Thread: Refresh vs. Honing

I have had these 10 razors in rotation for about 8 months. I decide they needed service.

I refreshed 5 with CroOx on a linen strop and then storpped on leather.

I honed the other 5 with a Nanawa 8000 and finished with a Zulu.

The 8000 and Zulu were the clear winners.

Out of curiosity, have you tried using the crox strop after the 8000 and Zulu?

Bob

Originally Posted by MisterClean

I have had these 10 razors in rotation for about 8 months. I decide they needed service.

I refreshed 5 with CroOx on a linen strop and then storpped on leather.

I honed the other 5 with a Nanawa 8000 and finished with a Zulu.

The 8000 and Zulu were the clear winners.

Freddie, the 8K to Zulu being the winner is of NO Surprise to me. I'd don't consider CrOx to be of any 'sharpening' use. It's just to smooth things up After Honing or Touching Up and that's all. At least in my very humble opinion.

99% of every razor I hone for others is sent home without any pasted strop finishing and I've never had a complaint.

Keep up the good work and say hello to that very lovely bride of yours for me

I think it depends on what you consider refreshing? I use my Mastro Livi linen chromium oxide for refreshing when the blade starts to tug. Then his skin strop. If my razors get to the point that doesn't work, I will either use my Naniwa 12k or my Jnat then go to the Mastro Livi loom strop. I find 5 laps on my Escher after the loom strop really puts a great edge for shaving.

Originally Posted by BobH

Out of curiosity, have you tried using the crox strop after the 8000 and Zulu?

Bob

No I have not. It does sound like a natural progression to finish with. Thanks

Originally Posted by MisterClean

No I have not. It does sound like a natural progression to finish with. Thanks

It seems to work well after my 12K Naniwa, seems to make the edge feel a little smoother. You may not gain anything using it after the Zulu, it being a natural.

You might find that if you refreshed your razors more frequently with the crox strop you may have better results. If the edges deteriorate too far the crox strop won't bring them back.

Bob

I always go to a Cerium oxide bench strop after finishing razors off of the Naniwa 12k or Escher, but I will try skipping that step next time I hone to see what sort of difference I feel. I'm predicting the edge won't feel quite as smooth.

For refreshing issues, I go to the hones.

My honing routine is very simple - 1,4,8,12,20. No pasted strops. It's the same every time. When I refresh, I drop to 12k for just a couple passes depending on the hardness of the steel, and then to 20k.

Since I have received it, I go to my 12k and strop after and shave. Before that I used to go to my 8k and strop then shave. Works well for me.

I'm wondering if the original assessment is based on the first shave off the pasted strop versus the hones or after a handful of shaves in, in both cases. Lately, I've been keeping one razor going since a bevel reset in early December ending with a coticule and Welsh purple slate natural honing finish. The trick since then has been to occasionally hit the razor with a red (ferric oxide) pasted linen strop when the edge seems to be falling off, followed by leather, and then ultimately, a handful of licks on the heel of the palm to calm things down as needed from there. This latter palm-stropping approach, used in tandem with a judicious red- and white-paste linen stropping rotation, makes a big difference if one is seeking to avoid frequent honing touch-ups from my experience.