Quote Originally Posted by Lesslemming View Post
You cannot rely on the numbers given by the factory
if you want to compare hones with other brands.
But you can certainly rely on them as "relative progression scales".
So you will most of the time definitely know a Naniwa SS 8k comes after a SS 5k,
but maybe not before a King 8k, for example.
Welcome to SRP. I certainly don't know the actual grit sizes of various stone relative to each other. As you say we know that one maker's 8k comes after their 5k and chances are it will be so with another maker's 5/8 IME.

I read your other post on comparing Naniwas, Shaptons, Cerax and Suehiro. As you mentioned in that post the Cerax and Suehiro are uncommon in the USA. My experience with synthetic hones has been limited to the Nortons, Shapton Pro, Spyderco and the Dia Sharp DMT continuous plates. Being crazy about hones I am eying the super stones with lust in my heart.

Of the synthetics I've used I've done some mixing between manufacturer's stones based on their given grit rating and they seem to be close enough in the sense that a 4 or 5 comes before an 8 and an 8 before a 12 or 15.

I have read that the DMT 8000 plate is more equivalent to a 4k but I couldn't say for sure. Good to see another hone aficionado coming to the forum.