Thread: Cerium Oxide: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Just a few observations on my quest to investigate the attributes of a new polish for me: Cerium Oxide. I received a small package [2 1/2 oz] with a quart spray bottle with instructions for mixture. I belt sanded my balsa paddle strop to a smooth flat surface and applied the Cerium Oxide and let it dry.

I stropped about a dozen razors with the paddle strop and have shaved with about half of them. These are razors I know well.

The Good: The edge on these razors came out amazingly sharp and shaved well. But:

The Bad: The shave, although was good, was not as smooth as I was used to with Chromium Oxide. It was not a big difference. It was a subtle little difference. I could live with shaving with this edge.

The Ugly: No ugly. I just thought it was a good title for this thread.

Conclusion:

This is just a beginning relationship with the Cerium Oxide spray for me. I intend to use this with my razors but will still use the Chromium Oxide on my razors before they reach my shave den. I feel the Cerium Oxide is somewhere between the diamond paste and Chromium Oxide in performance. It is definitely a tool I will use in my search for the perfect edge.

bj