I totally agree that you have to spend some time to learn your stones.

When I first started out playing with stones I tried to buy all I could find and it turned into a mess. In the end after I bought my second coti I sold every other stone I had and have just been using that to maintain and hone my razors.

At first the results were nothing to write home about but slowly I learned proper technique and was able to give myself a great edge.

Now while I think I can do a good job on my razors I would never trust my edge to send out to anyone else because it's probably really bad compared to you guys. In the end tho I have the tools and knowledge to keep my razors in proper condition which is what it's all about.