I think what we're arguing about is really just definitions.


Quote Originally Posted by gssixgun View Post
Ok there is where ya lost me,,,
Anything in the finishing stages is about finishing not about sharpness...
You are talking again differences in the 1/1ooths of a micron on any given razor.... If you go farther the edge fails and you get a harsh shave....

You know exactly where and how far to take an edge, I am pretty sure of that, I would never push a maxed out edge either...

This gets back to the two definitions of sharpness. Anything after about 4k is about finishing not sharpness across the bevel. If you use a coticule then you're talking about finishing and not sharpness across the bevel. If you believe that the norton 8k produces a sharper edge than the 4k or that the coticule produces a sharper edge than the norton 8k then you're also talking about that looser definition of sharpness that i'm calling "percieved sharpness".

I'm not talking differences in the 1/100ths of a micron of the edge. The edge just doesn't get any sharper - the steel just can't handle being that thin and crumbles away like a cliff edge, whether you're at 4k or 30k - the edge is the same thickness across. going to too high a polish doesn't make the edge fail - it's been failing since you left the 4k hone. What is different is the polish on the bevel behind that broken edge of steel, and that affects the cutting friction. At some point if the cutting friction gets too low it gets to the point where the blade has too easy of a time cutting through the skin, and the blade feels harsh. The feather ac does this with a coarse honing and a generous coating of teflon. My sharp edges do this with a fine honing and a good polishing on 0.1 micron diamond. I don't like that, so I don't do it anymore.

If you don't use 0.25 or 0.1 micron diamond because you think it makes the edge too harsh, then that's exactly what I'm doing when I hone my edges to a slightly dull level. You're calling it avoiding overhoning, I'm calling it less sharp. This is probably due to our two differing views as to what constitutes sharpness, but we're doing the same thing we just have different theories as to why.