Originally Posted by
English
I'm a great believer in setting a good bevel at the start.
When I look through a 10 X loupe I see a great "FLAT" V shape.
The next check point is when I feel a blade going blunt. Usually when I look through the loupe I see a curved bevel.
Time to put the V back.
Now what you do in the middle can be with hone or pastes or with linen or strop but loss of a V edge will kill the comfort and sharpness.
But I can guarantee you looking at edges under high powered magnification will not help you at all.
It won't even tell you why, one hone is smoother than another, or why one paste is smoother than another.
V equals sharp.
U equals blunt.