What compound should I use?

Now, I know there's a lot of threads on crox, so this might be a waste, but I wanted to have a chat before I spend the cash on a bottle (especially when shipping can be twice the cost of the product...ouch!)

For starters, I know that crox smooths an edge and can be used for refreshing or as a final polish right off the hones, before final stropping.

What I'm looking for is a little bit of extra oomf! to add to my edge, a little bit of extra crispness, so to speak.

I know that my honing guy finishes on a 12K and that he does a great job. The rest is just trying to get to my personal preference.

I know that some guys like the diamond spray, and then go to crox and some guys like that boron carbide stuff. Hopefully some of you guys that use compounds on your strops can help me out so that I can make a good decision.

Crox can be used to add a small increment of keenness to an already fully shave ready edge if used in moderation. It is also true that it can be used to postpone refreshing a declining edge for a while. If you are truly looking for a crisp edge, a diamond spray could be what you want.
0.1 micron diamond on a balsa or ?-wood strop will add a bit more than the crox, although many find that edge to be a bit harsh. I have not tried the cubic boron nitride so cannot comment other than to note that some find it to be a bit aggressive so you'd, again, want to start with just a few laps. Cerium oxide is touted as something that smooths an edge without adding any keenness. My experience with it is that I can't really swear that it does anything. It does nothing for me for an edge off a 16K or jnat but that could be just for that razor and my technique.

As with so many things in this sport, we really have to try them all and find what works for our skin & beard. I'd guess that you would notice a small improvement on that 12K edge after six or seven laps on a crox hanging strop, just don't expect it to be dramatically different. As Glen often says, we are chasing rainbows searching for the magic stone or method that will deliver the perfect edge. Not me though, I have them delivered by unicorn.



rs,
Tack

Personally, I use the CrO to remove any harshness that remains after honing. It can also be used to bring an edge back to shave ready IF you catch it at the very first signs of deterioration.

Personality, type of razor, type of medium the paste is on.. all this and more are all factors..

I feel Purity of the Paste or Spray is the single most important factor, I look for 99% pure myself if not 99.99%

Other than that it really is a YMMV situation...

YMMV is a given here. Ive tried almost all of them on as many mediums as I could. Ive settled on crox on hanging linen and .1 cbn on linen hanger. I don't really use the cbn anymore and I typically do 5-7 laps after a hone. Im sure if I revisit these, I may find similar results, but I don't feel like stirring the soup at the moment.

I know that I'd like to use the SRD hard pressed wool as a medium for a spray, still on the fence if I want to go with crox spray or the .5 diamond spray. IIRC, the diamond spray's harshness is said to be brought down when used on the HPW. I'd also be getting either spray from SRD, so purity isn't an issue here.