variable as to composition and hardness as they vary greatly. In the end the value gained would be minimal for the effort as the proper technique has a greater effect on edge quality.
For me personally my speed on courser hones is slower than on finer hones due to the volume of metal removed on each pass and damage that can be caused w/ an errant stroke. Depending on the day I average 100 laps in less than 1.5 minutes on my finishers be it an Escher, Coti or CK12 depending on my interpretation of the steel on previous hones. I do not recommend this speed for others as the possibility of injury and/or damage to the razor is high.