And as for scratches, I do not see how they matter as long as the surface is overall flat to the bevel. Bevels are thin, but microns are even smaller. Dont forget the fact that In the case of the dished hone up there (after its smoothed out), the effect would be similar to a layer or two of tape on the spine. If you pretend the dish is smooth, and take an arc with the same width as a razors bevel from it, for most intents in purposes it will be flat. Now picture the full blade on it. Even for that distance, the stone is relatively flat. But for humor sake, extend the line of the bevels contact out, and it will pass just under the spine of the razor. The dish only really becomes noticable at the 2" mark, and then more so at the 3" mark. give it a try, scroll up and block of the monitor with a couple sheets of notebook paper to only show different sized sections, ignore the ruler in the picture while doin this.