Maintaining a Razor with a Chinese 12k

[Samouraï]

I am at the point where a finishing hone or a barber's hone is/will soon be a necessary investment. The Chinese 12k seems to be a great finishing stone for the best price out there. Will it be enough to maintain an edge by myself indefinitely? providing I don't muck up the edge on my bathroom counter.

After a 12k hone, would a linen+horsehide be enough to smooth it out? I have a nylon/latigo strop that I currently use, but would like to sell and upgrade to a Tony Miller. Is the latigo necessary? The horsehide is obviously a luxury, but could it supplant a traditional latigo strop?

Also, would the chromium oxide on the inside of the linen (or on balsa wood or something) be necessary to smooth the edge even further? Basically I am looking for the best way to maintain an edge on my own with as few pastes, strops, and stones as possible. Thanks.

 

[mdunn]

the 12k will be enough to maintain edges. Any strop, really, will be good enough to use. Is latigo better, some say yes - some say no, its all personal preference.

pastes are also a preference thing, but making a pasted strop with balsa costs next to nothing and will help keep your razors sharp between sessions on the 12k

 

[Leche]

+1 to the Balsa Wood Paddle Strop with CrOx. I have a vintage horsehide strop and a TM Latigo strop. So far I prefer the TM as I am liking the heavier draw. It's really going to be personal preference like Dunn said and you may prefer the horsehide for some blades and the latigo for others. Also the TM is some spectacular craftsmanship.

 

[Samouraï]

Well, I think that it would be silly to go for anything other than the 12k for my first stone, so I guess my setup will go something like...

- Chinese 12k
- CrOx pasted balsa strop
- New TM Strop (though I am still on the fence about the leather, I plan on selling my current latigo, so maybe another latigo would be the smartest decision. Thanks.

 

[SavantStrike]

Well, I think that it would be silly to go for anything other than the 12k for my first stone, so I guess my setup will go something like...

- Chinese 12k
- CrOx pasted balsa strop
- New TM Strop (though I am still on the fence about the leather, I plan on selling my current latigo, so maybe another latigo would be the smartest decision. Thanks.

I have had good luck using a C12k to maintain an edge over an (admittedly very short), period of time.

I think this sounds like a perfect setup. I would even say if you want latigo, you're still alright going from latigo to latigo again. After all, the new strop would be a TM :bigggrin:.

 

[Utopian]

I am at the point where a finishing hone or a barber's hone is/will soon be a necessary investment. The Chinese 12k seems to be a great finishing stone for the best price out there. Will it be enough to maintain an edge by myself indefinitely? providing I don't muck up the edge on my bathroom counter.

After a 12k hone, would a linen+horsehide be enough to smooth it out? I have a nylon/latigo strop that I currently use, but would like to sell and upgrade to a Tony Miller. Is the latigo necessary? The horsehide is obviously a luxury, but could it supplant a traditional latigo strop?

Also, would the chromium oxide on the inside of the linen (or on balsa wood or something) be necessary to smooth the edge even further? Basically I am looking for the best way to maintain an edge on my own with as few pastes, strops, and stones as possible. Thanks.

The only reason that I quoted your post again is because the answer to your question is that yes, the Chinese (not 12k) hone is sufficient, in and of itself, to maintain your hone. You don't need anything further. Pasted strops or balsa are not necessary. If you want to go further, and if you want to round your bevel, then yes you can go farther and use pastes.

 

[Synack]

Thanks for posting this question; I have been wondering about a similar setup myself.

 

[gary haywood]

I have both litigo and cowhide tm strops i'm sure the litigo realy gets the edge back the cowhide seems less agressive. as for maintaining should imagine chi will be fine i've read you canuse with slurry to quiken up things

 

[pmast]

I have had good luck using a chinese 12k and a TM strop. I have also tried pasted balsa because it was cheap and got a DMT 8K after I nicked the edge (my plastic ID badge swung into it of all things). If you start with a sharp razor and don't damage the edge like I did, the 12K should be fine for maintaining the edge and you can shave off of it easily. TM strops are great IMO, but I have nothing else to compare it to.