Ok, so my razor was starting to tug and pull a little and not getting great shaves. I decided to try touchup on C12K instead of CrOx on the linen strop. I started with a light slurry and diluted as I went until I was using just water. I did approx 20 strokes before diluting and was probably around 100 total. It would shave hairs on arm next to the skin just fine but when I tried halfway up the hairs it wasn't really popping them. So I did 10 strokes on CrOx on the linen and then stropped about 50 stokes clean linen and 100 on the leather. It was popping hairs like crazy and is probably sharpest it's been. It shaved GREAT, really smooth, so I even tried a little ATG and it just cut smoothly through the whiskers! I was real happy with that! My question is, should the razor come off the finishing stone popping hairs easily, or do you always need a followup on a paste to be able to do that? I know I should have shaved with it first and tried it, but I thought since it wasn't popping hairs that it wasn't ready for a shave and that I might have dulled it. This is the sharpest and smoothest it's been. It was probably that sharp and smooth when I got it but I couldn't tell you because my technique was so bad I dulled it within a couple of weeks shaving before my first touchup on CrOx.