Thread: What is the more important stone ???

Glen, I agree with you that bevel-creation is the single most important part of the process. If you don't have a good bevel you'll never get a good edge. Whereas when it comes to finishing, you might prefer your escher to your coticule or your Shapton 16 or whatever but any of them will do.

Bigspendur, I think when it comes to those wavy bevels that nevertheless get sharp, it's less likely that a chimpanzee set the bevel than that a chimpanzee ground the blade in the first place. Subtle warps and other anomalies can make a wavy bevel unavoidable even for a honemeister. But as you say, it's usually purely cosmetic. This is because for all intents and purposes a bevel's a good bevel – wavy or not – so long as your two planes are meeting in a line. Putting a good bevel on a warped razor sometimes requires a narrow hone, sometimes a rolling stroke, etc. but if your honing strokes are making contact all the way down to the edge and all the way along it you've done a good job, whether it looks wavy to the eye or not.

So why does everyone collects high-grit hones. Maybe because bevel-setters tend to be artificial, and finishers to be exotic naturals. Who wants 5 Norton 1Ks? Who even wants a Norton 1K if they've got a DMT 1200 and are happy with it? Whereas lots of guys can't keep themselves from collecting another coticule even though they've got ten of 'em already, or scouring the web for the elusive Water of Ayr stone, even though it's about the same grit as all their other finishers.